Tube bending questions/advice for FNG

[617_Racing]

I've been looking at the Bend Tech software. I see they have several versions. Is this one of those things where you get what you pay for? I'm looking at the pro just in case I did decide I wanted to tackle a chassis in the far far future.

I've had my bender for a few years and honestly just basically guessed a lot. Always adding extra tube so I could trim to fit after it was bent.
That sucks.

Now I'm about to start a chassis so I went ahead and got Bend-Tech Pro. It took a few nights of playing with it and watching the tutorials, but once it clicks it's actually rather easy.
I haven't bent anything yet, tonight I'll be doing test bends, but I would suggest getting it. Especially if you've already invested so much in tools... another $300 or whatever for Bend-Tech would be worth it.

As far as the different versions.... I went with Pro because I wanted to be able to do full assemblies and all that cool stuff. And you can always add on to Pro with other packages.

 

[InDaShop]

Bendings the easy part, its getting the notches good, correct, and tight for a good solid weld that takes some [patience, and experience.

 

[wont work]

Bendings the easy part, its getting the notches good, correct, and tight for a good solid weld that takes some [patience, and experience.

This.
Try to just start out building not doing more than 2 bends. I use that pirate link to teach my students how to bend tube and most pick it up quickly with me helping them and that article.

 

[mac5005]

Re: Re: Tube bending questions/advice for FNG

I've highly considered that also. Just trying to hold out and see if I can learn the hard way before I drop even more money on the software. I just spent like $1300-$1400.00 on the bender, notcher and hydro kit so I'm trying to be a cheap ass for a few weeks. Lol

If you want to do it the hard way, you need to be good at math.

Every bend is a change in slope. A straight piece obviously has no rise, only run.

A 45 degree bend has 1:1 rise to run.
A 22.5 degree bend has .5:1 rise to run.
A 67.5 degree bend has 1.5:1 rise to run.

Any degree bend can be converted to rise and run to calculate where the tube will end up, and you can take rise and run and work backwards to find bend angle.

Then next math is figuring out the arc length of each bend.

Divide you bend angle by 360, to find your percent of a circle.

Multiple percent of circle by the circumference of the circle your bender makes. Find this out by calculating your achieved clr. Multiple 2 pie (3.1415) by your clr to find the circumference of the circle your bender creates.

This will tell you how long each bend will be.

If you keep a chart of every bend you make and the math for each, it makes it faster next time.

But, bend tech is worth every penny.

Another note, get some cheap 1 x 4 and 2 x 4 and rip them down the center.

This will give you 1.75" strips of wood. Cut them to length for each segment of straight tube.

But a screw between two pieces, at the center of where you want the bend. This gives you a complete model of what you want to build.

Also allows you to measure from end of the piece to each apex of each bend. The apex is the intersection of two straight pieces of tube, not including the radius of the bend.

To enter the info into bend tech for a custom part, you need the length, rotation and angle.

Obviously the rotation is 0, as the flat pieces of wood are all screwed together in one plane. Length is the measurement between end and apex, and apex to apex. Angle is the bend angle.

The wood model allows to to take a protractor and accurately measure the angle of each bend.

On a large hoop, keep in mind the part should be symmetric so bend angles on opposite sides should be identical.

 

[tonedog702]

Re: Tube bending questions/advice for FNG

I have been watching a guy on YouTube that has a channel called "the fabricator". He has a 3 part video about learning to bend. His other videos deal with rally car type stuff but it's still informational. He builds a roll cage inside one of the cars too


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[kushKrawlin]

Re: Re: Tube bending questions/advice for FNG

I consider the software part of the bender. I don't think I could learn to bend tube without the software. It really make life easy and if it were 1k ID still would pay it.

I hardly even use a tape measure. Haha eye ball son. I'll find the link to the video that helped me TON.. My advice would be to buy a **** ton of tube and just bend ****. Have fun. I'm sure all the programs and **** are nice. But I'm not building a pro race car to spec. I like Patooyee's idea also of bending a few pieces at diff angles and keep them to help figure out what you need to bend. I still haven't done it. Hell mine don't even have a angle thingy on it. I just go by the number of times I moved the handle on the other thing with the notches in it. But then again I waste a lot of tube. I can assure you I can't sit behind a computer tryin to figure out a program ... Hell to tha naw. I have a problem sittin still ..

 

[bushhog750]

I guess bend tech is going to be a necessity. Lol I thought I had laid out everything right and I've ****ed all 4 pieces I measured up. I'll figure it out just a matter of time until it actually clicks in my small mind.

 

[Rokcrler]

Re:

Did you follow the steps in the link I posted?
BTPro has spoiled me and I forget basic steps in layout...I refer to the link and it all comes back.
Read the steps man...it's easy to follow

 

[bushhog750]

Re:

Did you follow the steps in the link I posted?
BTPro has spoiled me and I forget basic steps in layout...I refer to the link and it all comes back.
Read the steps man...it's easy to follow

I followed them for the most part but it seems my measuring was ****. But I've started figuring some of the small things out like how much tubing I need to complete a part with multiple bends. I'm still at it here in the garage and kinda learning as I go.

 

[Rokcrler]

Re: Tube bending questions/advice for FNG

Dude, you can't follow the instructions for the most part.... It's all or nothing.

1) Bend you the test piece (90 and 45) mark the start of bend and end of bend on it
This is my test piece

2) In this layout plug in the width you want (30" wide outside)

3) lay the 45* test piece from the start and end of your desired width (30")

4) mark the start and end and add the lengths

5) cut, mark start of bends

6) bend it

7) test fit

8) give yourself a high 5

9) save up for btpro

10) call cris at Bendtech and tell him Mo sent ya.

 

[TBItoy]

Re:

Anything with more than one bend, that's fairly important, I draw on the floor with soap stone.

Everything else is bend and go.

You'll notice a lot of buggies don't have tubes with more than one bend...