How to Bend Tube with a Pipe Bender!

[@EmbraceMaking]

Link to CAD files if you want to build one yourself: grabcad.com/library/tube-bending-adapter-1 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases (at no extra cost to you): 12 Ton Pipe Bender: amzn.to/3Bv3zI2

[@ClearlyShieldblock]

Embrace Racing Have you tried moving the side rollers down after moving up far enough with the bend? I know when bending EMT with a hand bender you have to keep pressure close to the bender to keep it from kinking.

[@MrSjpelec]

Embrace Racing amp

[@salaamasdff177]

شكر. وتقدير.. نحتاج.. باللغه.. العربية. مستر... حسن. العراق..

[@notoriouselwood9253]

It’s very cool of you to tape the entire experiment . Not often does the eexpert allow the novice to see anything other than perfection. Salute!

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thanks! Failure is how you learn!

[@Boilermaker-83]

Over 2 years later I'm seeing your video. I kept telling you/myself that you need to lube the dies. Wd40 will do wonders. But I'm sure you've figured that out by now. Good stuff.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thanks! Although I will be investing in a proper tube bender in the future :)

[@christophermoody50]

Thank you. Great video. Your idea of using pipe to make the pipe dies fit tube is total genius. I think the quality of bend you got with the tube you used was as good as it can get in a single shot without any type of filler. It probably only kinked at all towards the end of the 90 degrees. 👏 Bravo

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thank you! It was a decent result, probably could improve with more time spent on it, but for the price it did the trick

[@ludditeneaderthal]

Fill the tube with sand (pack it in tight). Paint the inside of your dies with grease (light coat, just a film). Voila, no kinking, grabbing, or deformation. You can fill the tube with ice as well, but water and steel is not so awesome, and long pieces dont fit well in freezers, lol. Copper tubing is formed into those packing coils by filling with pressurized water or oil before the coiling operation to prevent kinking. Broomstick, bucket, funnel, rubber pipe caps and a couple hose clamps is your sand packing tooling, an a frame ladder will let you pack 10 ft runs if you have a high ceiling.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Great advice, thanks!

[@coquikarts]

I really apeeciate you sharing this video.. I have been thinking on doing something about the same problem with kinking and I happen to find this video.. I am going to try making it my self and I just wonder.. since the tube doesn't start kinkiing at the beggining, but only a little bit after, how about if the piece making the preasure in the center of the tube has a circular or round shape just lke the die and is thighten after having bent the tube already a little bit so it would make the right preasure.. 🤔 That's what I am going to try.. thanks for sharing once a💪🏽

[@EmbraceMaking]

Could work, worth a shot! When you build it, come back and let me know if it worked!

[@louisaguns4318]

The "crushing" on the inside of the bend is wrinkling caused by the metal being compacted on the inside of the bend. The flattening on top is caused by the metal stretching, pulling itself flat. It is extremely difficult to prevent either of these issues unless using a mandrel type tubing bender. Applying heat to the area of the bend will help to eliminate flat spots and wrinkles.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Yep, no replacement for the right tool!

[@ronmorey9940]

Thanks for the video. I have some exhaust pipe to bend for 2 resto projects. You've convinced me to buy the Power Fist 16T and work with it. I do hesitate to buy products from a far away land where they eat a lot of rice. My projects are on Not Factory Approved. Good luck with future mods and thanks again.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Hope it works out for you! Glad I could help!

[@TheCaptainkelly]

Pack tube tightly with fine sand, tape up ends . Cardboard between tube and die,rollers. ready to bend wt zero mods.

[@zackkasey]

In the Navy in weld school we packed tubing full of sand and beat wooden plugs in the end to keep the sand in. We heated the tubing with an oxy/acetylene torch to bend it and they always turned out perfect. Youre not using oxy/acetylene, but I bet the sand and wooden plug trick would still work great in this application. Pretty cool video man!

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thank you! I haven't tried the sand trick yet, but it's been suggested a few times. Seems like it has a good reputation. Thanks for watching!

[@sickvet9996]

@@EmbraceMaking Reminder for those who may not know -- Make sure sand is completely dry or pipe can explode!

