Very informative video. Since you prefer/strongly suggest, working the machine ‘horizontally’, as do I, buy the Harbor Freight, or any brand, ‘Engine Stand’, used or new, and BOLT the Bender to it, and you not only have a ‘Horizontal’ Bender, you also can ROTATE the Bender to achieve ‘Compound Angles’ in your work. And the Bender is in a comfortable STANDING working height, for healthier ergonomics. Also, you can drill holes through the Engine Stands Legs to put All-Thread, or Long Bolts with Jam Nuts, to make fully adjustable ‘Leveling Legs’. It’s easily maneuverable, and when you unbolt the Bender, you also have an extra, or still have, a fully functional Engine Stand, and stand alone Pipe Bender. I’m sure a person with your Fabrication Skills, had an ‘A-HA’ moment, and completely visualized in your head, exactly what I described. By the way I’ve subscribed. Thanks for the videos.
Man you put my mind at ease. I'm just starting learning fabrication and bought a decent welder and this cheapo 16 ton bender. Was worried I just screwed myself out of 120 bucks but after watching this my bends look almost decent
I’ve had extremely good luck with packing the tube with sand. All you have to do is throw a little duct tape over the end then run around the tube with the tape at the end and IT WILL hold the sand in. Sounds crazy but it will. Another trick I always used was to get a bucket and wet the sand down before you pack it in the tube. It packs way tighter wet! Lol ive got good results using this wet sand and duct tape method.
Well take a little extra time bending tube cheap or if you can’t take the extra 5-10min spend $1500-$2000 on a nice bender 🤷🏻♂️ I’m a cheap ass and most of my fabrication stuff is for fun while I’m drinking cold beer on the weekend so I’ll take the extra time and continue to be a cheap ass! 😂
J M lol well I like to laugh and have a good time! AND I want you to know I was Laughing! Because omg if you didn’t idk what I’d do! Lmao!! So now we are clear I was lol I think we can conclude with enough time sand and beer drinking you can bend tube with a hf tube bender! lol like omg 😘
I have hopes after watching this video...always been the type of person that has the mentality "if you want it done right, get the right tools for the job" type of guy...BUT when it comes down to not knowing anything about bending tube and the fact that I'm not going to be bending tube every other weekend...makes sense to have patience and figure out how to use another cheap alternative...all I want it for is to bend some sliders and a bumper. Great vid man!
@@dgtlionbarger open the end & dump it out to reuse in the next section you need to bend. The sand is only used to keep the pipe from collapsing on itself while you bend it.
@@deegan727 works a treat with these benders, moist sand, tamp it in and cap the ends with hardwood plugs, same principal when bending copper pipe, to make moonshine still coils, fill the pipe with water and freeze it, while frozen bend your coil and melt out water, one tight easy flowing coil.
Electric Deckhead Thanks good tips. I’m not doubting your water filled copper tube method as I’m sure you’ve done and that’s how you know that. It just sounds odd to me because I’ve seen my fair share of busted copper tube/pipe from freezing. Do you just freeze it to where it’s semi solid?
Any and all Fab tips are good. That's the exact reason I've never purchased that tool. Thanks for the pointers. I've been in the welding & Fab field all my life, & one never learns it all.
I’ve used mine for many years and I’ve never had a problem with kinks maybe a little bit of a flat spot in tight bends. These are all good ideas and can help I’m sure
When bending any pipe make sure the weld seam is always on side not the top or inside the bend,, the weld seam had become harder and will not bend/stretch like the rest of the pipe causing a collapse or kinks.
Here's a useful hack I got from another vid... guy mounted the bender to an old engine stand. Just a tube welded to the bottom of the baseplate. That let him use it flat like this, but at waist height so he didn't have to kneel on the floor to use it. Plus he could rotate it if needed to make it easier to work with longer material.
Awesome vid. New sub. I have the Harbour Freight equivalent here in Canada from Princess Auto, and could never get it to work even after packing pipes with sand. Wanted to sell it, but now I'll give it try using your trick. Thanks.
Great video. I’ve been a welder/fabricator for years and have one of these. The packing with sand trick works for tubing better. And just tack a cap on either end when you have packed it. A piece of flat bar or something will work for temp caps. Great video man.
Thank you for making this video! I bought one of these a few years ago and have had mixed results on the couple jobs I used it for. Now I know what I was doing wrong.
Use great stuff to fill end so sand don't fall out. Sounds like a great idea with wet sand, just like what you build sand castles out of. Yup I can see that work very easy, then run the hose threw it after, then blow out with air and done. $500 bumpers for less. Piping is cheap enough unless roll cage CHROME MOLLY, then that saves lifes and worth it to be done right. Nice video. Thanks for the idea.
