Hi I'm looking for plans or examples of how to make a scroll bending jig. I have seen one that is hinged but the pic was not from a good angle so the detail was bad. Any ideas out there?
Thanks, James

Try the IForgeIron.com > Blueprints

James,

Most scroll jigs are made to accomodate a specific dimension and support makiing repeat parts. Make the jig out heavier dimension stock that you plan to use for the scroll. Build up the welds at the first outside cure so the jig does not deform after repeated uses.

After you make the scroll end of your choosing start the initial bend. Cool the end and use the end to lock the piece into the jig. Once locked into place you can easily bend the stock to your chosen set point.

The vise style clamp clamp is for heavy stock and it allows you to clamp down with some authority and get some muscle into the bend without any slipage. I saw a picture of this design and made one for a job I was doing, it worked great.

I attached a few photos. Have at it.

Peter

James,

... Build up the welds at the first outside cure so the jig does not deform after repeated uses....
Peter

Peter, thanks for the photos what does that mean?

I think he meant "curve" - i.e. weld it to a base so it doesn't pull out of position.

MadDog,
I think what he may have meant about building up the welds at the curves is that a lot of pressure will be placed on the initial starting point of the scroll, but even more will be on the outside curve at the left side of this picture

(peter, I copied one of your pictures - not trying to steal it, just use it for comparison).
That last outer section of the scroll, unless the metal is reheated, is cooling and becomes harder to bend around. The welds in that area need to be secure and sound, or you will pull your jig apart. You also want to make sure that the welds are always on the opposite side of the jig from where the metal being curled is to be placed. That way you can use the fullest depth of the jig without worrying about deformation of the project.

We made a bunch of these at our last ncabana chapter meeting, but I have not been able to use mine yet.

I saw an interesting jig made by torching a spiral in some plate and then heating and pushing out the spiral. to use you clamped the end of the hot steel to the tip of the spiral and then ran it around and down. You do have to reheat and flatten it; but this method will work for multi turn spirals where most jigs will not.

How about an electric one? It can do 1,000 scrolls a day...Bob

Hey Bob, nice to see you here as well as SFT. Nice scroll jig too, mine is the manual version of that one. I found I don't use it much though.

How about an electric one? It can do 1,000 scrolls a day...Bob

Ok,now that's cheating.LOL:D

What brand of scroll bender is that?

No it's not cheating; it's fabbing and you can recognize them as cold work from a distance from the flats at the inside ends of the scrolls. If they fit the mode of work you are doing then they are great! If they don't fit the mode you are working in then they are terrible.

I've always wondered about making a die for one of those machines that would accept bars that have been hot started so they would curl all the way to the ends and so have the best of both worlds, cold bent scrolls that look more like hot bent ones but take a lot less effort than making hot bent ones.