bending Sq tube help ?

[ironwolfforgeca]

hay folks I need some in put  Ideas

i mite ? have a job that requires me to bend 1/2" sq tube thin wall 095 or so tc -- @ 90 degs

with a inside raidus of 1" x 100 bends + the finish unit is 3' x 3' sq that will be a cage frame

I have a  hosfeild bender also a dicro bender no sq tube dies to do this YET  will have to machine 

them  any Idea on how to do this project ?? another way ??  I also have a H beam press 65 ton

no tooling for this But ? can make 

THANKS a lot !

Steve's welding 

[Locksmithjoe]

Cut a V notch in the tube, bend weld then grind to Finnish. Makes for a fast easy bend on square. 

[Jim Coke]

Greetings Iron.

With a total demention only 3 in square with a bend radius of 1 in that would be a chalange. The way I would approach this is to make a sandwich form with the inside demention with corners that would collapse the inside edge a little for the bend.. This form would keep the unit flat while bending HOT OF COURSE..   As you know what you are asking the metal to do is compress on the inside and stretch on the outside bend. Just an old boys 2c.  Good luck

Forge on and make beautiful things

Jim

[Kozzy]

You are going to collapse the outside of the tube a bit with just about any easy method.  This is SOP on most items but can yours tolerate that kind of issue?  

There are ways around it like filling the tube with fixturing metal or a "snake" but that would not be cost effective in most circumstances.   Are you doing 4 corner bends from one piece of stock or individual corners that get assembled into the frame?

[John B]

I used to do these on a flypress in a jig, the finished item was a right angled bend on an arm supporting an outside lantern, some were quite short  mounted as a coach light, others were longer and could be used to mount a lantern on top of or beneath, the tube allowed for wiring to be kept out of view when items fitted in situ.

Use your press. make a 2" dia x 1/2" thick disc to fit your press on an extension to allow for depth needed as your top tool, (Gives you 1" inside radius)

For the bottom tool, Two pieces of angle iron with round spacing bars to set them parallel just a tad over the 1/2" width of the tube, these spacing bars pitched to fit the tube and top tool,  (1/2" + 2" + 1/2") and add the diameter of the spacer bar used to give you the centre dimension for them,

Set up with the top tool in the centre of the gap between spacers and secure in position and you should be ready to go.

When ready, heat your tube and press to 90 degrees

You may have to mount the angles on a couple of pieces of channel if your press does not have an open base to allow for full depth of corner.

Hope this makes sense.

Edited December 16, 2015 by John B
sketch added

[Kozzy]

Here's an article about bending non-round tubing  http://www.thefabricator.com/article/tubepipefabrication/bending-nonround-tubing

Be sure and look at the noted "figures" as they clarify a lot of points.

[ironwolfforgeca]

Hay John thanks I think i understand you.re jig -- do you have a pic ??

I an pretty sure I make that & use press

thanks again !!   Steve

PS -- I also have friend with fly press down the road to

[John B]

Sorry, no pictures available, and it went to auction with most of my other tools when I retired some years ago now, so no chance of getting any.

That description is a simple version, the one I made could also accommodate larger sections, but was a little more complicated.

 

[ironwolfforgeca]

thanks again John