[@christophermoody50]

@@sickvet9996 it won't explode if you don't heat it.

[@JamesDoylesGarage]

I bet a lot of us were wondering if we could make this cheaper bender work. This bender won't work for what I was looking for. But I really appreciate that he did all of the experiments for us. That's why I gave it a thumbs up. Wait it might. Did you ever think to try and pack sand in the pipe?

[@OU812NVME]

That's all great what you guys got I'm glad you guys are doing it but just go down to the next size smaller and use a heat gun and pack it with sand

[@stevenoe6395]

I did something similar back in 07 on my hf pipe bender dint make the jig but the tubing inserts for exhaust pipe worked great just had to adjust a lot and keep moving the exhaust tubing around but I welded my black iron inserts wasnt easy but just plug welded it to the cast pipe peaces would have been better if I could have afforded a tubing bender but seems like something always comes up when I get the money for one. I'm thinking of making a new die out of the black iron and building my own bender. Thanks for the video

[@chefjamesmacinnis]

So if I was making a bash bar am I better off cutting and welding for an angle?

[@ForgedShaft]

this guy doesnt need a pipe bender, he is the bender

[@battlehrfred]

Nice Video Sir!! Explained in detail and your resultants are shown perfectly, You did save me lots of time and money. again you showed the "True" results and how it possibly can be improved to be used as a result!! 100-100 ty for this great video!!

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@rondumontier1187]

Nice job. I did just that a few yrs ago. I made these jugs for my most comon sizes. Your top jig is a nice addition.👍

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thanks 👍 the ones you made worked well for you?

[@rondumontier1187]

@@EmbraceMaking Works pretty good on some lite mild steel tubing and hard electrical conduit. I built pickup toppers W/canvas on them. Still holding strong after 18yrs. Your roller jigs will work if u just cut off the pins, make them at least 8"L Let them float between the rollers and work piece. It,s a bit of a chore but after u bend a few pieces it gets easier. However it,s hit and miss for being perfect. I never used them in a heavy dity structure. I also built 20'x20' canopy frames. Held up to 2'of heavy snow. Great for those kind of things. For pipe i bent S40 for pickup steps & other truck stuff using sand and by measuring 1" increments. Both worked for me. Hope this helps👍

[@EdgeofEternityBillCameron]

That was a really nice video. I’m willing to bet if you tightened up those side walls of the lower die that you opened up, and keep your other changes you will have a working tube bender. Containing those sidewalls tightly is what keeps the collapsing from happening. Of course, packing the tube with sand is another big help, but you’ve seen that before. Again, very nice job. I’d be proud of that!

[@garymathews9534]

best bending I have ever seen with this type of bender !great job !

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thanks for the kind words Gary!

[@lvalle1994]

Ive been wanting to build a prerunner style bumper for my bronco and was looking at a pipe bender as an option to make it, thanks for this video. It has showed me what to do and what to avoid doing 🤙

[@EmbraceMaking]

Glad I could help! Really wish tube benders weren't so expensive!

[@samgalindo8662]

I used sand and taped the ends with duct tape! Worked for me. Great video sir thank you.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thanks for watching!

[@theravedaddy]

This is actually brilliant for us 3rd world dwellers! There is no such thing as tube benders here as they dont even recognise what pipe and tube are..... *it just pipe*. Ive just bought a pipe bender and was wondering how to modify it to make it useable on tube, your idea is spot on!

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thanks for the kind words and thanks for watching!

[@MrJazco]

theravedaddy i

[@UhYeahWhateverDude]

You wouldn’t happen to live in Thailand would you? I’ve been looking for a tube roller/pipe bender, whatever...anything that is close, everywhere but can’t find one. About to make my own, hence the videos.

[@gl7011]

Harbor Freight is asleep at the switch!!! they really should have provided us with a dirt cheap tube bender along time ago.😠!!! Come On Harbor Freight get your 💩 together and release a poor man's tube bender!!!!

[@EmbraceMaking]

Agreed!

