Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Posted: **Fri Aug 07, 2009 3:50 am**

Reading the thread about welding sheet metal to tubing made me wonder....

Those of you who build your frame with square tube, how do you bend it? Do you own a tubing bender of some sort, do you send it out, or have you found a good way of bending it with whatever tools you happen to have?

If you send it out, about what does it cost?

I doubt I'll ever have a real shop to build in, but it's a nice dream :thinking:

.

Gary

Posted: **Fri Aug 07, 2009 7:38 am**

I used an Italian BPR Section bender

Spec here

http://www.eaglebendingmachines.com/new ... RAY33.html

I marked the profice on a piece of 8 x 4 sheet and rolled one side at a time.

If you were to get a local fabricator to do this for you, to give you an idea iof the cost, it probably took me 2 hours to set up the machine, mark the profile and roll both sides.

That said my machine has a 1.1/2" capacity. When I have rolled 3/4" section I have tacked the ends and a few points inbetween to ensure an identical radius on each piece. So If you wanted to use 3/4" for your build or your local shop had a the ability to roll 2" section that he should be able to do it quicker.

Posted: **Fri Aug 07, 2009 12:58 pm**

I bought a large radius bender this one http://www.tuberoller.com/products/Handtubingbender.htm
If you live near me I'll bend your metal.

Posted: **Fri Aug 07, 2009 5:00 pm**

Someone here had a pretty ingenious/frugal way of bending tubing.

Searching...

Scan complete...

chgrsteve67 wrote:For some of the smaller pieces I made a sqare tubing bender out of a old truck brake pad and a 6 foot piece of pipe. A propane torch to heat up the tubing makes it more plyable.

For the big pieces I used two 1\2 inch sheets of plywood screwed together, cut out to the shape of the trailier, I made a lever that could be positioned in several locations that I used to pull the heated pipe around the template. I made several ancors so after its pulled around the template I could keep the tubing in place and then spray it with water. THis hardens the steel so it keeps its shape and puts out the burning plywood.

I thought about taking pictures of the process but I figured people would laugh.

http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=22600&start=15

Seems like a great idea, I don't know about hardening low-carbon steel and all, but his pics show the results, and they are excellent! :thumbsup:

Posted: **Fri Aug 07, 2009 8:53 pm**

For the front radius on my tear, I "rolled" the tubing around a 48" tractor turf tire

and for the smaller radius at the rear, I "rolled" it around a 36" truck tire :lol:

Using this method, sometimes the tubing wants to twist, but a large cresent wrench prevents this.

Posted: **Sat Aug 08, 2009 7:53 am**

mechmagcn wrote:For the front radius on my tear, I "rolled" the tubing around a 48" tractor turf tire and for the smaller radius at the rear, I "rolled" it around a 36" truck tire Using this method, sometimes the tubing wants to twist, but a large cresent wrench prevents this.

Git er done! :lol:

Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Square Tubing

Square Tubing