tubing benders
 

Everyone post up what bender or method you use to bend tubing for RC's and a link where to get them. I've been looking for a perticular bender for some time and haven't been able to find the one I want. So post up what you have and help all the crawler fabricators out there.

I use a vice for solid and this for tubing


http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBr...EGRN%7C%7Etrue

thats like what i use except mine from snap on ^^^^^, and for solid a vice and a hammer makes getting really tight curves a lot easier

yep this is a good one for the $$$$

i'm a plumber by trade, tried almost all the tubing benders out there over the years. the best one for me is the rigid brand. homedepot, grainger, and if you go to the plumbing supply warehouses they should carry them in stock. for solid rod i also use a vise and torch the area to bend red hot and bend it in a jig with steel dowels in it. don't like to hammer it in the vise cause it tends to kink it when i do it. the one from autozone looks just like the rigid brand, quality a little less though. i use mine almost everyday at work so i need reliability.

ive got a snapon one in my box at work. i keep thinking about trying to make some tube ****, but havent tried it yet.

I use a Vise, Softball bat, boards, my foot, or what ever is around that will work. Oh and I have a hand bender aswell.

I use about what run2jeepn uses, different size pipes work great for a different radius

Samota on here made this, using a 3/4 and 7/8 socket and some nuts and just tacked it together. works just like a DOM bender, and works good too. He made my tuber with it. Build up in the clod section under another newb tube. anyway here are some pics.
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l2/knok2222/3.jpg
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l2/knok2222/2.jpg
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l2/knok2222/1.jpg
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l2/knok2222/4.jpg

That's pretty slick. Will have to give it a try.

I use the Ridgid bender. It will bend to 3/4" with 3/16 tubing.

Are there any benders that will do a tigher bend without kinking the tube? I have read about some of the high end boat guys filling their tubing with fine sand to keep the kinks out, but I haven't read of a tigher curve then about 3/4".

Tube bending pliers are supposed to do tighter turns although I have not tried them personally a friend has used them on his classic MG

http://search.ebay.com/search/search...trypage=search

They should be available in the states as well

I was mistaken in my post, the Ridgid benders I use say it is a 5/8 bend

2 of these "thumbsup" "thumbsup"

same here dude. I own a utility contracting business and we use only Rigid Brand pipe cutters and benders for copper, pvc and anything else that can be heated and bent. they range from very small sizes to the biggest I have is 4" which is a long hard process. I get everything from Grainger. they have good prices although I cant really say for everyone because i get 30-70% off list. for solid I bend in my 15 ton metal bending and trimming press. not really an option for everyone but, harbor freight has cheap bottlejack metal press.

for tubing.... i just use my hands. for solid, i use a vice.

tubing benders for one, dont get a tight enough bend most of the time, and two - are very hard to gauge exactly where the apex of the curve will be.

good old trusty rice and hammer

Hey guys I was in Harbor Freight killin some time today and found this... the bend radius is about 5/8 to 3/4 inch! and its 8 bucks...

Check it out...
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=94571

Later,
Jake

When I briefly did boats, we used sand...same difference with rice I would imagine.