Tube bender recommendations?

Question

--Hey, gang, I'm looking to get my hands on a power tubing bender of some kind, suitable to bend "small" stuff; i.e. no larger than 1-1/2" dia, but thin wall; i.e. no more than .09". I've found one that isn't too wallet-ripping, but I thot I'd try the knowledge base here to see what folks thought of this one as opposed to other options. The one that caught my eye was:

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...as it's hydraulic and I've already got that stuff on hand. --Plan B was this puppy:

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...but it's gear driven and costs a whopping $3,700 without tooling. --Plan C was it's slightly bigger brother:

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but this one costs $5,700 without tooling. --Sure, I'd rather buy something used with tooling thrown it, but most of these tend to be monsters both space and money-wise and my space is limited. Any pointers, recommendations appreciated.

Ernie Leimkuhler · Accepted Answer

Hi Ed.You are talking about 2 very different types of machines.A tubing BENDER is for small radius bends in round and square tube.A Tube ROLER is for larger curves in tubing pipe, or bar stock.They both technically bend tube, but are very different creatures.The most popular tube BENDER is the JD Square Model 3. $300 for the base machine and about $150 per die set you are talking a lot less cash.You can add hydraulics to it easily.The $3700 tube ROLLER you are mentioning is sold by many companies under different names.The machine is made in Italy and comes with a basic die package for bar stock of many sizes.The tube and pipe dies are quite spendy for it, but you can make your own on your lathe.It was the want for this roller that I designed and built my own.

steamer · Answer

--Oops, got a wrong link in there; Plan A is here:

steamer · Answer

--Yeah, not a roller; musta got a couple of links wrong in the initial posting. It's a bender I need; basically a miniature muffler tube bender would be ideal. The correct link for plan A is here:

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...and the base price doesn't include the hydraulics (which I already have). What I wanted to get away from is something that has to be permanently bolted to a floor, as space is limited in my shop.. Is the JD2 machine OK living on a rolling stand?

Ernie Leimkuhler · Answer

The JD Squared machine is basically a small evolved hossfeld bender.If used manually it would need to be bolted to something.If hydraulically actuated it could be on a rolling cart.

GD · Answer

I built a copy of the mechanical bender like the one on the JD2 web site.  I used to have a hydraulic greenlee that I never liked.  The mechanical bender is a lot easier to use and I made my own dies. It is nice to be able to make the dies in a special radius if needed.               GDErnie Leimkuhler wrote:

Tube bender recommendations?

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