[@gl7011]

Tobias Gathergood Yes, I'm aware of that. I realize HF is not a manufacturer. I was thinking that they should have found a supplier in Asia by know

[@glenn.poulsen7871]

Go to mekanik school with a Cnc machine and they normaly love to get custom Jobs;)

[@theravedaddy]

Tobias Gathergood im in asia, there aint nothing available to the man in the bamboo hut. They dont even recognise tube and pipe, *'tube is different size pipe,ok'!* corrougated pipe is considered *normal* here.

[@danwells7691]

northern had alot of stuff years ago that the gov. didnt want us to have. a hydrauli hose crimper for 200 bucks. lathes . cheap electric motors. just to name a few

[@WilliamVG]

How did you make out with your final jig? Were you able to make a near perfect bend?

[@EmbraceMaking]

I never ended up pursuing this any farther. I was going to make a DIY proper tube bender but haven't gotten to it yet. So many projects on the back burner, but I will eventually need one when I build a tube frame chassis.

[@projecthonda]

Can you show how you made the adapter out of

[@creativecustoms3778]

Fill your pipes or tubes with sand and pack them to bend without any kinks.

[@EmbraceMaking]

I've heard of this trick but was hoping to solve the issue without having to resort to this for every bend. Becomes a bit onerous when you have many bends to complete. Might have to try it in the future though. Thanks for watching!

[@jaxxbrat2634]

Creative Customs yes that helps..internal spring coils are what some HVAC guys use..and heat also works

[@Kebekwoodcraft7375]

Embrace Racing liquid filled tube like water is easier to clean than sand

[@NO-background-music-in-videos.]

water dont work like the sand, the sand stays and causes the pipe to bend around it. The water just move and the pipe kinks. try it with a straw. Fill it with a fluid and then bend it, the straw kinks, now fill the straw with sand and bend it.. The straw stretches in the bend area around the sand..

[@Kebekwoodcraft7375]

you have to fill it full cap it so the water or oil etc, can't move and it can't compress also

[@szabolcsthirring642]

At the beginning don't bend at the center but move left and right (bend a little bit, than release, and move the tube, bend again and so on), and after some bending on the sides finish the bending at the center. In this way the stress is less on the center and can minimize the crushing.

[@HomeBuiltByJeff]

Great work. I know how hard it is to keep trying and it just not working properly. You look like you go a better result than I did in the end. I know in the end my biggest issue was that the radius of the pipe die was too small for the tube. If you want to persevere you could try getting a larger die and step down a couple of sizes. That way you have a larger radius and it may actually work.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Hi Jeff, that's a very good point. Something to consider in the future, but I may try my hand at building a true tube bender on a budget. Your video was one that inspired me to try this myself!

[@HomeBuiltByJeff]

That is what I did in the end. I bought a die and built the bender. Building the die is the most difficult part. Nice quality videos anyway, good luck.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thanks, I will be doing something similar :) Same to you! Great content!

[@douglasthompson2740]

Check the aluminum alloy. 6061 is really difficult to bend well as it is much more brittle than the 4000 and 5000 series used for extrusions. One technique is to bend in little increments sliding the pipe to make a bend each side from center.

[@G-GFactoryMade]

i did very similar mods to mine. but i like your clamp and die setup better. i tossed the rollers that came with mine because they kept denting my tubing. so i made a pair like you did as well. i also noticed moving the "rollers" down for smaller tubing helps with the bend as well.

[@EmbraceMaking]

I've noticed similar with the position of the rollers. Thanks for watching!

[@lichtundliebe999]

If you fill the tubes with sand would that make any difference?

[@EmbraceMaking]

It might! I got lot of people suggesting that but unfortunately I never got around to testing it! I was trying to find a way around doing this as I assume it's a bit messy and annoying to do everytime you want to perform a bend... but apparently it works...

