Has anyone looked into tubing benders? I think I’d rather buy something (well, really if I had more time I’d rather build it, but I just don’t have as much time as I’d like), if I can find it for a reasonable price, but judging from just the cost of the dies… I’d probably prefer hydraulic (and convert to air over hydraulic or run a small pump…) and a vertical configuration (right now I’m thinking that it would be take up less floor space and you could easily measure bend angle by the angle it makes vs the floor), but I’m open to ideas/suggestions. I like some things about this setup: http://gottrikes.com/Tube_Bender.htm

i looked into this a few years ago. the best/ cheapest one i saw was $500. dont get the one with the bottle jack in the middle that just jacks up the middle of the pipe. a rotating bender is the best.

http://www.trick-tools.com/model_3_bender.htm
you could try to mount this vertically. they have them in manual and hydraulic. harbor freight sells one too. and the floor mount is optional.

hey their are even cheaper ones look at harbor freight i went this past friday it's an awesome place to go!!!
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=35336

That's not a tubing bender, it's a pipe bender...in other words, a tubing crusher. It does not make clean bends, it crushes pipes. Those things don't belong in a fabrication shop...or your garage for that matter.

well I don't own one yet but I should atleast give it a try, but I will drfinantly keep the recipt

Ok, one of those bow and arrow type tubing crushers/pipe benders can be made to work (you basically need to give the tube some extra support), that is not what I'm looking for.

The trick tools model 3 looks like it works basically the same as a hossfield type bender, which pretty much won't work manually in a vertical or horizontal position without being mounted down, and that won't fly, I just don't have the room to permanently mount one down. Beyond that, I'm not sure what the advantage of those is over something like the one that I posted a link for or, even simpler, something like williams low buck tools low buck bender:
http://www.lowbucktools.com/hydbender.html
(though I can see how the one in my first link might be better for thinwall stuff)

That design seems like it would be sturdier, cheaper, need less space to store and use, and easier to bend precise angles with (just stick a magnetic angle gauge on it and read the angle as you bend). OTOH, having used both only a few times (I've actually used one of the bow and arrow types or a muffler pipe bender much more), I don't really have a good comparison of them IRL.

Another option: http://www.speedwaymotors.com/3rd-Ge...mbly,6614.html

The JD2 is the simplest and most popular tubing bender to use. It's easy to bend tubing even without hydraulics. Your grandmother could bend tubing by hand.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_P1MBhBjiqI

Making a tubing bender isn't hard or expensive. The expensive part is buying the dies. 1-5/8" is the most popular. When building a cage, you won't need a die larger than that. If you're simply building a roll bar then you'll need a 1-3/4" die. 1-1/2" and 1-1/4" are the other popular sizes needed for building a tube chassis or full cage. To have a full set, you should have 1-3/8" and 1" but those are for more custom work.

http://favoriteprojects.com/how_to_b...ube_bender.htm
http://www.blindchickenracing.com/to...bingbender.htm

For very minor bends or bends that will not have to pass a certification, the bow and arrow bender can be used but as mentioned above, it's a pipe bender, not a tubing bender.

AlkyIROC, thank you for that link! I have been wanting to get a decent bender but didnt have anywhere to mount the style that like the JD2. The link you posted is perfect for me. It doesnt mount anywhere and is cheaper than the other one.

Those still look like conduit benders to me. I have the bow and arrow and chicago type but both make the radius to large for exhaust.The bow type can be mounted on a table and it is simple to use then.

I think the JD3 is a pretty common one that runs about $350. Here's a link to a real low buck bender, but it's pretty limited to one size tubing... for building motorcycle frames: http://www.thefont.pwp.blueyonder.co...ube_bender.htm

Mathius