How do you fab?

geohil

geohil

New member
For those of us not blessed with a fat wallet or a relative that is a fabricator, how do you complete your metal work? I really want to build my own tire swing-out, but don't have a tubing bender. It would not be cost effective to buy a hydraulic one for a one-off project either. Why spend $1000 in tools for a $200 swing-out? I've got the welders, grinders, and steel, and might be willing to part with a couple hundred to bend 1.75 DOM .125 round tubing.

So for those of you who have fab'ed up sliders, tube bumpers, or swing-outs...what did you use?
 
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geohil said:
For those of us not blessed with a fat wallet or a relative that is a fabricator, how do you complete your metal work? I really want to build my own tire swing-out, but don't have a tubing bender. It would not be cost effective to buy a hydraulic one for a one-off project either. Why spend $1000 in tools for a $200 swing-out? I've got the welders, grinders, and steel, and might be willing to part with a couple hundred to bend 1.75 DOM .125 round tubing.

So for those of you who have fab'ed up sliders, tube bumpers, or swing-outs...what did you use?
Click to expand...


Well, if you have a torch, a rod, and a vice, it can become fairly straight forward to bend pipe.
 
I just don't bend tube since I don't have a bender. I'll just cut out triangular sections and bend the tube or just have separate sections with angled cuts to wrap something around. I've never had a situation where something didn't look sexy enough doing it that way.
 
Spunk said:
Well, if you have a torch, a rod, and a vice, it can become fairly straight forward to bend pipe.
Click to expand...

I may have to try/practice this. See if I can get any consistent curves out of it. My swing-out design only requires 4 bends, although they all are 90 degrees.
 
Well there is this:

16 Ton Hydraulic Pipe Bender

Your right, 1k would be overkill but I'd spend $160 since once you have a certain tool, suddenly there seems to be all kind of additional things you can do with it that you never thought of before :D

Though for a tire swing out, not sure any pipe bending is really necessary, I'd just design it using square tubing myself.
 
2014 Warthog said:
Well there is this:

16 Ton Hydraulic Pipe Bender
Click to expand...

Key word there is "pipe" bender, while what the OP really needs is a "tube" bender. The former is for transmitting material from point a to b and is measured based on nominal internal measurements; the latter is made for structural purposes and the sizing is based on external dimensions.

That being said, you probably could build a swing out with pipe, but it's kind of "low-brow" fabrication. Obviously pipe is a big no no for something safety oriented like a cage.

My advise to the OP would be to keep your eyes open for a used JD2 or Protools manual bender with an appropriate die. Either buy it with some friends to spread the cost or sell it when you're done and recoup the lion's share of your investment (provided you're willing to give it up!)
 
Often times, a local shop can bend a few pieces of tube for you, and you just weld er up at home. Sometimes youll get lucky and they have a scrap pile you can pick through, sometimes there the bend you need in there.

Or, join an off road club. Some one in the club has a bender, or knows where to get stuff bent up.
 
jcoleman said:
Key word there is "pipe" bender, while what the OP really needs is a "tube" bender. The former is for transmitting material from point a to b and is measured based on nominal internal measurements; the latter is made for structural purposes and the sizing is based on external dimensions.

That being said, you probably could build a swing out with pipe, but it's kind of "low-brow" fabrication. Obviously pipe is a big no no for something safety oriented like a cage.

My advise to the OP would be to keep your eyes open for a used JD2 or Protools manual bender with an appropriate die. Either buy it with some friends to spread the cost or sell it when you're done and recoup the lion's share of your investment (provided you're willing to give it up!)
Click to expand...

The more I think about it - the more I would like to keep a decent one (like the JD2) in my arsenal. My plan (although somewhat low-brow) is to blend the two pics below together into one unit. The slider style bumper taking the place of the channel including wrap-around. I've already got a mock-up of the brackets needed to hold this in place. Those I will have CNC'ed for me though.
 

