DOM Bender

[DiGGeR]

I was thinking on buying this to bend up a cage and make some tube fenders.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=97468
Thats all I'll probably ever do with it, Has anybody ever used this kind before? I like the price, and I know you get what you pay for, so I'm not expecting much! Beats the $5 grand for a good one!

[limegreentj]

PIPE BENDER! i knew it before i clicked on it

[limegreentj]

truth is, if you are gonna build little stingers and some stuff for rocker guards and whatnot.....that'll work for you, but tube and pipe are 2 completely different things. pipe is measured I.D. and usually has a thicker wall. tube is measured O.D. and is usually around .120 wall. never build a cage out of pipe....but to be perfectly honest there is a local store to me that has one of these cheap that im probably gonna grab just to build small stuff....like tube fenders and pieces for my rocker guards.....PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DONT EVER USE PIPE FOR A CAGE!!! mainly if its an onroad vehicle....you'd probably be okay in a slow rollover offroad, but i wouldnt chance it.


BTW you cant really bend tube in that pipe bender because, like i said above, they are sized totally different and you'll kink the "tube". but if you are going to build stuff with pipe, i know that filling it with sand and capping the ends off works to prevent the piece from kinking

[limegreentj]

also, you would be able to add on to your stock "roll bar" with pipe....making spreader bars and welding them in and such. that will definitely help in a roll over....but i'd never ever trust a full cage made entirely out of pipe

[DiGGeR]

You guys are always a wealth of information, thanks you! I never completely understood the difference until now. I was under the impression that DOM was perfectly round and had no imperfections. I 'was' and 'am' going to use DOM tubing for a cage, I just assumed (<--made an ass out of me) that a pipe bender would bend tube.

[limegreentj]

lol its all good man, ya gotta learn sometime....i have heard, however, of guys bending dom tube the same was i said to bend pipe (cap both ends and fill it with sand) and also you need to make sure the tube you are using fits nice and snug in the dies and doesnt wiggle around or sit on "top" of the die

[DiGGeR]

After a quick google search I see many people made the same mistake I was about to!

[MF Steve!]

I was thinking on buying this to bend up a cage and make some tube fenders.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=97468
Thats all I'll probably ever do with it, Has anybody ever used this kind before? I like the price, and I know you get what you pay for, so I'm not expecting much! Beats the $5 grand for a good one!

$5k? WTF are you lookin at? A manual JD2 or ProTools bender can be had cheap and with a die of good size, 1.75" you're looking at less than $1000.

[limegreentj]

how many different sizes of tube can you bend with one set of dies (1.75")?

[justin'sbig7]

i just bought a jd2, it works great. i have the 1.75 die, you have to buy a die for each different pipe size, theres no universal die. for the bender, dies (1 set), base and shipping it was $823

[limegreentj]

yeah thats what im sayin.....you can only bend one size tube per each set of dies....those dies get expensive, if you want to do cage work and stuff you'd probably want bigger than 1.75 (i would anyway) but the 1.75 would be good for doing everytthing else, like tube fenders and stuff, 800+ dollars isnt worth it to me at all...unless i did shit for other people and it helped me pay for it, and i doubt i'd even do enough to justify it

[justin'sbig7]

many cages are built out of 1.5" for comp rigs. 1.75" .120 wall is plenty for a cage. the dies are around $300 each for the bigger sizes, but a lot cheaper for smaller stuff. it really isnt worth it for the shadetree guy, but if you build enough, it pays for itself. i think i am gonna get the 1.5" dies soon

[limegreentj]

so then you agree with what im saying about building everything else except cages that a pipe bender would suffice?

[trailerrails]

so then you agree with what im saying about building everything else except cages that a pipe bender would suffice?

I have one of those pipe benders (aka: The kink o' matic 5000) and even if you bend pipe it still kinks it. They suck. If you are very careful you might get a kink free bend out of it, but I doubt it. If you want to try before you buy, let me know.

