Tips and tricks for hand rolling/forming a large cylinder?

[MatBirch]

I have two strips of 12ga mild steel plate that are 12” wide X 48” long. I want to form a fire pit ring with them. If I can get close to a roundish shape, I will trim them back and weld them together. Of course, I don’t have access to a slip roll, rosebud, or ??? My first attempts were out of necessity to make a quick fire ring to contain some yard trimming that had to be dealt with, but now I’d like to finish it off “proper”. Even my fat **** can’t get enough force to do more than put kinks and flat spots in it.
I guess I could cut segments and weld it all back together??
I even tried shoving an end under the deck and prying it. Just started breaking the deck...

 

[bczygan]

Find someone who has one and borrow it?

Bill

 

[Muckin_Slusher]

Do you have ratchet straps and a truck?

Weld both pieces end to end
Lay ratchet ******** ground
Place steel on ratchet strap
Drive truck on steel
Pass strap through rim and tighten
drive forward
weld
profit

:smokin:

 

[PCustoms]

Do you have ratchet straps and a truck?

Weld both pieces end to end
Lay ratchet ******** ground
Place steel on ratchet strap
Drive truck on steel
Pass strap through rim and tighten
drive forward
weld
profit

:smokin:

Very..... ingenious. Tucking that in the back of the brain for future use.

Op what size ring you trying to make?

 

[OccupantRJ]

Go to a local metal shop and have them roll it for you. Last time I did that the guys did it for free and then gave me a free bead roller before I left when they found out that I refurbish machines.They were more interested in what I was making and doing than working on their own stuff, which was mostly ductwork. Entertainment for them, I guess.

 

[slowtwitch73]

Do you have ratchet straps and a truck?

Weld both pieces end to end
Lay ratchet ******** ground
Place steel on ratchet strap
Drive truck on steel
Pass strap through rim and tighten
drive forward
weld
profit

:smokin:

Intriguing ... but I no believe till I see

 

[steel 35]

Intriguing ... but I no believe till I see

I’d try it but my brother won’t loan me his truck anymore

 

[OccupantRJ]

Intriguing ... but I no believe till I see

The bottom screen in my blast cabinet is 1/4” thick perforated screen with 3/8” holes in it, and had a belly to it from previous lack of support of heavy castings being blasted. I laid out the 3’x4’ perf on the grass and ran the front truck tire over it in various patterns, along with wood shims, to iron it back flat, similar to using a bead roller.

 

[slowtwitch73]

Flattening with shims I believe.

 

[MatBirch]

Not real particular on ring size- 3'ish. Whatever it comes out as is fine. I kinda like the truck idea. I got to thinking about it, and even though my arm would be sore, I thought maybe grabbing the BFH and a stump. I could persuade a roll with an interesting texture as well?

 

[tarbellb]

You could score the interior, run a 1/16" metal cutting blade every 3-6".

Might give you enough to start bending.

 

[tarbellb]

Or a lot of clamps and leverage. Clamp 95% to table, hang 5% off with a clamp + long handle for leverage. Repeat every couple inches.

Youll be sweating...

 

[MP&C]

The 96" in total length should give you roughly 30.5" diameter. Do you have access to any tractors, skid steers, or excavators?

 

[matt_i]

Easiest homebrew might be a rudimentary press brake in a bottle jack press, just an angle iron punch and double angle irons to make the die, couple of guide rods. Then you want to tweak it at a regular linear distance (and depth) until it starts taking shape. You can either change the depth of the tweak to get tighter radius or else bend it slightly in-between the other bends. This would be multi-faceted and not smooth-round but you might not care. If you did care then the slip rolls are pretty much your only choice to get a repeatable consistent radius into the flat steel.

 

[quickfarms]

Get a 55 gallon drum, open top and clean, and cut it into sections with a grinder or abrasive blade on a skill saw

 

[laser3kw]

If you really want to do it yourself, I would concentrate on forming 2 half circles and weld together. Trying to weld both strips end to end and then roll into a circle will be way more difficult with out a slip roll.
Other than that, as, mentioned, find a sheet metal shop. Look at HVAC guys, most have capable equipment to do 12 ga.

 

[Bogie1632]

Cut a few circles out of plywood and braces to keep them even/square. Make a few slots you can put clamps in on each side. Add a clamp as you roll it.

V/R
Bogie

 

[Bodj Built]

Cut a few circles out of plywood and braces to keep them even/square. Make a few slots you can put clamps in on each side. Add a clamp as you roll it.

V/R
Bogie

This.

Check out Ron Covell on youtube. He does a lot of metal forming with wood bucks