Tubing Bender

[steven Durham]

There is a Pro Tools Model 105 bender on Craig's list in Gresham and it comes with a 1 1/2 inch die for $600.00 . The manual benders are easy to use but they must be bolted to the floor. If I was buying any bender I look at the middle size radius offered in that size . A lot of mini bikes were made with 7/8 inch tubing. Most go Karts were made with 1 inch . I would say for mini bikes I would go with the 7/8 inch and get a tubing notcher. And of course your welder needs to be up to the job.
Steve

[COOP1418]

This guy sure is bumpin and lurkin on a lot of posts.Anotherkid goofin off

[Smallbore]

Hi Wayne, You wont regret the JD2 #3 bender. I have a Hossfeld in my shop, but the JD works just as well. If you have a Metal Lathe you can save a ton of money by making your own dies. 2 months ago i made a set of 5/8", 3/4", 7/8", and 1" dies in 3",4",and 5" radius for under $100.00 in material. That`s 1- forming die, 1- follower die, and a holding block = 1 set. I made 12 "sets" for under $100.00 which is less than you will pay for 1 factory made set ! The only other tip i can give you is ALWAYS Lube your dies, and practice-practice-and practice till you get it right. In the beginning you`ll under bend, Over bend, but after a few tries... Nothing to it ! Good Luck........ Scott:

[Smallbore]

OOOoooppsss ! I just came in from the shop and actually that`s 16 sets of dies ! Wow i forgot how to count. I looked at my receipts and it was $96.00 for the materials, so that comes out to $6.00 a set !! Granted i made them out of Aluminum but unless your doing high volume production work they will still last for years.