Tube bending question

[dangerdog]

what are you using to make sure your bends are on the same plane? As the the die moves enough to be out of level with a piece of tube hanging out of it. One level across the bend and one on the die process is getting old real quick.

 

[Greg72]

Clamp on angle bracket.... Put a digital angle finder on the unbent side of the tube and zero it out before you make your first bend. Each time you move the tube to rebend, make sure it is still at 0.0*

Your current method is probably just too sloppy to work well. Even a slight misalignment issue will create a large out-of-plane error on a 20' long part with multiple bends in it.


-G

 

[dangerdog]

Dahh! why did'nt I think of that. Sometimes the simple things slip the mind. Thanks for help.

 

[wasted wages]

Clamp on angle bracket.... Put a digital angle finder on the unbent side of the tube and zero it out before you make your first bend. Each time you move the tube to rebend, make sure it is still at 0.0*

Your current method is probably just too sloppy to work well. Even a slight misalignment issue will create a large out-of-plane error on a 20' long part with multiple bends in it.

Having trouble picturing this in my feeble brain....including the "digital angle finder".... any chance of a picture or drawing ????


EDIT:
just googled this....... is this what you are talking about ??

 

[blazinzuk]

pretty much except you can make one out of a muffler clamp and a cheap angle finder

 

[wasted wages]

too late !!!

It's on the way......43 bucks.....


couldn't resist....

 

[herkdriver007]

Wow...

Seriously, tack a piece of angle iron on there and zero it with the angle finder!

 

[cybrfire]

If all your bends are going to be on the same plane, don't bother spending the time to zero the first one. Just make all the following bends on the same number as the first.

If you're bending on different planes, then zeroing the first is best so the math makes sense.

Actually, if you're bending all on one plane, you can lay the tube in a piece of angle and make a straight line on the tube. set up a pointer on your die and use that for a reference.

 

[ryoken]

 

[Deuling]

I use my eye

The harbor freight benders tend to twist the pipe anyways.... So I just eyeball it and control the twist best I can

 

[ryoken]

I do the first bend.. pull it out, lay it on the ground.. mark a vertical point for the next bend and work off that...

 

[cybrfire]

I use my eye

The harbor freight benders tend to twist the pipe anyways.... So I just eyeball it and control the twist best I can

Does it flow different after its twisted?

 

[Deuling]

Does it flow different after its twisted?

Maybe

 

[dangerdog]

pretty much except you can make one out of a muffler clamp and a cheap angle finder

Do you have a picture? I like wasted wages search but cheap would be better. I did clamp a piece of angle on and it seemed to work well.