Making Curved Outdoor Benches Almost Broke Me

Back to the backyard! Today Bob is FINALLY making some benches for the fire pit that he's been wanting to make for a long time. He thought they'd be pretty tough. He was right.
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This Bench Almost Broke Me
• Making Curved Outdoor ...
I Like To Make Stuff
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[@kleinisfijn]

Square tubing has a weld on one side, which you probably want on the inside curve if you're bending it. The inside curve is distorted the least, since metal doesn't compress. Instead the outside is stretched, and the weld might not want to stretch very well.

[@WoLpH]

I think the curve was on one of the sides here. Probably not optimal but definitely not the worst

[@eDRoaCH]

“Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world. ” - Archimedes. Love the project, looks great! Idk how to use a bender but I would have lengthened the lever to save my soft squishy body :)

[@jakesacco264]

But how would archimedes do it? Where would the fulcrum and lever go?

[@---l---]

Or a larger diameter wheel?

[@jaywintonyk5357]

Just extend the handle so 2 or 3 people could help rotate it.

[@ablebuilds]

You guys are still thinking manual labor. Chock the wheels on the Land Cruiser, lift it, and turn the handle with the tires. Easy Peasey.

[@mikeweddleton2489]

The math for the boards would be similar to figuring out the treads for a curved set of stairs. You figure out the circumference of each circle (inner and outer) then divide each by equal parts to get the length of either end of your board (what would be your tread). Center these measurements on either end of your board and that should get you the right taper for all the segments.

[@dannyvfilms]

For whoever is operating the camera, consider turning on Focus Peaking, and use Focus Zones like Center or Zone to get your autofocus where you want it to be. A LOT of this episode had focus issues. Hope this helps!

[@levinetate81]

I’m glad you figured out that placement of the bottom rollers made your job a lot easier

[@Moonguided]

I love this video so much because it shows what a PROCESS making things can be and how many variables there are that can shift just barely and make you have to rethink your entire strategy. Seeing other makers deal with this is massively validating for makers with less experience. Knowing that that even the people we look up to go through this stuff is super helpful. I'm currently putting off learning how to use my airbrush because it feels too overwhelming. I have notes that I took while researching it, and it doesn't really seem SUPER hard, I'm just...so tired, dude. This definitely has inspired me to put it back up near the top of my project list though!

[@cc_jmk]

Looks amazing! The only improvements I can think of are: 1) Instead of adding a cap to the legs, I would have welded a perpendicular section of tubing there; it would give much more support and prevent the legs to dig into the ground. 2) welding both perforated angles to the inside of the seating, so it is clean on from the outside to the tubing, just to make it cleaner honestly.

[@SystemsPlanet]

When is the last time you saw Colin Furze struggle bending a pipe? This is one of the few channels on youtube which puts out true-life challenges, not puff pieces where everything works perfect first time. Bravo.

[@ReverseHeart03]

I put my projects off due to lack of funds. 🤣

[@LogicalQ]

That’s the unfortunate truth for most of us

[@AndersBergh]

Funds.... What's that.? . And where do I buy it? Also.. Do you thing they're also sell time?

[@SamMau]

I hope you able to get back to doing what you love soon

[@Rouverius]

I wonder if the first tube steel was harder to bend because of the orientation of the weld seam.

[@elesjuan]

I'd bet on the seam location and having the bottom dies way too close together. I have a different roller than his, proper seam placement, bottom rollers outmost, and taking baby steps on how much you're bending makes it pretty easy for *most* bending. Recently build a hand rail out of 1.5" steel pipe, and that started out fairly easy, until we hot about 100 degrees (needed to be a 90 degree arc) and got impossibly hard to work through.

[@LoganLovell]

Was thinking the same thing. That material should be tough to move but not THAT tough. If it were a weld however....yeah those don't wanna move lol

[@jaredk6428]

As a runner, you're in way better shape than I'll be anytime soon. Can't imagine busting my back like I was 23 again. Go Bob and helpers!

[@SatanClaus69]

Yeah, I threw my back out at a gig recently and I'm in constant, almost unbearable pain. All this as a marathon fit 28 year old. It's an experience, I'll give you that.