Thanks for the video it motivated me to try it! Went out and bought the 16 ton pipe bender. Used it for a few bends. Let me tell you it take a LONG time to do a decent bend on 1.5" tubing with a Harbor Freight pipe bender. Also, no matter how slow I went, no matter how many passes with small bends and tighter or more spread out bend marks, it leaves indentions on the tubing. If you go a little too much it will dent (or crease/kink if you really go far). The 16 ton cost me $180 plus tax and driving/tolls to go get it. Just my advice for anyone who can afford a little more money, go buy a JD2.com TUBING bender with the die size for what you're bending. You can get the manual bender with one 90 degree die for about $500-600. I went all out and bought a Swag air to hydraulic ram setup with Swag angle meter with multiple 180 degree dies and let me tell you - a perfect 90 degree bend on chromoly takes about 2 mins (vs about an hour for one with dents all along the inside from the pipe bender). If you're on a budget this will work if you have the time and patience, but honestly the hours of time you'll spend and likely the material you will waste with the learning curve, just spend a few hundred more bucks and then you can always sell the tool for most of your money back later! Or better yet look for a used one discounted already! Still this was a great video for helping out when we are needing to bend something on a budget or a one-time job.
This video inspired me to start bending, and now I have some lessons learned! I like to leave the bender standing up. I scratch a line the length of tube and I use a laser to make sure the line stays straight during the bend. This works well and is fast. Don’t use pencil or soap stone to scribe your line, it disappears when you start bending. What I could not get to work is multiple 90° bends in the same piece of stock. When I made my roof rack I bent each corner, cut it to length, and spliced it with a backer. That said, I would put 2 bends in a set of sliders because the angles aren’t steep and you can’t see both of them at the same time. The wider the tube the fewer pumps you can give it before repositioning. Nate’s suggestion of 10 is a great starting point but keep an eye on the bend and adjust accordingly, just like he did. Don’t be afraid to make a 2nd pass with slight offsets. And don’t over shoot your target angle. Tubes bend a lot better than they straighten. I can’t say that schedule 80 is worth the money, but this bender definitely likes it more. Sand bending is 3x the time, and the rollers still leave marks. If you’re building a racing cage either buy a better bender or pay a fab shop. And that’s it boys. Good luck!
i built a boat trailer with one of those from 75mmx50mmx3mm gal rhs the same way you used but removed the rollers for the square stock. worked a treat.
I bent 2 inch scaffold tube with one of those put some tight bends in them. Found the best way was to use the 1 3/4 inch shoe, this way the sides didn't expand and stopped the top collapsing. Just needed a gentle persuasion to come off. I did get a couple of pressure Marks from the rollers, but nothing you could notice by eye. Sleeves would help.
Well done! Such a pleasure to get good information without any "ums" and "uhs" and without someone telling you three times what they are going to show you before they finally get around to 30 seconds worth of salient information. I'm definitely subscribing to this channel! Main-line learning at its best. . . . many thanks.
I learned a trick when I was in Africa. My locals showed me that if you fill a tube with sand before you bend it, it doesn't crush at all, and you can make some pretty tight bends on thinwall tubing. It actually works quite well.
Try this out. Use the die one size smaller than what you should use. Works great. A guy that builds insane single seat buggies froms scratch and he only uses a harbor freight bender and showed us the trick
Another trick I've used with my bender is to take a torch and heat the top side of the pipe. That edge naturally wants to stretch while being bent and the heat let's it happen a little easier.
Sched 40 is awesome for sliders and lots of other parts on a chassis or rig. And I've never kinked it doing one bend all at once. Really nice to have your video to learn more about the bender. I have the fancy pneumatic one 😂
really enjoying all your videos. good presentation, good structure, good lengths. Great advice. You have definitely given me lots of visual explanation, that is turning into inspiration. Wish you the best of luck going forward.
You nailed this tool! Awesome, thanks for sharing, I suggest you also mark your pipe with the marker and level to establish a centerline for easy reference... plus the factory weld maybe.
The die needs to be a snug fit on the pipe to prevent ripples in the inside of the bend. Wd40 helps the pipe release from the die. Medium to heavy wall only, no thin wall. Been using these chines benders for 25 plus years and its all about the fit in the die
If you want to pack a tube with sand, get kiln dried sand....... and a funnel. The kiln dried sand literally runs like water so you won't need to do any ramming to pack the sand in. You might need to bounce it on the floor a few times just to make sure, but I've filled a 2 meter length of 1/2" copper pipe in less then a minute (we were shaping the pipe into a base for something so we wanted to add some weight). I hope this helps someone 🙂
I came up with a hack that works pretty well. I drilled a 5/8" hole in the center of the mandrel (below area where tube goes) and used a muffler clamp to hold the tube to the mandrel and prevent kinking. I've put 90 degree bends in 2" diameter steel tubes, both 0.120" wall and 0.25" wall. I've also bent 2" diameter 0.25" wall aluminum tube. I like the multiple bend method shown here! Definitely trying that next time!
