Bend Rebar into Guitar -- with MDF Form or Bender?

[catalytic]

I would like to bend some 3/8" or 1/2" rebar into a (life-size) perimeter of a guitar shape. The idea is to make some custom stands for some 40LB gibson speakers that look like guitar bodies:

I want the base of the stand to be bent into the shape of a guitar. What's the best way to bend a pair of life-size rebar 'guitars'?

My current plan is to cut a guitar body out of 3/8" MDF, keep the cutoffs, bolt some angle iron pieces onto the MDF 'guitar' that stick out on the sides as guides, and then use some big Bessey welding clamps & bar clamps to bend the rebar onto the form and/or squash it between the MDF guitar and the matching MDF cutoffs.

But, I haven't played with rebar since making boat anchors out of it as a kid -- is there a better way? Will this work? Should I just hut for a DiAcro or Hossfeld bender instead (any excuse to hunt for new tools...)?

 

[The Cobbler]

for a few pcs I would just sketch out your design and bend in a vise or a jig with 2 pins sticking up to make it follow the diagram.
you have to overbend it to get it the the shape you want.

 

[PugetDude]

for a few pcs I would just sketch out your design and bend in a vise or a jig with 2 pins sticking up to make it follow the diagram.
you have to overbend it to get it the the shape you want.

^^This^^

You can bend up a couple of these with a vise quicker than you can build a form. Your trailer ball also makes an excellent bending jig.
Springback on rebar is substantial. You can make it match a sharpie line on a piece of cardboard just as easy as a form. It might take an hour to get the first one the way you want, the second one will probably take just a few minutes.
Good luck; post pics of the finished stands!

 

[royce]

Fine advise from Cobbler and Puget, I would add that having a piece of pipe that slips over the rebar, will aid in leverage and getting to bend where needed.

Royce

 

[matt_i]

Apart from the danger of setting the pattern on fire, I would hot-bend (oxyacetlene) in any area I could, seems like you need some pretty tight bends in certain places with a Gibson design, at least the way I see it in my mind.

I think your 3/8" MDF is going to give up before you are able to squash much rebar into compliance with it.

 

[catalytic]

for a few pcs I would just sketch out your design and bend in a vise or a jig with 2 pins sticking up to make it follow the diagram.

^^ Thanks. I wondered about hand bending it, but I was concerned it would get out-of-plane so that it wouldn't lay flat on the ground if I did it this way. Though that's maybe not too hard to fix.

seems like you need some pretty tight bends in certain places with a Gibson design, at least the way I see it in my mind.
I think your 3/8" MDF is going to give up before you are able to squash much rebar into compliance with it.

Yea -- I'd love to do a classic Gibson Les Paul or Stratocaster design with tight bends where the guitar meets the neck, but my guess is that I'll end up with a classical/accoustic-like guitar shape to avoid dealing with bending the rebar so tightly.

So probably more like this:

and less like this:

 

[thickhead]

Check out Youtube for rebar bending with keywords: Brody bar, Muki bar, H.K. Porter
Lots of home made examples too.

 

[larry_g]

If you have welding capabilities then consider making it in two halves and then welding the two pieces together at the neck and bottom of the form. If hand bending then start in the middle of the bar and work toward the ends.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[PugetDude]

Fine advise from Cobbler and Puget, I would add that having a piece of pipe that slips over the rebar, will aid in leverage and getting to bend where needed.

Royce

....just make sure you don't get the pipe trapped where you can't slide it off the rebar. Never happened to me... Just sayin'
.

 

[PugetDude]

I wondered about hand bending it, but I was concerned it would get out-of-plane so that it wouldn't lay flat on the ground if I did it this way. Though that's maybe not too hard to fix.

If you do this in a vise like the Cobber suggested, tape a little level to the pipe you're using for leverage. It will help keep it in the same plane as you make you bends.
I usually mark one of the ribs that run the length of the rebar with a paint marker and and make sure to keep that side up when I bend.

If it does get twisted, a couple of well-placed whacks with a BFH is all it will take to get is sitting level again.

 

[gnpenning]

This is what I would use.

 

[catalytic]

Out of curiosity, has anyone tried bending 3/8" or 1/2" rebar with a big (30" handles) model of tubing hand bender?