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Hyde802 said:
Often times, a local shop can bend a few pieces of tube for you, and you just weld er up at home. Sometimes youll get lucky and they have a scrap pile you can pick through, sometimes there the bend you need in there.

Or, join an off road club. Some one in the club has a bender, or knows where to get stuff bent up.
Click to expand...

Pretty sure my local off-road club has several people that fab professionally - I just want one so I can bend, test-fit, bend, test-fit. Maybe even score some points by making some of my wife's Pinterest crap for her. :angel:
 
2014 Warthog said:
Well there is this:

16 Ton Hydraulic Pipe Bender

Your right, 1k would be overkill but I'd spend $160 since once you have a certain tool, suddenly there seems to be all kind of additional things you can do with it that you never thought of before :D

Though for a tire swing out, not sure any pipe bending is really necessary, I'd just design it using square tubing myself.
Click to expand...
my buddy has the 12ton version of that, it works GREAT. you just have to make sure that whatever material you are trying to bend, fits perfectly in the dies.

jcoleman said:
Key word there is "pipe" bender, while what the OP really needs is a "tube" bender. The former is for transmitting material from point a to b and is measured based on nominal internal measurements; the latter is made for structural purposes and the sizing is based on external dimensions.

That being said, you probably could build a swing out with pipe, but it's kind of "low-brow" fabrication. Obviously pipe is a big no no for something safety oriented like a cage.

My advise to the OP would be to keep your eyes open for a used JD2 or Protools manual bender with an appropriate die. Either buy it with some friends to spread the cost or sell it when you're done and recoup the lion's share of your investment (provided you're willing to give it up!)
Click to expand...

technically, this is all true. but for sliders, or tire swing outs, pipe will work great.
 
nevada said:
my buddy has the 12ton version of that, it works GREAT. you just have to make sure that whatever material you are trying to bend, fits perfectly in the dies.



technically, this is all true. but for sliders, or tire swing outs, pipe will work great.
Click to expand...

Good to hear it's worked well for your buddy. Pieces I've seen bent in those style benders typically are really flattened out in the bend, particularly in the 90 degree bend desired by the OP. I've heard some have had success packing the piece with sand and capping the ends prior to bending to help maintain shape, but who's got time for that:biggrin1:

I'm all for making something work, but it's so much more satisfying to use the right tool.
 
I think I'm just going to pony up for a JD2 assuming it can bend 1.75 x .120" Dom tubing. Hope I don't have to go hydraulic.
 
jcoleman said:
Key word there is "pipe" bender, while what the OP really needs is a "tube" bender. The former is for transmitting material from point a to b and is measured based on nominal internal measurements; the latter is made for structural purposes and the sizing is based on external dimensions.

That being said, you probably could build a swing out with pipe, but it's kind of "low-brow" fabrication. Obviously pipe is a big no no for something safety oriented like a cage.

My advise to the OP would be to keep your eyes open for a used JD2 or Protools manual bender with an appropriate die. Either buy it with some friends to spread the cost or sell it when you're done and recoup the lion's share of your investment (provided you're willing to give it up!)
Click to expand...
Northern tool has an even nice one for the same price. Uses the torin big red jack.
 
GhostRing said:
Where in OR are you? I'm in Bend (naturally) and have a bender if you wanted
a few pieces made. IM me if you want to discuss.
Click to expand...

I'm over here in Salem, although Bend is where we are looking to move to. I'm going to check the old CL to see if any shops have one up for sale - otherwise I'll PM you next time we head to Sunriver.

Thanks!
 
GhostRing said:
Where in OR are you? I'm in Bend (naturally) and have a bender if you wanted
a few pieces made. IM me if you want to discuss.
Click to expand...

GhostRing - did you ever settle on a rear swing-out? I'm still loving that rear slider design you have....just not sure where to tie it into the tow package or frame (just like you were having issues with). Same issue with the swing-out.
 
Maybe check with the local community college. Many of them have shops with those kind of tools. When I was in college, our engineering school made their own dune buggy and bent their own tubing.
 
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