Good info. Seen a bunch of Y.T. video about this bender, many hacks, many people who should find other things to do rather then spread failing theories and waste huge amounts of time, valuable time. Subscribed.
I've been going around and around trying to justify the cost of a JD2 or similar bender for the few times I've needed to bend tubing. I keep coming back to this one and I think I'm going to give it a shot for the winch bumper project on my '68 Bronco... Great tips. 👍
for someone that dose not have many subscribers, your videos are top notch and very helpful. you must have just started making videos, give it a few months and i bet youll have over 500k subs. i subscribed today and sure your channel will grow fast. good luck, ill be here when ever you post a vid thanks for your videos
Thanks for taking the time to write a positive comment! Your correct this is a very new channel. I started it about 5 weeks ago and I have big aspirations! Lots more videos in the works 🤘
I bent a piece of 2 inch EMT on my H/F bender for an exhaust pipe for a 73 Commando. Had to cut a couple pieces of 1/8 inch thick soft aluminum to put in the die or saddle, if you will, so they would conform to the die to tighten up the side clearance so as to not kink the inside radius of the bends. Got the hump over the rear axle done pretty fair that way with just one slight kink at the peak of the hump. I have seen auto parts pipes almost the same condition. Give it a try
Our race and derby car cages were done with a harbor freight bender for over 10 years till I started building for my kids and other people as a profession instead of me and friends hobbies and we tested them good in both with no failures but I got a big bender when I equipped my shop to start my business after the Drs declared me disabled and disability wasn't going to pay the bills so I invested money into good tools I needed right away after securing enough buissnes to pay for it and make a decent profit then more work steadily came so I could upgrade some of my older and homemade tools that got the job done but possibly risked safety points if OSHAT visited but being smart I left those in my garage when the shop was built so they were personal tools not buissnes tools the bender got me side hustles of custom exhaust since I could remove cats I got alot of work and recycling cats has always been a great money maker
@Dirt Lifestyle An awesome way to take up the slack in the dies is to use a heavy wall tire tube. I used an old one from my dual sport bike and it made a world of difference on this bender. Just cut it to the size of your die and use it in between the die and the tube.
You're the first comment mentioning the actual size of the dies. The loose pipe dies are the biggest cause of kinking due to unsupported tubing in the bend zone. I made 1/16" shims using 16 ga sheet metal wrapped around the tubing size I want to bend, and then bending the whole thing around the full length of the die, then trim the excess sheetmetal. For the smaller sizes (1" to 2.5") 16 ga did the job. I've also seen people fabricating "follow dies" that replace the rollers, by splitting a tube that slip fits over the tube to be bent and some square tubing and gussets. No more roller dimples. I keep the shims in the same box the dies are stored in
Pipe choice has been top decider for quality. I do 1-7/8 schedule 40 right up to 90* with no screwing around. Just one shot. But it fits so tight in my die that I have to beat them off with a hammer after I’m done. Have had absolutely no luck with anything thin. Used drill stem for a roll cage once or twice and it was everything the bender could do to bend it but no kink.
I just throw a red cloth shop towel folded twice and lay it on the die and it bends fine every time! I get about 3 to 4 bends per towel! Using a leather peice would eliminate using so Many shop towels! I get them for free though
Just a thought, i would appreciate for you to create a Would "be a how to build a long arm DIY". It would be great because of The effort you put in your videos. Just watched your newest one.. The air tanks overview. Another great video!
Thanks! I have alot of information about suspension geometry and understanding of long travel suspension in my "tj stretch" video series. It's a home designed and built long arm setup with in a series about stretching your wheelbase. This might be exactly what your looking for! Thank you for watching!
I find it won't kink thinner tube (1" or so) if you use a die that is "to small" and go all in one pump. The tube rides on the edges of the die and gets forced down into the valley as it bends, so it gets somewhat ovalized, but it it ovalized the opposite direction from what kinking would do, and the smaller diameter will match your die size. Only works for bends that you can do without moving on the die though.
On the one hand, I wish i'd found this video a week ago when I was trying to bend some tube for the kitcar and after kinking one piece, sought out a much better bender (the tube was still wrong as it turned out), but i did wonder about doing it in smaller increments. BUT given I was forming the main roll hoop for the kit car, i'm still happier I didn't use the small one in the end. Still, top tips! improvements to make and at least it's not wasted equipment for the future.
Tube is for high pressure applications and pipe is for low pressure. Great videos though i expect your channel to grow massive! Good luck and hope to see future videos!
I drilled a couple holes in the webbing of the die, I made 2 d rings from 3/8 steel that you slide the pipe through into the die. so the pipe cannot rise out of the die and it works well. You can make a plate or die sized pipe in half to slide inside the d rings with a fine thread nut in the middle and bolt to really put some force on holding the pipe in the die. Works well. Have to smack it one time with hammer after bend and release to get the assembly to let go.
