Pipe Bending. What are you using?

[rustbucket86]

just wondering what everyone is using to bend there pipe tubing? i am working on my first bike build and don't have a pipe bend yet so i used a 35in tire and a hole in the block wall. it work great but i rather have some professional for doing u bends and long mellow bends for the top bar. any info would be great, hopefully get pointed in the right direction for purchasing a new pipe bend. thanks and cheers :mrgreen:

 

[Meeba]

I use the storm drain across the street from me. it is free,solid, easy to use, and I can't lose it in my basement....yet

 

[Walker]

I use a conduit bender, or the boulder wall outside the basement door. I wish I had an actual bender for tight radiuses but I have friends that own them so why spend the $

 

[deven_science]

I have hand conduit benders in various sizes for tight bends, and a Harbor Freight tubing roller for the more graceful curves on my frames. I think I paid $130 for it, and it's been worth every penny.

 

[jackdaw]

You guys that use drains and boulders etc. How do you keep from getting kinks? Could you post some pics? Or even a vid? I have an old conduit bender that works ok but still chowders up the bends a little.

 

[NewOrleansFlyer]

Yo Jack, you're in luck. It is getting to be that time of year here in Montana, and I suspect in Maine as well. Here's a method to bend pipe without kinking it....I used this on copper tubing all the time. Take your pipe, cap one end good, fill it with water, stand it outside overnight and let the elements do their thing. Don't cap the top end, the frozen water will run out the top and not split the pipe. Take that sucker over to the nearest drain or boulder and have at it. If you go slow and take your time, you can get what you want...or pretty darned close!

 

[largek9]

Yo Jack, you're in luck. It is getting to be that time of year here in Montana, and I suspect in Maine as well. Here's a method to bend pipe without kinking it....I used this on copper tubing all the time. Take your pipe, cap one end good, fill it with water, stand it outside overnight and let the elements do their thing. Don't cap the top end, the frozen water will run out the top and not split the pipe. Take that sucker over to the nearest drain or boulder and have at it. If you go slow and take your time, you can get what you want...or pretty darned close!

In my neck of the woods we use sand ! (not many boulders and not much ice.)

 

[sensor]

what i like using...

it can bend,cut,AND weld faster than a speeding locomotive!
if you want to buy a harbor freight tubing roller ive got one ill let go...seriously only used once(didnt like the way it ovaled the tubing

)!
but be aware shipping wont be cheap since it weighs a ton.

 

[karfer67]

if you buy sensor's i think uncle stretch has some fixes for it as he uses that bender

 

[mocrawler]

I use a Pro Tools 105 HD. Works awesome!!

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

 

[Uncle Stretch]

I'm like Mocrawler, I use a JD2 bender for tubing. This is about $500ish sitting here. They work good though.
The harbor freight hydraulic ones will just do pipe. The harbor freight roller benders is what I use most.

Harbor freight hydraulic $90 on sale

Harbor freight roller bender Maybe like $125 on sale

 

[jackdaw]

Hey Uncle, The HF roller, does it do good for you? It keeps the tubes nice and round?

 

[Uncle Stretch]

They are all job specific. The roller works really well on sweeping curves. It deforms about 5''
on each end that never gets under the rollers. The Hydraulic will only do pipe and my expensive
one will do just bends...no curving of the tubing.

 

[mobilrods]

I'm only on my second build but what I have done so far is all done with a torch. I punch one end of the pipe and fool it with speedy dry or kitty litter to keep it from kinking just throw it in a vice and put the torch where you want your bends. It's hard to make two pieces the same but... so what. I'm no professional.