arftist Posted March 30, 2014 Share Posted March 30, 2014 I built this machine entirely from scratch with the exception of SOTS parts such as flange bearings, sprockets and gear reducer. The gear reducer is 60-1, with c face mount 1 hp motor. The top plate is 1/2" thick. The dies are interchangeable for pipe, tube bar angle or channel and were made in a LeblondeToolmaker. The machine has lasted for over 20 years with no repairs. Even the sprockets and chain are original Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arftist Posted March 30, 2014 Author Share Posted March 30, 2014 .5x2.5" 316 S.S. cap rail bent with rollformer. I adjusted until I had the radius correct on the first bar then sent the other four through. I had to grind a starting bevel on the latter bars. None needed adjustment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacques Posted March 30, 2014 Share Posted March 30, 2014 My dream machine, I would love to own one. Do you have pictures of the other dies? How do you change them? Yours look great, another picture to save to my to-do list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arftist Posted March 30, 2014 Author Share Posted March 30, 2014 The pipe dies are all single piece and drop on with keyways except the idler (center) which is loose. Most of the pipe dies are made of PVC, Delrin or aluminum, for ease of making since they are turned with a form tool (slightly more than 1/4 of the radius, the tool is run in from one side on the lathe, then the tool post is swung around, the lathe run in reverse, cutting the other half of the groove from the back side. Other tooling is just a series of spacer plates, bolted to the bottom flange of the hub which is keyed and set to the driven shafts. I often make tooling per job. One trick I have learned in making my own pipe bending dies is to cut much deeper than factory made dies, the resulting overhang eliminates flattening and allows much tighter radius than factory made dies. Sorry I am out of state for a while and just took these photos off my phone. If I did it again, I would use 1" thick plate at least, and 3hp with an additional gear reduction, to be able to bend much larger shapes. I planned to do that for years but now I am getting old and have less time for projects. Edit; PVC is nearly as strong as Delrin and costs about a sixth as much. If I was worried about strength, I would cast aluminum blanks in a round cast iron cook pan, then turn them on the lathe. A lot of work but not much expense. I have even made dies from wood with iron flanges but stopped doing that when I figured out how to cast aluminum blanks in cast iron cook pots. Sand and plaster molds are such bother and fuss compared to permanent iron molds, which you can get away with if you are just making blanks. So much so that eventually I bought a CNC Bridgeport to make permanent molds in shapes other than round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Coke Posted March 30, 2014 Share Posted March 30, 2014 Greetings Arf. Now that's a sweet piece of equipment... I love the horizontal set up... When I closed my big shop I sold my Eagle roller and could kick myself.. Oh well if I need it its only 100 miles away and I might have to give it a visit.. You do great work.. Forge on and make beautiful things Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arftist Posted March 30, 2014 Author Share Posted March 30, 2014 Greetings Arf. Now that's a sweet piece of equipment... I love the horizontal set up... When I closed my big shop I sold my Eagle roller and could kick myself.. Oh well if I need it its only 100 miles away and I might have to give it a visit.. You do great work.. Forge on and make beautiful things Jim Thanks Jim. I am figuring out how to post pictures so I will be contributing more as I go along. The Rollformer is a straightforward project but does require a decent lathe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewOC Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 Mmm, a dream tool of mine also! What diameter did you use for the axles? The fancy expensive machine where I did my apprenticeship would damage a bearing-bush 3 times a year... regards, Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arftist Posted March 31, 2014 Author Share Posted March 31, 2014 Mmm, a dream tool of mine also! What diameter did you use for the axles? The fancy expensive machine where I did my apprenticeship would damage a bearing-bush 3 times a year... regards, Andrew I remember scoring some 1 7/8" cold finished round. I likely used that. If you look at the top of the machine you see the flange bearings, then from the bottom view there is another set rotated 45 degrees over. The bottom bearings are smaller diameter and the step turned into the shaft is the key. The bearings are rotated so the mounting bolts don't interfere with each other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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