[@KyleDWray]

For anyone looking to weld steel that has a zinc coating, you can safely dissolve the zinc away with hydrochloric (muriatic) acid, easily found at most hardware stores. Either soak it if it's a small piece, or pour it over a large part, until it stops bubbling. Depending on the thickness of the zinc and the concentration of the acid, it should take anywhere from a few seconds to only a couple minutes, but then you'll have no toxic fumes to worry about.

[@riteshbhatt879]

6:49 "that's fine, but I'm me and I like to complicate things" oh boy I relate to that so much 😂

[@100ClassicCuts]

I've been putting off making a pallet wood round table for my wife. It's makers like yourself that inspire me to try new things, so I might as well just start and see what happens 😂

[@fazlovic666]

love watching your builds it made me wonder if your ever gonna do a house tour showing all of the builds you've built in one video might be fun to see what your house looks like after all the builds

[@madstork91]

The stiffness of steel as you bend it is mostly determined by the thickness of the steel and the amount that you are trying to bend it per pass. If you are struggling that much, you need to try to bend it less per pass or get thinner steel.

[@chrisspencer2062]

I really liked everything in this video. The openings of this and the last one are more like stories, the welding jump cuts were cool and the music slow down when he was trying to figure out how to place the wood showed the mental block. Great creative video

[@kevinetheridge6153]

Excellent project, Bob. Favorite video in a while. I really like the attention to detail, sticking to it, and the finished product. Kudos!

[@wootenbasset8631]

Love the welding micro-montage, and the music slow-down before “math hard”.

[@seanpatterson1609]

Those look great. Thanks for sharing a video like this, which has s focus on the process rather than the product. All your videos are great.

[@pascalvandenbroek5479]

I must say that I really like the new (editing) style lately! The little extra humor is great and I feel like it's more "I'll explain how I make this." Than "I'll explain how you can make this". Might be just me but I like this because I like watching what Bob makes and I'm (sadly) not going to make these things myself. Keep up the good work team!

[@error8418]

This makes me appreciate Colin Furze's projects even more. Just think about how many meters of steel pipe he has bend over the years.

[@danielmuscatell3603]

I love how you add lights to stuff. Also, in my experience, most kids, or adults for that matter, who catch a marshmallow on fire panic and shake it-launching it into the air. While hilarious, it’s probably unsafe. So I’m impressed by the level headed child in your video who calmly blew it out. Again, while less entertaining than an airborne death-mallow, the absence of panic is impressive. Kudos! I mean, s’mores.

[@j0annamerica3]

I do love seeing your thought process to the final execution

[@glenschumannGlensWorkshop]

Really great outcomes. Thanks for taking us along to learn with you.

[@drewclarke8611]

I had been putting off redoing my kitchen/dining room floor. We ripped out the old tile, and found 3 layers of linoleum and subfloor, one on top of the other! We insulated the room, laid down new subfloor, and beautiful vinyl plank flooring. It was a job I put off for a long time, and love having completed. Great job finishing your project, Bob!

[@cprooks]

Saturday Morning ILTMS Let's Goooo

[@lopaka76]

I think I had a heart attack watching you bend that first tube. But as the great Master Yoda said, "do or do not, there is no try." The great philosopher Homer Simpson said, "Trying is the first step towards failure." My personal two favorites from me, "No matter how bad it seems, you are never trapped until you stop trying." Along with "Keep their expectations low, so when you screw up, they are not surprised." Lol So pick the quote that works for a particular moment and go with it. Lol

[@gpaine]

I'm loving the thumbnail and title evolution. As a long time viewer, I'm really interested in the journey. We know Bob will get to his destination, but we learn from his journey. Keep it up!

[@marksrs69]

Another great project. Love watching you guys. I like that you make it real. Meaning like you run into issues just like anyone else.

[@rockaholictom]

Ive been putting off building a new record player/hifi stand for my kitchen. The fusion model looks fantastic and I'm afraid it'll go all kinds of wrong IRL

[@patrickschardt7724]

Great final result. Also thanks for mentioning that a model may not actually match reality. As a 8020 extruded aluminum frame designer, I sometimes forget that detail and create assembly nightmares for our assembler Everything works in a design. There’s so many variables in the real world

[@---l---]

Ten thou tolerance for Everything!

