What do you think of this tubing bender software?
I don't know but if you click on the "Click Here For More Info" link there's a link to download a demo. Why not give it a try?
Best Regards, Keith Marshall snipped-for-privacy@progressivelogic.com
"I'm not grown up enough to be so old!"
Joe B wrote in article ...
I have tried different "bending" programs, but I actually get better results by simply knowing the gain and loss of my particular bender die, and using a bit of trig.
For example, I know that my most commonly used die - 1-3/4" - "gains" 8 inches on the bent leg and loses 3-1/2 inches on the straight leg. With that in mind, I simply allow 8 inches less for the finished bend and allow
3-1/2 inches more for the straight leg when setting the bend up and marking the tubing.I have my other less-used dies marked for gain/loss so I don't have to remember or do a test bend each time.
Simple way to find out your own bender's gains and losses is to take a three-foot piece, mark it at the one-foot mark, then bend a 90°, starting right on the mark, bending the short side.
Then measure the bent leg. If it is now 20 inches, your bender had an 8 inch "gain". If the straight leg is now 20-1/2 inches, you "lost" 3-1/2 inches on the straight leg. With this knowledge, I can bend a full U-hoop so the legs end up exactly as far apart as I want them to be. (God, I hate to see Jesse James build his two-piece main roll cage hoops on Monster Garage when I know that a one-piece hoop is stronger with no weld in the middle, and really quite easy to lay out and bend.)
You always lay out bends from the middle of the tube.
For a common 54-inch wide hoop, I mark my bend starting points at 30-1/2 inches on each side of center. (27 inches is half of 54 PLUS the 3-1/2 inches my bender will "lose" from the straight leg on each bend.
I also know that each leg will "gain 8 inches when bent, so I can start out with a piece of tubing that is a total of nine inches less in length. (subtract the 16 inch total "gain" for both bent legs from total tubing length, then add the seven-inches needed for the "loss total on the straight side = nine-inches shorter tubing than the actual total measurement of leg heights and width.)
IOW, a hoop that has two 36" legs and is 54" inches wide will total 126" and require a piece of tubing that is cut at 117".
Bob Paulin - R.A.C.E. Race Car Chassis Setup and Dial-in Services
The only thing I would add to Paul's comment is to have a little book to record your successes and failures. I ran a press brake for years and my little book sure made me look good. One company I worked for had a recipe card file they kept at the plate rolls for the same reason. Listing your dimensions and angles of bends etc will give you some reference data as time goes on. Even that software has a place to add or "tweak" the dimensions. They might have something there eh??? Randy
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