[@stonegallimore1163]

For exhaust tubing this works great thanks for the tips

[@EmbraceMaking]

No problem 👍

[@markmark5269]

I got no idea what you guys are doing wrong. I have been using pipe benders similar to yours for years, I am on my 4th in about 25 years. I have no problems with 1", 1.5", and 2", down to 0.080" - 25mm, 38mm and 50mm, down to 2mm thickness. When i get them, first thing I do is smooth and polish the hell out of the 3 dies. I have never have had one with roller outer dies, always 3 sided diesthat you choose the closest scallop that fits the size tube closest. I also usually space those 2 dies out one hole further apart than the manufacturer reccommends. The tube must be clean. If i get tube with rust or mill scale on it, out comes the sander. A wrap of newspaper can also help with dirty tube. And that's it, except when i pump, I make sure the handle does not hit any part of the machine that stops it suddenly. Always bring the stroke to a stop with your own hand, this stops the hydraulic stroke gradually and doesn't allow minute return of the ram that is proven to make ripples on the inside of the bend.

[@kw3640]

You have a thee sided die? Rather then two side rollers? I cant even find anything of the sort on line?

[@_mylastname]

I use sand to prevent kinking, but, i really like this trick, and will be applying it, just because i like how snug it makes the pipe while sitting in the die. thanks

[@FairladyS130]

How would some grease on the tube's bend area go?

[@mikemoore9757]

For smaller tubes that aren't very long, you can use Cerrobend. It is rather expensive, but it has a melting point of 158 degrees F. Pour the molten metal in the tube and when it cools , the tube will bend just like a solid rod. Then re-heat the tube and it will run out. It can be reused . Tubes with a very thin wall thickness have been bent this way. I read somewhere, that tubes have been bent with a center line radius of only 3 times the o.d. of the tube. Also check out Woods metal, and I understand there is a new plastic resin that can be melted and used for this purpose. I do know that you could buy 100 lbs of ashtray sand cheaper than a 1 lb block of Cerrobend!

[@EmbraceMaking]

Wow, very interesting! Never heard of that stuff before!

[@gecko2716]

Good Attempt and reasonable result and saw a Hydraulic Tube bender in another KZbin Video which appears to thrash almost everything out there especially for size and having a look around to find out what it costs.... Cheers

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thanks! I've also seen some that have been built from scratch that work great. I want to build one of those next. However, it is the dies that are the big $$$

[@FlashTechEngineering]

You can achieve this by machining up some teflon or polymer dies, slightly more clearance on the outer radius also you need to slightly grease the dies and tubes

[@dangatto8666]

Why the different holes on the rollers? Won't you get the same bend?

[@AndrewBrowner]

is this still what you use for bending tube? im pretty set on ordering a JB Squared bender or one similar to it in design just wondering if anyone makes dies for less than the 300$+ that they want? the bender itself is only 320-390$ but every set of dies is about that much so by the time you get 3 if not 4 different sets of dies youre looking at 2k to the door.. thats for the US since im in canada i cant most likely double that.. not because of a huge currency difference but because everyone likes to mark things way through the roof in canada

[@EmbraceMaking]

I don't use this tool to bend anymore... I got away with it for a few projects, but since it doesn't make smooth bends for tubing it wasn't much use for me. If you're okay with the odd wrinkle you could use something like this but you really have to tinker with it. It was a fun project though. I hear you about the tubing dies... crazy expensive.. I'm in Canada too and we get screwed on mark ups ... anything that crosses the border is twice the price.

[@mecano_s4486]

What is the distance between each kartite and each steel tube and its diameter...and do you know a site for that?❤

[@mickelreeves4380]

Use a little dish soap to allow some slip in the bender shoe especially on aluminum it will stick and create kinks even in thick side wall

[@EmbraceMaking]

Sounds like a cool trick!

[@DenwayCC]

Bloody good work, mate.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thank you!

[@jameslangford4748]

Anxious to make one too. Please show me the files. I appreciate the video. Just did my first bend on $80 tube --- kinked --- so I need this tool

[@tphone720]

Fill the aluminum with sand. It will help immensely.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Wish I still had the tool to try it out!

[@marcbachman4987]

My trick is to saw notch wooden dowel rod top and bottom ( which must be almost the same diameter as the ID of the tube) into sections as long as the diameter of the tubing and insert a piece of notched dowel at the area to be bent. Along with modifying the dies as you suggested, this helps prevent tubing from flattening and kinking. I believe that if you seriously want a good result bending tubing, you would need to upgrade to the much more expensive system ( rolling dies ) that you can buy the real tubing dies for.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Sounds interesting Marc. I will be investing in a proper tube bender to get the best results :)

[@Sam-ch4jh]

Is it possible to put flexible rod in length wise but stiffer diameter direction? Possibly PU rod?