[@Tapperje16]

Thanks for always making these amazing and fun video's, love the fact you also show us your little mistakes to learn from, thanks again!

[@ObsessiveAboutCats]

Very interesting video. The video editors are funny! I liked the commentary and the musical "oh no" effects.

[@Anthony-H]

Looks awesome, Bob! Next project: smokeless fire pit. Several DIY guys on KZbin have tackled this, but your more scientific approach would be interesting to see.

[@regahj]

I was going to say I've been putting off a smokeless fire pit. I want to use stainless steel for the ring, so it won't rust.... and I need to figure out how to bend it.

[@erichelm4339]

Thank you for showing how you worked through the problems.

[@rowanpascoal6036]

Next project, build a gearbox for the tube bender.

[@LieutenantNuggets]

We need a collab with ILTMS and Cam from Blacktail Studios!

[@imaginationingrained]

Aahhh! Your favorite tool…the jigsaw And I’ve been putting off finishing my backyard project, because it’s still a lot of work left to do, and I’m the only one working on it. My wife is anti-outside, so it’s a struggle to motivate myself to do it

[@Reman1975]

"....... But dispite cranking on the handle until he was blue in the face, the Landcruser still didn't start." :D

[@forby_]

😄

[@MrSocksClinton]

I'm half-way through my hard project. I built an EV charger out of a 1950s gas pump. The remaining hard part is connecting a raspberry pi to the car's API, so I can read the charge status to drive a motor that will drive the old mechanical computer to show how many KWh have been added (and the price) and also an LED battery level indicator I plan to mount behind the ad glass of the pump.

[@isaacm6560]

I hope you're recording it, I'd love to see!

[@Iliketomakestuff]

This is AWESOME!

[@CMRWoodworks]

Nice job. The benches look great!

[@Danman1972]

Nice work and problem solving to get the end point.... cool benches.

[@IEnjoyCreatingVideos]

Nice job on the bench Bob! Thanks for sharing the video with us!💖😎👍JP

[@1cbrracer]

At least you've got a very handy pile of wedges for door frames.

[@adelaideinvigilation5230]

I wanted to replace an eight sided bush house (green house, arbour) with a pitched roof, this thing had brush fence sides half way up then lattice with the eight sided roof again finished with brush. The pitched roof over hung the walls and the centre of the roof had a large eight sided piece of timber with a decoration on top and bottom. All from timber, each wall section was 2.4m x 1.2 m On the outside we had climbing roses on the inside more delicate plants that didnt need much light etc I did remake but in steel tubing getting the local trailer maker to bend 2 lengths 2mm sheet steel into fours then weld that together to get eight an octagon, well we did that twice as I couldnt count and the first one made only had 6 sides. I changed the design so that the roof purlins would be fixed to the top of each wall where two wall sections would meet instead of the halfway between the top of each wall section which meant I had to design and make 8 fixtures that would hold the purlin to both wall sections.

[@davidravenscroft8393]

Got back spasms just watching you... good job

[@MCsCreations]

Beautiful, Bob! Really excellent work!!! 😃 Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@WereRea3807]

We have a powered version of that bender for my workplace, we have a much smaller manual one but we try not to use it for anything larger than 14ga 1" square. Everything else goes on the powered one. Props to you for using a manual one on that tubing. We've bent a few things for customers who are working on their own projects.

[@sgsax]

That was a serious challenge, but it turned out looking great! And now you know why Colin Furze has a powered bender. 😁 I've been putting off a lot of projects. I've slowly been working on a hanging pen plotter, and there's a second bass guitar project I've been wanting to do but haven't even started. Time to make time to just work on these things. Thanks for sharing!

[@blister4walken]

Great job. Looks perfect round the fire. I'm currently working on a TV, games consoles, blu-ray player etc unit for my lounge. Using off-cuts from previous projects and some new wood from the diy store. Also incorporating some seasoned branches that were originally for a walking staff. Looking ok so far, working out cable tidying and routing is going to be a challenge.

