Roll Cage Installation/Fabrication Tool Recommendations

[Always Fix'n Cars]

I just bought a JD2 Model 32 tubing bender with dies. I got the hydraulic pump, notcher, and Bendtech Pro software. I also own a MIG welder and metal cutting bandsaw, so I'm good in that department.

I'm going to start working on a roll cage for my Jeep soon. What are some suggestions on tools that will make this job easier? Manual or digital protractors, tubing rotation gauges, clamps, etc?

 

[xxaler]

Hell, you jumped in buying everything right off the bat!

You'll want 2 digital protractors (about 1.5"x1.5" square with magnets, longer ones are hard to fit on the tube at certain bends), 2 plane of bend brackets, and get some good visible yellow paint markers, or RED sharpies (the red ones really stick out against DOM/ERW tube).

Also make sure you get a good hole saw of appropriate size, cheap ones like to **** off and leave teeth in the tube and make your life a living hell.

Another thing I always remember I need to make after I've done a few bends... coping guides. Just a piece of round tube with an ID the same as the tube your bending's OD, that you can slide on and make perfect markings right around on the tube.

 

[owenst7]

Swag makes a digital readout kit for your bender that is very useful, but the wheels work too. I made my own for like 10 bucks and cut up the HF angle gauge and used that.

I made an excel sheet that you put in your spring back every time you do a bend (basically just load/unloaded angle). Once you have three or four points on the graph, you have the y=mx+b formula to calculate any point on the graph. Then you just punch in what final angle you want, and it will tell you what to bend it to. Every lot of tube is different, so it seemed like the perfect place to be able to copy/paste and get new values. Takes all the guessing out.

I use a plumb bob pretty frequently.

Hose clamps are great for making square miters. The slappy-wristband-party-favors are great too. I also have a tube master (?) Tool that has pins to transfer fish mouths. It is really useful, but it's not a necessity at all.

 

[Always Fix'n Cars]

2 plane of bend brackets

Can you explain, or give a URL link?

get some good visible yellow paint markers, or RED sharpies (the red ones really stick out against DOM/ERW tube).

Good tip, thanks!

Another thing I always remember I need to make after I've done a few bends... coping guides. Just a piece of round tube with an ID the same as the tube your bending's OD, that you can slide on and make perfect markings right around on the tube.

I've seen these and they seemed like a great tool. Thanks!

I made an excel sheet that you put in your spring back every time you do a bend (basically just load/unloaded angle). Once you have three or four points on the graph, you have the y=mx+b formula to calculate any point on the graph. Then you just punch in what final angle you want, and it will tell you what to bend it to. Every lot of tube is different, so it seemed like the perfect place to be able to copy/paste and get new values. Takes all the guessing out.

I guess I would have to see this to better understand it.

I use a plumb bob pretty frequently.

Can you explain this a bit more on where and how you are using it?

The slappy-wristband-party-favors are great too.

Great tip, thanks!

 

[xxaler]

Plane of bend brackets are so you can set your baseline if you're bending in multiple planes, i.e. do one bend, rotate 90 degrees, bend, rotate, bend, rotate, etc.

Here's a picture.

 

[ephotrod]

xxaler thats what the seam of the tube itself will tell you. Another good trick is adding machine paper, easy to fold and it gives you halves, quarters, eighths and so on, it will also give you a square miter.

 

[xxaler]

xxaler thats what the seam of the tube itself will tell you. Another good trick is adding machine paper, easy to fold and it gives you halves, quarters, eighths and so on, it will also give you a square miter.

You have the seam when you use ERW, I mainly use seamless 4130 for anything that needs some merit. Not to mention it's free through work..

Just use the plane of bend bracket so it will stick with you, AND gives you an accurate degree of rotation instead of eying the seam.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Burr king and mittler bros notcher. Good flap discs for 4.5" angle grinders to fine tune.

 

[Always Fix'n Cars]

xxaler - I picked up a couple of the digital angle meters. Boy are they sweet. I'm going to make my own plane of bend bracket to mound this digital angle meter on. Thanks for the tip on that!

Mohawk Dave - Wow...that Burr King is a nice machine! How easy is it to get accurate angles with that Mittler Brothers Notcher? That thing looks fast!

 

[racinfarmer]

Is this all for a cage or three or do you plan on building more?

 

[Always Fix'n Cars]

racinfarmer - yup, build more.

 

[Always Fix'n Cars]

Mohawk Dave was right about the Burr King grinder; it is an amazing tool that I had never heard of one before.

Just out of curiosity I checked on my local Craigslist and there was actually a Model 482 for sale. I was able to get it at a very good price (about 1/3 of new cost). All I had to do was clean it up a bit and it looks almost brand new.

I can't tell you how amazed I am with this machine. It is going to totally change how I work metal going forward. I'll do a blog post and video on it pretty soon so that everyone can see what it is all about.