[limegreentj]

yeah that might be cool...have you ever tried the ole sand/cap method?

[justin'sbig7]

so then you agree with what im saying about building everything else except cages that a pipe bender would suffice?

if its not going to be structural, it would suffice. i have seen the cheepies flatten out a bend, and add kinks. you dont get a nice fluid bend even with the sand trick. so, the asthetics are not there, but it would work if you wanted some bent pipe on the side of your rig.

[justin'sbig7]

also, DOM is $4.15 a foot, its expensive to have a hit and miss bender... and youd have to thread the pipe to cap it wich is a very expensive tool in itself and a lot of work.

[limegreentj]

why couldnt you just weld a plate to the end of it and then cut it off when you are finished? just something to hold the sand in

[DiGGeR]

After my google search I found a site that tells you how to redesign it to bend tube, looks like a lot of work. I rather purchase a JD2!

[justin'sbig7]

why couldnt you just weld a plate to the end of it and then cut it off when you are finished? just something to hold the sand in

that would work. your just still not gonna get a perfect bend.

After my google search I found a site that tells you how to redesign it to bend tube, looks like a lot of work. I rather purchase a JD2!

its a good machine. youll like it, and, if you dont spring for the hydraulic kit, it will give you big muscles!

[trailerrails]

yeah that might be cool...have you ever tried the ole sand/cap method?

No, it thought it was too much trouble. I was just bending some tube fenders and seat brackets, I was not too worried about a couple little dents. Also if you bend a little then move it 1/2", then bend a little then move it 1/2", etc.. you will get decent results. Not good, just decent.

[jackb1]

I've used a harbor freight bender. Even for non-structural crap, it works just like that, crap. I even tried packing with sand and wet-sand. It still kinks and looks like sh*t. I would never use one of those for anything ever again.

This isn't very close-up but it was all I had. The spreader bars on the top were bent with the HF bender -with packed sand and greased rollers. It can't be more than a 10 degree bend and I stopped there because the kink was getting too bad for me.



If you just want to bend a few pieces, you're welcome to come use my bender. PM if you do.

[twiztidunit]

There was a big to-do over this topic of tubing-pipe on another forum.Dont use what we call in the HVAC field "black iron pipe"or by some out of the field call"poop pipe"(black steel sch40)used for natural gas,compressed air,propane,etc.It cracks fairly easy on impact,Its seamed and can split there too.Use at least 120 wall dom.I have one of those harbor freight jobs,and if the pipe dont fit the die right it will kink the wee out of it.I built my cage with it,packed the thing w/ sand and I managed to get it to work.Honestly,if I had it to do again,Id bought a different one,and what he said about the differences of pipe and tube,he is right.Its your lfe(and possibly others)use the right materal when it comes to a cage.Just because someone else did it and they say it never broke or got hurt doesnt mean it is the right thing to do.

[twiztidunit]

about plugging the pipe for sand,take a 2x4,drill it with a holesaw the size you need,then I took a belt sander,beveling them,fill hole with nut and bolt.pound it in one end,fill with sand,tap it on the floor to get the sand to settle.keep doin this till you get it full.take the other plug and pound it in.I then taped the wee out of them to keep them on.It is imperitive to keep that sand compacted as tite as possible!!It works,Ive built 2 cages this way with real good results.It just a pain,Id rather have a regular bender

[trailerrails]

about plugging the pipe for sand,take a 2x4,drill it with a holesaw the size you need,then I took a belt sander,beveling them,fill hole with nut and bolt.pound it in one end,fill with sand,tap it on the floor to get the sand to settle.keep doin this till you get it full.take the other plug and pound it in.I then taped the wee out of them to keep them on.It is imperitive to keep that sand compacted as tite as possible!!It works,Ive built 2 cages this way with real good results.It just a pain,Id rather have a regular bender

I am confused, are you using the circle piece of wood that you cut out of the 2x4 as a plug? Are you saying that you built 2 cages out of gas pipe? Do you have any pics of these rigs upside down?