[@TheYordleLab]

I've always wanted to make a desk that houses a full computer inside of it, with a see through top like glass or something but also have good airflow and easy access to change or upgrade components

[@sailorbishop]

galvanizing is covering steel or iron with a layer of zinc to prevent rust. if it's zinc coated, it's galvanized. it might be painted or plated with zinc as opposed to dipped in it, but it's still galvanized. be careful and always use PPE

[@stonee1968]

I work in CAD for a living, dealing with a lot of compound angles and conic shapes. Most of the time my wee little brain does not want to do the geometry to figure stuff out. If your real life item doesn't match your model so you can't use the model...just change the model to match what was built. Once the CAD frame matches you can take measurements - in your case you could then make a seat slat and pattern them around your semi-circle to verify your angels and offsets. Really appreciate seeing your struggles using a new tool that isn't quite obvious on how to use unless you've seen someone thoroughly explain it.

[@laurieg2436]

Fabulous, as always!!

[@Warshipmodelsunderway]

Great project! I wonder if the steel tubing was being work hardened during the rolling process. The bench sure looked great at the end.

[@BenjaminMellor]

I do like how this project turned out. It just deserves way more views.

[@davel9130]

Curves are hard. I worked at a conveyor fab shop and we all worked multiple tools.....except the guy working the bender.

[@pmdinaz]

Turned out great 👍

[@NikosKallika]

I'll never get bored hearing the intro music.

[@brianbrinegar6086]

Very fun to watch you work through the mental gymnastics required to complete the project.

[@brucemitchell5637]

You should have taken the crank handle off of your bender and adapted it for an impact driver.

[@NVPhotography]

that would overheat the impact very fast it's a constant pressure that is not beneficial for an impact driver a longer handle would be better in this case

[@brucemitchell5637]

@NVPhotography no, it wouldn't

[@NVPhotography]

@@brucemitchell5637 whatever you say mr. expert

[@brucemitchell5637]

@NVPhotography why so bitter little fella? Are you all butt hurt because you have to pay back your student loan for your gender studies degree? 🤣

[@jeffforbes3772]

Dude, you are a tenacious genius. You need a tee shirt so everyone will know. Rock on.

[@energylab227]

Great result, Bob. What about back supports for the benches? A future v2 revision?

[@crosenblum]

Your such a good dad and man, doing all that, to make joy and happiness for your kids and your family. Been a subscriber for many years, will keep doing so. BTW do any of your kids have your passion for building or making stuff?

[@benjamin.kelley]

Metal fabrication always has tolerance issues. A little here, a little there, and then you're off an inch somehow haha

[@lachlan1980]

You need to talk to Colin Furze. He uses a metal bending device like this quite regularly.

[@FoxwoodCreative]

Thank you for another great video !

[@rogue3398]

Amazing timing because my dad and I were JUST talking about how to make something like this. We made the brick fire pit last weekend

[@evanharriman5352]

So happy to hear in the podcast you’re trying to include more of the problem solving. My two cents- I’d like to see a little more of the discussion/brainstorming process, even the dumb ideas so it feels more like we (audience & you) got to the solution together.

[@jcberb]

This reminded me of when I was trying to make multiple angle cuts for baseboard bends and curves. I had to use a pencil compass and protractor on paper to figure it out first. A lot of measuring and angles.

[@TotalBoat]

They turned out amazing!! Gorgeous build!

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Thank you!! 😊

[@makeitkozi]

I really like these benches and was wondering what you were referring to in the podcast. I’ve been putting off making a ship porthole. The only thing I’m confident about is “brassing” the hot metal from wire wheels.

[@gregrburnett3400]

Check out self-drilling wafer head screws to attach wood to steel.

[@thibaultheylen7512]

what a commitment! :) I would have made a larger fire place, would have been easier :p but nice job, looks stunning!

[@brewingstuff5548]

Great project and great build adjustment by using the cutoff as wedges instead of chasing angled cuts and risk a project death spiral. Along with the seam orientation others have mentioned, work hardening is the other reason the tube became harder as the radius decreased.

[@Spd_Rcr]

Cool project!

[@robandsharonseddon-smith5216]

Good fun build.

[@barrydevlinred]

Keep cranking mate ull get the land cruiser started eventually 😂😂😂😂

[@usaf4dbt]

Thank you, real nice your granddaughter helped!

