I work in a lab here on campus, and my supervisor is a fellow gearhead like me. He wants to get a floor-mounted tube bender that can bend from .5" to 2" tube, as well as a belt-sander/grinder with a disc sander attachment, sort of like this thing (I think): http://vansantent.com/multitool.htm. This will officially be for the lab, so we want something quality that will last for awhile.

So what are your suggestions for either tool? I am currently looking at the ProTools 105 HD and the JD2 Model 3. Where would y'all recommend buying from? And what about the sander/grinder thing? I've never looked for one of those before... anyone have a suggestion to make?

 

Sorry for jacking the thread just as something to add in.

On a side note, I have a 20 ton press and I wanted to know if I could turn this into a tube bender. i want to make a bumper (rear for now) like the james duff one and I wanted to know how I use this press to bend tubes. Also tell me if its a bad idea because i got it for free and I really don't want to abuse and break it. Thanks.

 

A press will kink tubes. You need a bender.

For a tube bender I went with the PRO Tools 105HD. I bought it from Keith at http://www.xtremecrawlers.com/catalog/ he had a great price and also had great shipping too. Not a single hicup in the transaction.

 

Great! I found Keith's website earlier today, and also read his reviews of the Pro 105 HD, the JD2 Model 3, and also the JRM bender. I think it looks like we'll be getting the 105 HD, but perhaps we'll buy from a guy I've done some business with in the past; Scott from Rock4x Fabrications.

 

will it really kink the tube. i though it would just bend it? Can you explain this to me just a little bit more.

 

If you just stick tube in a press and press on it, the tube will kink because the force is not being applied evenly across the tube. There are special things called dies that distribute the force evenly and keep the tube from kinking while it's being bent. Do a quick google search and you'll see.

Pro-tools also has some videos on their website showing how a tube bender works.

 

well is there anyway to use dies on my press. I know that the benders around here look like presses with dies in them. Any info on this. I don't want to kind any pipes I get but I'm just trying to see what options I have.

 

those are pipe benders made for bending pipe, they will kink tube. There is a difference between pipe and tube. Tube is structural, pipe is for moving poop.

 

ah ok, well then. guess I have to get a tube bender.

 

i've heard good things about both companies: jd2 and protools. but moreso about jd2.

If you're shopping for a machine shop/lab whatever and want something that is going to withstand daily usage and still last a while, jd2 has some top notch benders that are hydraulically operated and can produce precise bends. i, personally am looking at the jd2 model 3 manual bender for myself because it's not going to see a tremendous amount of use & because i could use the workout =).

If i were working as a freelance fabricator, though, i would probably step it up a notch and get the hydraulic addon for the model 3. Anyway, the point im trying to make is that you have to do a cost-benefit analysis on something like this. Is it worth it for you to drop a couple of grand on a precise, top of the line machine because you're going to be using it all the time? Or do you rather just need something that you can put up in the shop for convienience from time to time?

www.jd2.com is their website. I'd say cruise around some fabrication websites & forums and see what the amateurs & professionals are saying.

as for grinders, i don't know what to tell you there.

 

Thanks man, I have been doing some more looking around and I've had a really hard time finding anything to say that one is definitively better than the other. Since we are not a fabrication shop and merely a research lab with some guys that like building cars, I don't think our budget has a need for a REALLY expensive bender. It likely won't get used all the time, but it will be a valuable piece of equipment to have in the lab anyways. He found one that he likes in another of the labs on campus and is getting the information about it from one of the guys that works at the other lab, so we'll see what ends up happening.