[@EmbraceMaking]

I haven't seen it done but maybe you can try?

[@nelsonjoseph3281]

Maybe

[@MrGlorybe]

Pack the tube with an ice and soap mix and freeze it. Or fill it with liquid lead and allow it to cool before bending. Brass musical instruments usually have perfect bends using these methods.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Interesting! Never heard of this method, thanks!

[@24vignettes94]

@@EmbraceMaking or sand is what was sometimes used on construction sites when the appropriate sized bender was not available.

[@nicolasmarchildon6391]

Would it be possible to use this to bend 1"x 1" x 0.065" square tubing with this?

[@rightsidelanechoice7702]

The aluminum tube will be more prone to kinking as well. If it works on soft aluminum it will work even better on steel or chrome molly.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Yes, I tried steel and it was better... still kinked but better than the aluminum

[@rustycrustytriesstuff]

If you used one of the larger dies with more shim you may have better results. Like maybe a 2” pipe shimmed out for the 1-1/2” tube possibly. They have a larger bend radius and should spread the bend over a larger area. If you need the tighter radius I think you’re going to have to use a tubing bender as you mentioned.

[@EmbraceMaking]

For any serious work I will be making my own tube bender down the road :) Thanks for watching!

[@JustEnjoyingLife73]

I saw in a video where they got better results going to a smaller die than what's labeled for the pipe. The tube would ride on the edge of the die, resulting in less kinking. You could also move the tube an inch over and bend it a little each time instead of bending it all at once, like several small bends distributed over longer distance.

[@paulsmith8356]

Suggest filling the thin aluminum tube with packed sand. This might eliminate the small wrinkles on the underside.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thanks Paul, I'll give it a try sometime :)

[@rightsidelanechoice7702]

Good use of your cranium bro. Thank you!

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thanks!

[@davidgreen2442]

the tube formers dies are not deep enough, weld an extension to increase the die depth this supports the side wall of the tube and stops it swelling out

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thanks David, that was the idea behind the top clamping piece. I did manage to prevent the sides from swelling out, but its the inside of the tube that still crushes slightly, and the outside flattens out.

[@davidchristensen2970]

Nice presentation.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thank you!

[@abasjabr9175]

Very nice job. Please how did you make the top clamp.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thank you, the description of the top clamp is in the video. Just a 1.25" pipe that I cut and then welded a small round piece to locate on the bolt.

[@Horus845]

I believe if the pipe starts to bend at the corner instead of the center you should have zero kinks , basically it will stretch and bend pipe from edge of die instead of center . Overall great modification 👍.

[@EmbraceMaking]

I believe that is a better strategy just the way a regular tube bender works!

[@omahanb1]

I just tried to set one of these up today and the engineering or the manufacturer got it wrong. There are three faults with mine. I made internal spacers 4 3/4 " then bolted it together with 5/8 " bolts to add strength to the frame and when I looked at the rollers one of mine was drilled crooked and came out 1/8"th off center on the opposite side so it will never roll round on the pins that are 3/16" smaller than the hole so when you jack up the dye the first thing it will do is force the small pin up against the top of the big hole and prevent the rollers from spinning thus jamming the pipe into the dye and crushing the pipe.D SC When the rollers can't spin it is more like a press and will crush the pipe until it gets to the point where the pipe is inside the the rollers then it becomes a tube bender.

[@BC5391]

Quick and dirty is good for my use, thanks for the video.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thanks for watching!

[@sewerrat8]

How do you reckon it would go if you packed the tube with sand?

[@EmbraceMaking]

Should be better... but never did get around to trying it....

[@mrgreenswelding2853]

for aluminium you need special dies to bend. now if you heat it, it wil bend a little better.