[@garfieldnate]

Project I've been putting off: a DDR/StepMania-style dance pad, the epic kind with two pads and bars behind you. Would love to see you tackle something like this, and it might fit well in the retro games vibe you like :)

[@twingotango]

Great video - I loved watching the problem solving and overcoming of difficulty! A project that I've been putting off: repairing and re-finishing our back deck. It was relatively new when we bought our house, but has just been slipping into worse and worse shape. I'm not sure if just to re-stain and re-finish it is enough, or if there's an "upgrade" we could do to make it more functional?

[@richardclifton4120]

You could do a bit more bending on smaller tubing (1 in.) and create a Stadium Style Seat Back Support. I would personally like to lean back at some point while sitting around a firepit. If you had a pair set up, or even 3 sets set up to cover the back and some canvas to stretch between the ends with sewn-in pockets to slide over the tubing, you could make it portable and removable. The bends that are wrapped around and under the seat would support the back rails, and the canvas would keep them tight against the existing seat while providing a soft back to lean on. Use your imagination, but I already see it in my head.

[@poneill65]

My gut says a rectangular cross section tube would have been better, both for the bending and for handling the load when sitting. The square section means that the outside wall of the bend has to be stretched much further than the inside (compared to the closer in-out walls of a rectangular section). You're not only having the differentially stretch the in-out walls, but also the connecting top-bottom walls. When it comes to sitting on the rail, the same rectangular section would similarly resist bending compared to the square section, because the same top-bottom differential tension/compression would similarly resist bending.

[@3monthbender]

All the projects I've been putting off are a matter of space (both to work in and to put the finished piece), or not being able to afford the materials than it has been a matter of knowing what to do.

[@Cloud_Effect]

10/10 content

[@tocov]

You can make it easier for yourself by increasing the length of the crank. Just weld or attach somehow another longer piece that you can still turn without hitting the ground, and you'll have much more leverage.

[@flyinggyros9745]

It looks like you’re using 1/8 inch wall tubing. Maybe try 1/16 in wall.

[@wolfpreist]

You should have put some metal feet on the legs, otherwise when the ground is wet and you sit down, the open tube will sink in very easy.

[@BWBGarage]

The welded seam inside the tube will affect how hard it is to bend. In my experience putting that down makes the easiest bend.

[@LouisEmery]

For that bender, get a longer handle by 50%, say. 7:30 Count the number of planks N all the way around. The angle is 360/N. If your bench is only 90 degrees, then 90/N.

[@jonathandrain9610]

I'm building a mini golf windmill. I have it framed with 2x4s, sheeting it with plywood. I too am exhausted by all the math.

[@danthemakerman]

Well they turned out great! After hearing you talk about this on the podcast I totally expected you to use @4:44 or @11:02 for the thumbnail. I for one know I should have paid more attention in math class.

[@independentcontractor1633]

So awesome! Who makes the tubing bender Bob? I looked for it in your tool pages, did I miss it? 65 year old runner here too.

[@vincenttrigg4521]

Would be really nice to have some form of back support on those benches so you could properly relax :)

[@j.chappel1160]

What I find hard is wanting a shop, in a place I rent, without a garage, carport, or specialty space for it.

[@Ressonance2011]

Project idea, Gear sistem to be able to use the tube bender w a drill, or a motor.

[@johndoe6032]

cool project. It will definitely last forever. I probably would have made the base from wood and done a bent lamination frame, but that is tough and time-consuming also.

[@NBag32]

I've got a stretch goal project: Autonomous mower for acreage using an rtk ardupilot. I have got the bits to make a test bed before scaling up to a full sized mower, but been sitting on it for about 2 years :/

[@RobDucharme]

14:29 I'm actually in the process of building an outdoor catio in my back yard. I put it off for about 3 years now, but I am in a position where I have the time to do it now. I AM filming the process for my KZbin channel (Purroducts Central) so hopefully it helps others see how it can be done. I made some mistakes along the way but I documented them and will indicate what I will do differently on the next one. It's about 70% done as of today (weather has been a factor). Might get a bunch of it done later today!