Another use for a pipe bender
Hedgehog
Always Off-Roading Jeeper
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- Tucson/Marana Arizona
- Vehicle(s)
- -1975 Jeep CJ5, 360 V8, Headers, Duel Exhaust,T15 transmission, D-20 Transfer case, Twin Stick Conversion, Warn 8274 Winch
-1951 Willys Wagon, 4 cylinder, "F" head, little rust, very close to stock
A couple years ago now I needed a pipe bender for expanding my "Sport Cage". Being a cheap SOB I searched Craigslist regularly for a bender. Eventually a HF pipe bender showed up for less than $50 so it became mine. Others might dispute this, but it worked really well making very decent pipe bends. But it didn't stop there.
I don't have a decent set of torches ... a neighbor barrowed then sold my set .... so bending steel bar has been a problem. That is until the pipe bender came along. At first I tried bending rebar, then a bolt. Lite weight materials like that. But it will do much heavier metals. For instance my T18 had a rusted shift lever. Bad enough to require replacing. The new stick is straight and just under 1/2" in diameter. Naturally you don't want to make a cob job of your stick, only a nice bend will do. The pipe bender came to mind. Sure enough with the rollers set in tight and the smallest die in place the pipe bender did a beautiful job bending the stick with only finger tip pressure needed.
The point is, if you have a hydraulic pipe bender it doesn't need to sit in the corner waiting for the next pipe bending job. Honestly how often does that happen to a normal guy. With a little imagination it really is a small press and most anything that needs bending can be done. Another example. I needed to bend some wood strips for a boat project I was/am doing. The strips were thin and several layers needed to be glued together in a bend. So I used several thin strips of cedar, some Tightbond III sandwiched together put them in the bender before the glue set and bent the pile to where needed and walked away for it to dry. No clamps needed. The end product turned out really well.
I don't have a decent set of torches ... a neighbor barrowed then sold my set .... so bending steel bar has been a problem. That is until the pipe bender came along. At first I tried bending rebar, then a bolt. Lite weight materials like that. But it will do much heavier metals. For instance my T18 had a rusted shift lever. Bad enough to require replacing. The new stick is straight and just under 1/2" in diameter. Naturally you don't want to make a cob job of your stick, only a nice bend will do. The pipe bender came to mind. Sure enough with the rollers set in tight and the smallest die in place the pipe bender did a beautiful job bending the stick with only finger tip pressure needed.
The point is, if you have a hydraulic pipe bender it doesn't need to sit in the corner waiting for the next pipe bending job. Honestly how often does that happen to a normal guy. With a little imagination it really is a small press and most anything that needs bending can be done. Another example. I needed to bend some wood strips for a boat project I was/am doing. The strips were thin and several layers needed to be glued together in a bend. So I used several thin strips of cedar, some Tightbond III sandwiched together put them in the bender before the glue set and bent the pile to where needed and walked away for it to dry. No clamps needed. The end product turned out really well.