[@car_ventures]

The problem is the hydraulic ram is keeping constant pressure on the centre of the tube whereas a tube bender constantly changes the pressure point. So, try changing the function of the device like this: 1) Move the right roller all the way down (new hole required). The tube will now sit on top and rest on this roller. 2) Next, take the die and flip it upside down, then move it off-centre to the right of the ram centre, new holes will need to be drilled. (The ram should be able to extend all the way up past the die. The die should actually be rotated not completely upside down, but about 100 degrees anticlockwise from its stock position. The bottom lip of the die should line up with the top of a piece of tube that's resting on the newly relocated right roller). 3) The ram will need to have the roller, or your clamp (that you made for the top) attached to it. That's it. Now, place a tube on top of the right roller remember the roller has been moved down as far as possible), feed the tube over the ram, and keep going past it. Now, use the ram as normal, it will push the tube to up the bottom edge of the die and as it continues up, the pipe will now start to wrap around the die. There's no longer a central point of pressure and it's acting as a mendrel bender. Potentially you could leave the top right roller in the top right stock position to get more of a bend. The most important thing is to have the die mounted to the frame, as opposed to having it on the ram. Reducing the pipe diameter to tube diameter still applies of course.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Interesting! Might have to try this out sometime!

[@englishforrussians7339]

This is fascinating idea, could you create a video or send pictures?

[@rightsidelanechoice7702]

Make your bends in 3 separate spaces of the tubing. Start with the center and make a bend on both sides of the initial bend you won’t have kinking with the aluminum either.

[@EmbraceMaking]

This could be doable, but then I guess you wouldn't technically have a single radius bend

[@LiveInTheNow247]

You should have done the sand packing hack since doing all those modifications

[@315_Elite]

Great video The problem your having is that you need controlled wrinkles Just put evenly placed grooves in your dieTo allow the inner diameter to shrink as you bend

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thanks! Interesting approach! The grooves would run radially?

[@davidboyce1905]

scott howell ii

[@edmiller8544]

scott howell ?? Grooves running perpendicular to the length of the tubing?

[@JamesDoylesGarage]

Very good experiment. Answered some questions for me, so thank you very much.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thank you for watching!

[@andyperkins2883]

Out of interest, as I want to try make this to solve problems we are having, when it comes to preparing the shim plate to go inside the die, did that bend smoothly ok just because that was a snugger fit inside the die - or will I get problems trying to create that bend in this bender (Inception!) :)

[@EmbraceMaking]

Hi Andy, since the shim was made from pipe and not tube, it did bend quite smoothly. It was a nice fit inside the pipe die as would be expected. This was the logic behind this... if the pipe bent smoothly inside a nicely fitting die, I should just be able to shim it and bend tube smoothly too. As it turns out that wasn't the case for my experiment as perhaps the wall thickness may have something to do with it.

[@IloveTurtlws]

Why can’t we buy the exhaust tubing size dies and rollers

[@EmbraceMaking]

Tubing is thinner and requires the profile to be pulled around the die as it is being bent. I guess they don't sell the tube size dies for pipe benders for this reason... It's tricky to make it work well. This was my experiment to confirm this.

[@PetrocelliPete]

Good video mate. Your bends look pretty good. I had the same pipe bender, and finally broke down and bought a mandrel manual tube bender. Haven't used it yet, but I am looking forward to doing a lot of stuff on my JK. Cheers.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thank you! No replacement for the right tool, I might invest in one soon too :)

[@ekhles104]

very very very excellent

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thank you so much 😀

[@oby-1607]

An excellent video that covers pipe bending is: Shortening Your Pickup Line part two by Keith Fenner. Comments are helpful also. I use a pipe bender similar to yours but only use it for solid stock and that is for handrails on farm equipment.

[@bigj7807]

Have you tried this with something like 1.5" dom ?? Looking to make control arms.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Haven't tried it... what wall thickness are you looking to use?

[@bigj7807]

Not exactly sure , yet I need to do more research on control arm tubing and what I.D the tube must be for heim joint inserts.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Sounds good.. just so you know, I still had deformation of the cross section with wall thickness as thick as 1/8"

[@bigj7807]

Their has to be a way incorporating your method and maybe sand to eliminate any kink at all. Eventually they'll have a full on solution to convert these to do tube without spending a fortune.

