Steel Bending Jigs

[Paticus]

Anybody build there own bending jigs? Or maybe some good tips and tricks?

I'm have some 1.5" x 3/16" flat stock steel that I am looking to bend 180 degrees with a 2-2.5" radius.

I planned on using a O/A Torch with rosebud tip for heat

 

[purplezr2]

I build one to make fancy "L" for a garden arbor I made. I destroyed the fixture to use it for some thing else so I have no pictures. I can post pictures of the L if you like.

 

[Jim Stabe]

I made this out of scrap steel to bend plate brackets. It will do 1/4" but at full width 3/16" is about all I can manage.







Something like this works also

 

[Paticus]

I made this out of scrap steel to bend plate brackets. It will do 1/4" but at full width 3/16" is about all I can do
Something like this works also

That is awesome
Do you heat the steel?

 

[lilredex]

Try something like this. You can make a die to suit. That large one is a 3" pipe section.

Picture shows it upside down. In use, that square tubing is in a vise. And, an appropriate handle slides over that stub.

 

[BD1]

I got the harbor freight compact bender. This makes it easy. Not a bad tool for 70.00. Here is some info on it. It has the site for the manual posted on it too.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4394

 

[Jim Stabe]

That is awesome
Do you heat the steel?

No, I bend it cold. Could probably do 1/4" full width if it was red.

 

[bimmer1980]

I also bought the harbor freight bender. For what the OP want to do, it is what I suggest. I mounted mine to a re-inforced pallet. I can move the whole thing around with my forklift and I don't need it bolted to the floor. It comes with plenty of dies. I bent some 1-1/2" x 3/16 or 1/4" bar in about a 170 degree bend on a 1-1/2" die. I was surprised at how easy it was.....

I also bolted my HF shrinker/stretcher to the same pallet. I would probably unbolt the shrinker/stretcher to gain full access to the bender....

 

[carhunter]

There's a old fabricators trick that I saw years ago but never built for myself. Take a heavy steel table and space holes at even distances moving out from the center. You can put bolts or pins in various holes to trap the steel stock and bend it in a desired radius.

I'll try and dig up a picture.

 

[Jack Olsen]

Here's a link about bending metal without machinery.

 

[gorilla]

Weld a piece of round stock the correct diameter for the radius you desire to a piece of plate. Then weld a stop pin about a material thickness away from the round stock far enough back to hold one side of the hook. Then heat up the stock and bend it around.

 

[cyamaha2007]

I weld dowels to my welding table.

 

[lilscorpion]

I dabbed this to make corner armor for a CJ5 back when I did things caveman.

Welded one end to the plate and then used leverage and a torch to roll the plate. They ended up like the ones you'd buy, couldn't tell a difference.

 

[fiaroadster]

Check this guy's video

 

[Paticus]

Thanks for the suggestions. Here's what I ended up making:
<a href='http://postimage.org/image/v1eyh36tb/' target='_blank'><img src='http://s19.postimage.org/v1eyh36tb/IMG_0887.jpg' border='0' alt="IMG 0887" /></a>

Used some schedule 40 pipe and some steel angle iron in a vice. Way easier to bend than I thought.

 

[Vegaman_Dan]

That's steel bar stock? It looks like aluminum based on the color.

Still, simple jig in a vise works wonders. I don't haev a need to make a jig, but I want to anyways now.

 

[Paticus]

That's steel bar stock? It looks like aluminum based on the color.

Nice catch. I decided to go aluminum because the project was getting HEAVY. Plus I needed an excuse to use my new alumiweld rods (which by the way are awesome)