New member~Pipe/Tubing Bender???

[cwoods]

Hello, new to the site and impressed with all the info tucked away here. I have indulged in a new welder last year and am hooked on fab projects already.
The other day I found this MetalPro9000 on the local Craigslist and without the proper research picked it up after a quick net search for prices for the machine and dies that came with it. The ad was new when I found it and didnt want to miss out at the price I got it for.
Is there any experience out there with this tool? What are real world expectations with the quality of bends it can produce? Any tips or advice on how to use it correctly?
My first project I would like to tackle is to pull the bed and headache rack on my 6x6 and make a really nice flat bed with removable sides and tailgate.
Thanks for any input in advance fella's.

 

[Mk3Mike]

Hey, welcome to the site!

I don't have a bender yet, but I'm in the market for one so I've been doing some research. It looks like the type you have will work, but with some limitations. When you start getting into tighter radiuses, this type of bender has a tendency to kink or crush your pipe. I've seen videos of this being alleviated by packing the pipe with sand before bending.

Since I'm planning on building a roll cage, I really didn't want to pack and then clean each individual pipe. I ended up purchasing plans to build a JT-2 type hydraulic bender off eBay. I still haven't purchased all of the steel yet but with the dies being ~$300 each, it's not a super cheap project.

Hope that helps.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Looks like a cool tool. Are the mandrels set up for pipe or for tubing? Pipes are sized by the inside diameter while tubes are sized by the outside diameter, so it will make a difference.

 

[JoeFin]

Looks like a pretty nice bender


I refer to that style bender as a "Single-Shot" bender as opposed to a Shoe or Mandrel Bender which "Pulls" the pipe around a radius.

I have 1 of these

Ya I know - its actually an electrical conduit bender but it well bend up to .160" wall 2" pipe like nobodies business.

There is always going to be recoil no matter what you use to bend pipe with. And it may be a little bit more on cold days as then with warm days.

You'll also want to find a cheap 4"x7" Jet Horizontal Band Saw and make a couple of pipe stands to hold the ends while you cut sections of pipe. DOM, HS, all come in 20' lengths from the supplier.

There are also a couple of simple math formulas you'll want to have handy that really put the whole thing together when laying-out / cutting your material

 

[cwoods]

Thanks for the feedback, the dies are both pipe and tubing... I mean, there are a couple of each. Apparently the original owner used it for making/selling commercial railings and the fella I got it from has owned it for a year and bought it for a one time roll cage for a side by side and was done with it.
Would you want to use a little heat to get a better bend,would it help? He had a scrap of 2.5" and it made a nice bend but he did show me a $600 pile of tubing that he said was a mistake(learning curve) as it was the wrong kind of tubing and was kinking on him so apparently there is wrong and right material?
Funny you mention band saw... I've been watching Craigslist like a hawk! Up till now its been Sawzall and bimetal blades....
Oh oh oh!!!! And a tubing notcher.... I need one of those! Where does this new sickness end?

 

[Craftsman1]

I agree that looks like a great bender!! But the sickness never ends! Try professional help and an intervention if you'd like. I've gotten no where with it, but good luck to ya!

 

[JoeFin]

Oh oh oh!!!! And a tubing notcher.... I need one of those! Where does this new sickness end?

Don't need the "Tubing Notcher" at all if you have the right formula for "Dia. of Pipe vs: Angle of Attachment"

Try going over to Homeshop Machinist and searching the forums or just plain asking. They'll be more then glad to help you out

Would you want to use a little heat to get a better bend,would it help? He had a scrap of 2.5" and it made a nice bend but he did show me a $600 pile of tubing that he said was a mistake(learning curve)?

No Heat - just the correct diameter of pipe for the die and you'll be fine.

My first job with a Single-Shot bender was over 5000' of 2" and 3" Aluminum Pipe and hardly ever had a kink in the pipe

Just wait - after you get good with it you can even take a little bend back out of the pipe without kinking it too

 

[cwoods]

That answers that question...it'll bend aluminum tubing fine with the correct die as well huh...don't need to do the sand and plug method do you?
Also isn't the notcher slick for the fish mouth cuts???

 

[JoeFin]

That answers that question...it'll bend aluminum tubing fine with the correct die as well huh...don't need to do the sand and plug method do you?
Also isn't the notcher slick for the fish mouth cuts???

Actually if your using the correct degrees a small Horizontal Bandsaw will cut a better Fish Mouth then the Tube Notcher you'll end up buying down at Happy Fart. Also you can adjust the angles for tube that doesn't meet up at 90 deg angles. Plus if you use the formula correctly you will be able to cut Fish Mouths correctly when using 2 different diameters of tube - even an angle othen 90 deg

And if your using that bender correctly you won't need heat or packing with sand when bending Aluminum, DOM, HS, or Chromolly

 

[cwoods]

Beautiful! Thanks Joe!!!