[@bendall2006]

Any idea of this setup could bend 2" .25" dom?

[@gecko2716]

Um I just found out what those parts are called and you can buy them separately WOW They are called a FORM ROLLER & PIN.

[@guillermoramirez6284]

Excelente y muy buen video, totalmente diferente. Felicidades voy hacer paso a paso cada cambio que compartes.!!

[@eflanagan1921]

Thanks and may I have the clamp plans ? Regards,Ed Flanagan

[@EmbraceMaking]

Hi Ed, Maybe I can upload the CAD files to GrabCAD and post a link!

[@kommodorez24]

Well done mate! It just needs a little bit more if fine tuning and you'll achieve those smooth bends, you're almost there. What was the thickness of those steel tubes? Cheers from Chile!

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thanks! The final steel tubes were about 1/8" thick

[@Tricknologyinc]

One solution is to fill the tube with sand. The other is to reconfigure the pipe bender as a tube bender by modifying the dies and frame to work the same way to wrap the tube around the die. At least you demonstrated how to mod the dies for the right tube size. The biggest part of the benders' prices are the dies!

[@EmbraceMaking]

Yes the dies are very expensive so this could potentially work with also modifying the bender as you suggest :)

[@jamespond3097]

FIll with sand, it will eliminate crushing :)

[@EmbraceMaking]

A lot of sand suggestions, if I still had the tool I would try it!

[@andyc5612]

Mate great go at making your own tube bender.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thanks Andy! Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@Sam-ch4jh]

Awesome I recently bought similar pipe bender without knowing much details and disappointed that I had made a big mistake (my aim is to bend up to 2 inch pipe) Your video is much helpful I want to bend stainless steel tube 1" dia but 1mm thick. Is that possible

[@EmbraceMaking]

If it is tube, you can bend it but the quality will be poor as you see from my experiment. Your best bet is to use the right tool for the job. Thanks for watching!

[@SuperCraig0007]

Can you bend box section with this hydraulic bender

[@EmbraceMaking]

If you have the right die, I don't see why not

[@SuperCraig0007]

Embrace Racing do you know anywere that sells different types of dies that would fit this machine. Or have you any ideas how we could make them.. also could I purchase ur invention don't think I could find the materials to make one

[@EmbraceMaking]

Hi Craig, I could consider selling it, although I don't use it often so I only made one sized die for the tube. As for the box section die, I have never looked into it, but I would imagine google would be the place to start :)

[@eastling22]

I put sand inside of pipe . Put tape on both ends to keep sand inside pipe .

[@moonolyth]

Very nice job on the tooling. Could be made much easier/cheaper for the guy w/o so much stuff. I think the half sleeves at roller ends of the tool are a great Idea only if you lay a longer piece between the pipe being bent and the roller guides, they would have to run free with the pipe being bent (not locked in). The kinks I'm led to believe are made as pipe swells sideways it will catch as it rolls the bend. Not much to do here ....... But mark the pipe to bend on the outer side with 1/2 or 1-inch intervals bend slightly (count pumps) then move to next outer mark and bend again..... one side than the other as I saw another gentlemen do. Methinks this unlocks the binding/pinching as you must knock out to readjust each time. I'll bet you will eliminate the kinks perhaps slight dimpling. Adding sand, of course, is well too. I don't have one but think the 12 ton will more than suffice for most things at a home shop. The center clamp is a good addition and very well made. I'll have to build with scrap stuff Great video!

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thanks for the thoughtful feedback! Your method of stepping through the bend could work!

[@OkieRCguy]

Fill the aluminum tubing with sand before bending. You will get a much smoother bend.

[@EmbraceMaking]

A few people have suggested this, but I was trying to avoid it. I wanted something I could just throw the tube in and bend. Looks like I'll have to build a proper bender!

[@AutoBodyEverything]

Nice tutorial.. I’d imagine having to custom bend like shifting the pipe shopping the way to spread out the pressure point. I have to get a pipe wrinkler to make a crash bar for a car with a compromised impact bar and missing a header panel.

