Thread: Small tube bender?

Hi mbender,
Have you looked at using a plumbers copper pipe bender? You may need to find a bending spring that fits into the ID of the tube nicely so the pipe doesn't deform. Good Luck

Another option is to fill the tube with fine sand or salt, make sure its fairly well packed in then fold over the ends and hand form to your hearts content.
When you're done cut off the folded ends and empty out the sand.
The sand stops the bends from kinking and the walls from colapsing.
Good luck.
Cheers,
Greg.

Thanks for the tips, but I was hoping for something more precise than a plumbers pipe. And, although the ID of the stainless tube I've tested is a bit too thick I imagine the smaller bends would be very difficult to do by hand or accurately.
Obviously I'm wanting to do more than one of these.

First pic is of the benders I've used, second pic shows a test piece of stainless in front of a shape I'm trying to achieve
(only trying to make something similar to the original as a starting point)

benders.JPGtest2.JPG

I found a few tools that look like they might do the job, but hard to tell if they'll work without seeing them in person (these are in the US, I'm in Aust.)

Compact Metal Bender
Roll Bender and Metal Ring Roller - R-M3 | Baileigh Industrial
IMPERIAL 470-FH TRIPLE HEAD 180° TUBING BENDER from Aircraft Spruce

Has anyone used something similar to these before?

Thanks

'Ridgid' make the tube benders we use at work but ours are 1/4". I'm sure you could get 6mm versions.
I think Swaglock make nice tube benders as well...neither will be very cheap, but they will work like beauties....and if you are using them lots they will be worth it.

Repco sell a brake line bender that may do the job

I'm just curious as to why you want to make your own water bottle cage's. I understand you want to make them out of S/S but to my thinking they are going to be quite expensive when you add up all the costs including your time.
Considering you can buy brand new alloy ones for less than $3, including post, on ebay.

Somewhere at home I have a set of hand drawn drawings of a bender I made up for bending 3/16"dia brake pipe (bundy tube) years ago. At the time I also made a scaled up version with interchangable dies for doing 3/8" and 10mm od tube.
I think from memory, the brake tube bender would do a radious of about 10 or 12 mm. It works realy well. Ive done a full set of custom brake pipes for 2 car restos with it.

regards
bollie7

Originally Posted by bollie7

I'm just curious as to why you want to make your own water bottle cage's. I understand you want to make them out of S/S but to my thinking they are going to be quite expensive when you add up all the costs including your time.
Considering you can buy brand new alloy ones for less than $3, including post, on ebay.

Somewhere at home I have a set of hand drawn drawings of a bender I made up for bending 3/16"dia brake pipe (bundy tube) years ago. At the time I also made a scaled up version with interchangable dies for doing 3/8" and 10mm od tube.
I think from memory, the brake tube bender would do a radious of about 10 or 12 mm. It works realy well. Ive done a full set of custom brake pipes for 2 car restos with it.

regards
bollie7

There is a market (although small) for boutique bike accessories using stainless and titanium for their strength, light weight and visual appeal. There are a few companies that make some interesting bits and pieces including cages, but I think there's room for a few more variations.

This isn't necessarily a money making idea, just something I had wanted to try and thought for a small investment in equipment would be an easy idea to experiment with. - Though trying to find someone in this country let alone my own town that stocks small pipe bending equipment is proofing near impossible.

This one looks interesting. Appears to be quite adjustable and different size formers could be swapped in, but I'm not sure it does round pipe (maybe with the right former)

Universal Bender

Maybe some custom tooling is the only?

Originally Posted by mbender

This one looks interesting. Appears to be quite adjustable and different size formers could be swapped in, but I'm not sure it does round pipe (maybe with the right former)

Universal Bender

Maybe some custom tooling is the only?

That one doesn't do tube unless you make your own formers.
There are plans for that kind of bender available at http://www.bbssystem.com//files/smaug57metalbender_102.pdf
If you have a lathe it is easy to make up your own custom formers with your required radius.
Just turn a bar to your required radius and then cut a 3mm semi circular groove on the circumference and then make a follower from another bar with another groove.
If you require 2 different radius bends you can make the follower the diameter of the 2nd radius and just swap over on the bender

Originally Posted by mbender

There is a market (although small) for boutique bike accessories using stainless and titanium for their strength, light weight and visual appeal. There are a few companies that make some interesting bits and pieces including cages, but I think there's room for a few more variations.

Fair enough. I can relate to that. I'l try and find the drawings of my bender and scan them, post them up here. Might take me a while as I'm in the process of moving and at the moment everything is a mess.lol
regards
bollie7