tube bending / rolling ? and profile question

[eamarquardt]

as it turns out he needs three phase power to do the rolling something thing that i don't have access to sadly and the roller i bought was $309 delivered to my door and i get to keep it for next time

I wonder why a fellow with a mobile tube rolling machine wouldn't have a machine that runs on single phase given that three phase is generally available only in commercial areas. That said, I have two three phase converters in my garage. One to run my lathe and one to run the mill. They aren't that complicated to build but there is a bit of an art to it.

Buying your own is cool though and it will last a lifetime.

Cheers,

Gus

[dean_petley]

when i was talking to him on the phone it sounded like most of his work comes from work sites not the general public
as far as the converters go i couldn't tell you but i think the power is different in Australia to the USA that might have somthing to do with it

[eamarquardt]

when i was talking to him on the phone it sounded like most of his work comes from work sites not the general public
as far as the converters go i couldn't tell you but i think the power is different in Australia to the USA that might have somthing to do with it

Different voltages but single and three phase are still the same.

Cheers,

Gus

[dean_petley]

well it turned up and it works like a dream i could not be happier with it



all rolled cut and ready to weld all in one day with time for a swim and a nap in the shade

[grantstew8]

Hi
I found a way to hand bend square section. Hal is a hero!




and



Bending Data
Metal always springs back from the jig. Here are a few charts that show results I've gotten. Some of the data may not make sense, and some of it may be wrong. Metal hardness can vary, even from the same mill. Aluminum is more unpredictable than steel.

Hopefully, these numbers will give you an idea of where to start. If you have a better idea, just let me know.

Happy bending!

* All material is steel unless noted otherwise.
* Frequently, bending using progressively smaller jigs will produce slightly larger radii than if you just use the smallest jig first. It's just one of the weird things about how metal reacts to force.


1/2" - 20 ga. round tube
desired outside radius jig radius
144" 54"
120" 50"
32.5" 25.5"
30" 24"
27" 22"
21.75" 18"
21.5" 17"
19.5" 16"
12" 10"
1" - 18 ga. square tube (Central Steel)
desired outside radius jig radius
192" 108"
144" 85"
114" 75"
96" 65"
80" 60"
72" 55"
65" 50"
58" 45"
53" 41"
49" 38.5"
45" 37"
42" 35"
39" 33"
37" 31"
35" 29"
33" 27.5"
31.5" 26"
30" 25"
29" 23.5"
28" 22.5"
26.5" 21.75"
25.5" 21"
1" - 18 ga. square tube (MetalMatic)
desired outside radius jig radius
67" 50"
49" 38.5"
34" 28"
29" 25"
24.5" 21"
1" - 14 ga. square tube (Ryerson)
desired outside radius jig radius
456" 144"
300" 120"
258" 114"
240" 108"
228" 105"
216" 102"
126" 72"
108" 66"
90" 60"
72" 50"
42" 34"
39" 29"
31" 25"
17.5" 15"
11" 9.75"
1" - 14 ga. square tube (Discount)
desired outside radius jig radius
168" 96"
158" 90"
104" 66"
63" 47"
60" 45"
57" 42"
34" 26.5"
22.5" 19"
18.75" 16"
1-1/4" - 14 ga. round tube
desired outside radius jig radius
33' 12'-6"
20' 10'
16'-6" 9'
15' 8'-6"
14' 8'
13'-6" 8'
12'-6" 7'-6"
12' 7'-6"
11' 7'
10' 6'-6"
9' 6'
8' 5'-6"
7' 5'
6' 54"
5' 52"
63" 50"
54" 44"
47" 38-1/2"
44" 36"
42" 35"
37-1/2" 32"
33-1/2" 28"
30" 26"
25" 21"
1-1/2 - 18 ga. square tube
desired outside radius jig radius
180" 120"
168" 114"
141" 102"
108" 84"
84" 72" first, then 66"
1-1/2 - schedule 40 alum. pipe
desired outside radius jig radius
204" 96"
108" 68"
132" 75"
67" 48"
48" 36"
2" - 12 ga. round tube (Ryerson)
desired outside radius jig radius
228" 144"
168" 120"
156" 108"
144" 96"
84" 75"
44" 36"
28" 25"
2" - 12 ga. round tube (Discount)
desired outside radius jig radius
173" 108"
115" 96"
96" 75"
84" 68"
75" 50"
70" 50"
54" 46"
36.5" 29"
31.5" 25"


These tables are admittedly incomplete. I will update them when and if I've got more data and more time. If you come up with a reliable list of your own, feel free to send it to me.
Posted by Hal Eckhart at May 1, 2005 02:34 PM | TrackBack


http://metalgeek.com/archives/2005/05/01/000047.php

[KCStudly]

Found this video on laser cut bends as a result of Grant's link above. Pretty awesome, albeit at the other end of the technology spectrum!

[ctstaas]

Hi Dean, Lots of great answers already but here are additional thoughts. A Hossfeld bender has dies to bend almost anything. For really tight diameters i have had to build the elbows out of sheet metal welded together. I rolled four pieces for my hatch and one trick I'd like to offer is to roll one piece to shape and the others to the first. It sounds like circular logic but if you try to roll four pieces to the same line each piece will have variations in different places. Having variations all in the same place of four different pieces is perfect as long as there the same no one will notice. I considered making my cabin of square tube but went with plywood thinking it would be lighter. Hope this helps.
Enjoy, Chris