Makes a great bearing press ... use mine on wheel bearings... swap out the Jack for a lower one and press the bearing up against the underneath of the top frame.. works a treat ...
I liked your method in other videos about finding where to mount your pipe in the bender using your pre bent cut off pipes. Would like to see how that corresponds to this where your bend doesn't start with a clamp on the pipe.
awesome info i want to make minibike frames i've seen youtube video where others use the HF pipe bender but they go into little detail , this site was Great very informative about the HF bender and what it could do + the inch marking idea no one has ever said that.
I use the same tricks. We call that concentric bends. Commonly used in the electrical field running rigid electrical conduit pipe for running duc bank or running pipe handrails on elevated spherical tanks in chemical plants and refineries. There is a formula for concentric bending to keep from getting the bend ridges so it's a smooth constant bend.
Nate, as always thank you! Curious question if you don’t mind me asking. I’m looking at making some fender bars for the front of my rig. How do you recommend I connect the top section to the bull bar and the bottom section to the sliders? Brackets, weld, both? I’m looking at purchasing the harbor freight tube bender for this. This will be my first tube bending project. 🙏🤙Looking forward to see how it goes.
Same technique that electricians use when bending rigid pipe with a hickey. A hickey is a hand bender with a very short shoe. You have to bend, slide the bender a bit then make another small bend. We used them on pipe to hard to bend with a traditional hand bender. Nowadays electricians use power benders. Back in the early 80s I bent a 20 foot 1 inch pipe into a complete circle by hand using a hickey with a handle taller than me. Then I drilled multiple holes, tapped the holes and screw jets into them. A machinist welded a 1¼ tee between the ends and three legs opposite of the jets. The plumbers then installed my pipe for the town and it became a water fountain. It lasted almost ten years until it froze and busted.
If your going to do a lot of bending , measure the ram travel and the degrees of bend you get. This should allow you to make consistent bends. I’ve used this bender to make pipe railings with good results.
Nice Job. I was waiting for someone to mention the sand component. I do believe that packing the inside with sand that you will keep the tubing from collapsing and have very successful results. I myself have just started to weld within the past 5 years so I am by no means an expert on metalwork but really enjoy making things.
It's your risk brother! I would recommend saving for something else to do cages but... people build cages with these all the time! Thanks for watching, I look forward to our collaboration 🤘
I built a full cage for my bronco filling the pipe with sand. Turned out great. Just had to duct tape the ends of the pipes. Now I’ve completely torn apart and redesigned my HF bender, I can make perfect bends without filling sand or any other “hacks”
@@stevenmark8156 weld a bead down one side and grind flat so your die is so tight you got to use a hammer to nook the die off the tube or pipe you are using try it and get back to me you will be surprised off the results
Love this channel, I've learned so much cool stuff about fab work and wheeling , been watching nate do his thing since bleeping jeep, glad to see you branched off and didn't stop, thank you for passing on a lot of knowledge , you sir are a scholar and a gentlemen 🤘
If you can use 7/8 dom or chrome moly tubing the 1/2" pipe die will fit that size tube very well. Using .065 wall you can get good bends with the bender without any modifications at all.
filling the tube with sand is similar to how then bend the tube to make musical instruments like trumpets/tubas/etc. they fill the tube with water, freeze it and then bend it. keeps the tubing from bending. i wonder if finding an expansion plug like plumbers use would work good? for other bender work i've had my local muffler shop bend my tubing for roll bars/etc. $20-30 to make a few kink free bends was worth it.
I wonder if your tube control might be better if you put a support under the tube and then clamped it to the support. This would keep the tube both level and would prevent it from turning while being bent. I will use these hints immediately as I am currently working on a project that can benefit from this. One other suggestion would be to put a center reference mark on the ram to align with the tube marks. Thanks for the information.
On mine, I drilled threw the base of the arch on the dye, then I used some flat stock and bent an arch in that to Line up with each side of hole. I threaded the top to keep securing the pipe as it’s getting bent. It works without moving anything except tightening the bolt as it gets loose...
Great video! We need more down-to-earth fabricator on you Tube that won't always insist on buying big-buck tools. Like you, I will probably end-up buying a more "refine" tube bender later, but for now I just want to bend heavy wall tubes. I knew I could modify the dies, and fill the tube with sand, but it is a PITA, and make the process too cumbersome. Taking smaller step is a much more practical approach. Thanks, you saved me a lost of money, and probably some aggravations! :-)
I had better luck with the orange hf bender that I borrowed from my cousin. I traded some steps for a new grey hf bender with the springs and it seems like it kinks easier. Not sure if they changed the dyes or if I just got too confident and got in a hurry. I usually add a little heat after I bend it to get the perfect 90 degree angle or more
