Looking into Pipe bender

[89XJPioneer]

I've been looking into buying myself a cheap bender that gets the job done, I see northern see this one for $130http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_7826_7826?cm_sp=Xsells-_-Manual-_-Product%20Page anyone ever use it? is it worth it and will it bend up stuff strong enough for cage sliders bumper etc?

 

[atownxj]

dont do it i dont think it will do what u want i got mine from tricktools.com it is a jd2and with out the hydro it is very resonably priced. the bender in your post is going to be good a flattening tube they work well for round bar and thats about it

 

[xcm]

i love my jd2, but find the hydro conversion unnessasary. theres no way around it, you'll need a proper tube bender to do proper tube bending.

 

[spikyhair87]

a pipe bender is not a TUBING bender.... pipe bender bends much more rigid "pipe" than the "soft" dom tubing....

if you try to bend tubing with a pipe bender in MOST cases it will kink ( a way to try to avoid kinking is to full each piece being bent with sand... have to pack it full)
THere are a few mods people have done in order to make the pipe benders work with tube..

the main difference between the two is that the true tube benders "pull" the tube around a shoe at a particular radius....

where as the pipe bender usually pushs the shoe up into the pipe and doesn't allow for an even pressure around the contour of the pipe thus creating a kinked tube..

THIS IS HOW I UNDERSTAND IT AND MIGHT BE A BIT OFF ON THE DETAILS...

 

[89XJPioneer]

Gotcha so I really need something different any suggestions that are cheap?

 

[spikyhair87]

look here.. (my other love old skool VW'S)

this is a link to a friend of mine who modified the HF kinker to work with pipe... built the mid engine buggy you see that (i seen it in person looked really nice)

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/vi...ys=0&postorder=asc&highlight=benders&start=20


also look here
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=283527&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0


and here..
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?p=8704027

 

[spikyhair87]

buy this http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=32888


do the mods and post pictures of the results but tube "pipe" as people sometimes call it isn't cheap...

or buy a JD squared bender and be done....

consider a few things.. (with any tool for that matter)


how much are you going to use it??
how much do you want to spend??
is it worth experimenting with "making" a tube bender from "the kinker"
worth your time??


Laterz cheers

 

[89XJPioneer]

Think im going to buy an HF kinker and do the mod to it, seems like it will do the job I need!