[@mannykay1150]

Good vid, thanks. I bend aluminium tube and find that if annealed prior to bending, it can flow much better without kinking. To anneal, you strike an acetylene-rich flame and blacken the tube, then adjust flame to neutral and heat tube until the black soot is burned away. Tube is annealed and will go back to its initial hardness after bending and being left for a few days.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Interesting! Thanks for the tip Manny!

[@guillermomedina1873]

It seems to me that by constantly tightening the top screw the tube is not allowed to expand properly. Try leaving the tube walk its way along the die without any pressure. I think that the whole idea is a kick!

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thanks! Never tried that but if anyone reading this wants to attempt it, its a good suggestion!

[@427med]

i have a jd squared tube bender the tube snap,s in real snug fit before bending

[@EmbraceMaking]

The snug fit helps with preventing the sides from giving out and buckling. Unfortunately I couldn't prevent the crushing along the plane of bending.

[@hnoobsho]

If one were to buy this bender but instead of using the dies provided, but tube dies, will that work?

[@EmbraceMaking]

Unfortunately this will not work. Tube bending dies will not fit one of these tools and the entire principle on how they work is different. Chuck Norris should be able to bend tube by hand! ;)

[@jacash8107]

Chuck Norris *

@@EmbraceMaking So should you with them muscles you got.

[@douglasalan7786]

Heres a hot tip for you. Get a hone and hone the inside of the tube you want to make the shim out of. THEN bend it and cut it in half.Realistically a piece of 1/2 round with a slot cut in it, slip in a 2 inch wide piece of coarse paper, chuck it in a drill and flap away,It'll get rid of the seam real quick too.

[@douglasalan7786]

Better yet. You seem to have a decent shop. Heres some plsns for the JD, Pro_Tool blah bla ratchet type draw benders. You can whip one out in a few days. Faster if you know a dude with a plasma table. chopperhandbook.com/bender.htm

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thanks for the link! I'm going to have to put it to good use and make one! Really appreciate that

[@daveunderwood6498]

Between filling the pipe with sand and oiling the dies, it might help.

[@BillyRillkratz]

Thanks for Testing all this!

[@EmbraceMaking]

No problem! Save someone else the headache lol

[@joshmac7245]

the top section needs a bit of a bend in it other wise your bending something while bracing it with a flat surface, thus the flat spot on the top, and the inner section needs to be real tight, like only once you start bending it complacently pops into place, also use wheel baring grease or petroleum jelly, that will reduce scuffing, make the bends cleaner and easier to get out of the dies.....or just get a tube bender but do use some sorta lube

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thanks Josh, a real tube bender is in the works ;) I couldn't make the top section curved because I wouldn't be able to clamp it down while the tube is still straight. It did cross my mind though!

[@oabreu4]

Hi, can you please post the design files for download? thanks!

[@mrmidnight32]

Anyone tried this, does it actually work?

[@EmbraceMaking]

Did you watch the whole video? My results were mixed... certainly not as good as a real tube bender

[@Freetheworldnow]

Great effort!! This is a good tutorial!! Thanks for posting.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thank you for watching Pierre!

[@garretthuman5892]

You could also pack it with sand so it has no room for it to kink.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Hi Garrett, a few people have mentioned that... I tried to avoid this so I could come up with a way to do this quickly without having to pack sand every time.

[@arcturusbbqsausagemaking2435]

Great job !! ya your always going to get a slight deformation in your bend with that type bender all this fill with sand Bullshit I keep reading . It doesn't work , I used to build ski lifts and bent thousands of chair bails with 5% deformation, bails are when your sitting in the lift chair going up the mountain its the u shaped tube and or pipe that holds your chair to the cable clamp ,and we used a three hundreds thousand doller bender . Great video straight to the point .

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thanks! Yeah I've heard mixed things about the sand, it doesn't work for a lot of people and it's a pain in the ass. I'm going to build a proper tube bender one of these days... still won't be as good as that three hundred thousand dollar unit though :p

[@danamcintyre3565]

Be just fine for bending bumpers or anything not structural !

[@EmbraceMaking]

Yup, I used it for a light bar on one of my previous vehicles.