• Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

Harbor Frieght Bender ?

chris420

chris420

NAXJA Forum User
Location
California
So I used my companies money to buy a Harbor Frieght Bender. I convinced the boss I needed it for metal piping. I plan to use it down the road for my XO cage. The question is how ? Dont tell me to fork out the $$$$$ for a tube bender because that is not an option considering a crap load of my stuff was stolen out of my gerage and I have a baby due any minute.

1. Can I bend tubing with this pipe bender ?
2. What do I need to do to make it work ?
3. Has anyone built an XO cage with this bender ?
4. Does anyone have experience with this pipe bender ?

I heard that if I were to line the die with copper it would work !
 
Post a pic, Harbor Freight has a few different benders. I know someone who bought one to bend smaller things and he said it sucked.
 
The problem with that bender is that unless you heat the outside of the bend with a torch, you'll end up putting dimples on either side of the bend where the "rollers" are. I did some bending just to try it on some 2" tube I had laying around. The bend flattened and the sides flared out, and there were dimples on each side. Tried it again using some heat - looked a little better, but very time consuming. I think you'll be hating life trying to bend an exo cage. Not to mention that you'll need to mount that bender on a stand of some sort in order to bend large pieces.

Good luck.
 
How hot did you get the tube? I can wait until summer when the temps hit 100+ and lay the tubing on asphalt. I am going to build a stand as soon as my insurance money comes so I can buy a new welder. Is there a different die I can buy and fabricate to work ?
 
Hot enough to take some tension out of the bending process. Not red metal hot.

Basically, the HF dies aren't deep enough to support the sides of the tube, and the rollers don't spread the tension over enough surface area to keep the tube from dimpling.

Good bends need to be done with a JD2 kind of bender.
 
some people in my club are convinced of getting one of those to make a exo cage, if you figure it out let us now so i can pass it on so they dont kill themselves.
 
I have that bender and it works fairly well for the price. I have the 12 ton unit and I paid $79. I made this with it.

DSCF0740.jpg


DSCF0736.jpg
 
YELLAHEEP said:
The problem with that bender is that unless you heat the outside of the bend with a torch, you'll end up putting dimples on either side of the bend where the "rollers" are. I did some bending just to try it on some 2" tube I had laying around. The bend flattened and the sides flared out, and there were dimples on each side. Tried it again using some heat - looked a little better, but very time consuming. I think you'll be hating life trying to bend an exo cage. Not to mention that you'll need to mount that bender on a stand of some sort in order to bend large pieces.

Good luck.
Click to expand...
The thinner the wall of the tubing the worse it is. A friend of mine got one of those and tried bending some exhaust piping with it. The pipe got imprinted (crushed) by those rollers, he even tried filling the pipe with sand (a cheap mandrel bender) and that didn't help much. If you get that bender and have a problem with it crushing pipe the easiest fix should be to make new rollers with the proper radius on them to fit the pipe you are bending (unless you think heating the pipe is a fun), the rollers that come with it aren't really a one size fits all kind of thing.
 
Its a PIPE bender. Not a tubing bender. It works great on pipe. I bend 1 1/4 shedule 40 pipe for rock rails and stuff with no problems. I would not use this for a roll cage.
 
CSaddict said:
Its a PIPE bender. Not a tubing bender.
Click to expand...
Most places call exhaust system components pipes.... so if its a pipe bender it should of worked.

And the only differences that I know of between between pipe and tube are
1. a pipe is measured by ID & a tube is measured by OD
2. pipes are considered vessels while tubes are considered to be structural

Frrom this definition the exhaust is made of pipes not tubes, because its not structural.
 
OK I guess the way I see it is Schedule 10/40 pipe is what the bender is good for. That's what I used. Thats what worked for me. You have a valid point in your explanation but I would never assume that this bender, just looking at the way it works, would work for thin walled tubing.
 
I have one of those benders. The problem is that the dies are pipe sizes. I custom machined a couple of die and it bends like a dream. The dies are everything. I've even been thinking of machining up a bunch since everybody keeps bugging me about them.
 
old_man said:
I have one of those benders. The problem is that the dies are pipe sizes. I custom machined a couple of die and it bends like a dream. The dies are everything. I've even been thinking of machining up a bunch since everybody keeps bugging me about them.
Click to expand...

i would definitely be interested in a set of dies
 
if you have a good steel supplier you can get pipe that is the exact same specs as common HREW tube, just different sizing. 1.25 schd 40 is a good size at 1.66 OD and .140 wall. I haven't tried some of the methods like multiple bends, heating the pipe, or packing it with sand, but without those I could only get about 45 degrees of bend before it started to flatten and kink.
 
The "trick" is to have a good die that the tubing sits down into. It should extend up past the centerline on the sides. Kinking is mostly caused by the sides splaying outwards.
 
old_man said:
I have one of those benders. The problem is that the dies are pipe sizes. I custom machined a couple of die and it bends like a dream. The dies are everything. I've even been thinking of machining up a bunch since everybody keeps bugging me about them.
Click to expand...

lobsterdmb said:
i would definitely be interested in a set of dies
Click to expand...
x2

I would like a 2" and 1.5" set of dies. Get making them and let us know how much, I'm sure it will be cheaper than buying a "real" bender.
 
I would like to buy some of those custom dies as well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

ShoeterMcgav
Looking for NoCo jeep friend with a bender?
Replies
19
Views
1K
ShoeterMcgav
ShoeterMcgav
Anak
Hitch Stinger Storage
Replies
0
Views
547
Anak
Anak
Jeepmedic46
Heater core
2
Replies
32
Views
4K
RCP Phx
R
TheXJDrew
2023/2024 SEC president introduction
Replies
8
Views
636
UNCC_99XJ
UNCC_99XJ
X
Redoing my entire Exhaust
Replies
7
Views
3K
XJEEPER
XJEEPER
Back
Top