Has Anyone Found Plans For a Tube Bender That Bends More Than 2" Tube

[Guest iskone]

I read a thread the other day while searching for something else (you know how that goes) and found a few DIY tube benders.

 

http://www.blindchickenracing.com/Tools/Tube%20Bender/Tubingbender.htm

 

http://www.metalwebnews.com/howto/tube-bender/tube-bender.html

 

Anyway can't seem to find anything that goes past 2". I don't need a cage at the moment, hell I don't need a bender but would like to find plans that can do at least 3"

 

Isk

[OlderThanMe]

3" for a cage??? are you building a top fuel dragster??? why would you need something that big????

usually benders that big are used for exhaust. those blind chicken racing guys are cool but their bender broke...not reinforced enough. they use that bender a LOT!!! I think mark there is geting a real expensive tube bender...

[Guest iskone]

It's not for a cage. It is for exhuast. I was thiking there has to plans or a way to modifiy one that can do at least up to 3" while still doing smaller stuff for a cage.

 

I just think if yoour gonna build a bender it should bend everything, EX, IC, Headers, Cages, Frames, BBQ's, ok so I don't know why I would need it for a BBQ but if I had one I'd find a reason.

 

 

Isk

[BirdmanZ]

Benders like that don't do so well on thin exhaust tubing. They have a tendency to shred it.

[Guest iskone]

Really? They shread it? Could you expalin that to me?

 

Are the walls in exhaust tubing too thin or is it the diameter? What is too thin?

 

Isk

[OlderThanMe]

ok. all you need to do is find the right size dies and just build a bigger version of the blind chicken racing bender.

about not being able to bend exhaust tubing...how do you think summit and jegs bend their sections of curved exhaust tubing? a mandrel bender...at my welding class that I just graduated from they have a big bender just like the one on monster garage that has two hydraulic rams. it can do up to 2.5 I beileve if not bigger. It was 8 grand though...

[JaysZ]

Benders like that don't do so well on thin exhaust tubing. They have a tendency to shred it.

 

i think it depends on the type of metal you use and its resiliency to bending. some can "stretch" better than others so to speak.

[Mike C]

ProTools has a bender that will do 3". It is the HD version of their manual bender.

 

But the other guys are right, thin wall tube is a different animal. With the 7" radius 2" die for my ProTools bender, .134 wall is minimum thickness while with the 8" die you can do .120. Either way, not exactly a light weight exhaust...

 

Your best bet would be to buy somebody's 3" kit that comes with straight pieces, 45 degree bends, and 90's. Or a kit for a Chevelle or Camaro and cut and weld it to fit your project.