So I finally got off my lazy bum and picked up some tubing from Team Tube- warehouse is cleaner than some doctor's offices!

Anyways, I was dickin around with some scraps, measurements and such, and pretty sure I'm doing it the correct way, but wanted to see how other people do it.

Find center point of main hoop and work out? Start on one end and move in? Any templates/guides you find easy? If I missed a thread, please link it.

Bender is JD2 model 4. 1.75" DOM tubing. 95 Civic Si hatch. Yes, I know tubing only needs to be 1.5...I'm going 1.75.

Found this video, seems to be helpful!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FccXG...om=PL&index=29

 

that was fun to watch!

 

was fun indeed but no protection on the paint or seats, wouldnt want it to be my car. but maybe they are going to repaint and the seats are just mock up.

 

The legs are uneven. I need to clean the base plate area and mock it up before cutting each leg....touches the B pillars at the widest point and follows pretty close. Not too bad I don't think. Need to mock up my A pillars and windshield bar, then lower through the floor to weld.

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/i...s-One/cage.jpg

 

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/bendin_tube/index.html
I didn't bother watching the vid because I dont have audio right now, but the website I linked to is spot on in calculating where in relation to the die to start making you bend. Once you have this down you can work from the center out or from one end to the other. I have found that if you plan on using a plane-of-bend gauge you almost have to work from one end to the other.

 

I've seen cage builders mock up the main hoop with a large piece of cardboard first. Then it is an easy template reference for center points and tube lengths.

 

First thing to do is to figure out the variables associated with your bender and dies. Once you know exactly where your bends start, the spring back, and starting angles, you can accurately plan out your bends and get exact results. I made my first main hoop last week, and it took a long time, but it's the very first time I bend tubing, and it is pretty much perfect.

I measured the interior width of the car at key points, and placed points into solidworks. From there it's connect the dots, and then bend accordingly. You can do this without software, but you have to figure out the angles manually.

Hope that helps.

 

Do yourself a favor and buy Bend-Tech Pro. Its worth every cent. I use it and its amazing. I have a JD2 Model 3 and it save me time and less material loss.

 

x2 all you have to do is measure the car and put the info into the program and it tells you where to mark the straight tube then you start from one end and work your way to the other. also i think its bend tech pro that you can design a whole cage or chassis in and move it around in 3D it will even animate the bends so you can watch what it should look like when you bend it. theres another really good program for bending that iv'e used too but i cant think of it, ill post it if i remember.

 

Bend a 90 using the same die you will build the cage with. Then use it as a guide for figuring out where your bends start and end, etc. The first few times you work with a bender it can be a little bit confusing, but its cake after a few tries.

 

where is this team tube shop?i live in vancouver wa too.i am always looking for 4130 tubing when i run out of something.there is tube service.there prices suck and they only have round.i end up ordering it and then have to wait for it to come in ups.when i bend i use a circle cut from plywood the diameter of the center line of my dye.i lay it out on the floor and lay the circle over the two intersecting lines.that is your start and finnish of your bend.you also have to acount for where your bender starts to bend on the dye.do some test pieces and you will see where it starts.

 

not a fan of going from one end to the other... the start of a bend is different from the ending of a bend.. only way to make it truly match is to start in the middle and work outward.. simplest way to get it spot on without software is to make a test bend of atleast 90* with the same tubing and die youll use, then trace the bend onto pattern paper...measure the car, lay out the hoop in full size on cardboard or pattern paper, using your bend pattern for the corners...I rarely trust the degree wheel as springback is seldom consistant...so I bend a piece of filler wire to match the cardboard pattern and make each bend to match the wire...
edit.. maybe I should have read above post... sounds very similar to my way..lol




www.myspace.com/antireversionmotorsports

 

some places bend electrical conduit first and use that as a template for future setups. far cheaper to mess up than chomoly.

 

Team tube is off of airport way. I think it's the same road costco is on, just keep going straight towards the river and it's on the right hand side. They have decent prices, but they stock mostly DOM tubing (big, heavy wall). If you need tube from tube service, call us first. We get daily delivery from them.

 

I tried contacting you guys several times for DOM with no response. I figured you stopped carrying it- don't see it on your site anymore also

 

I'll agree with that, and Tube Service did not impress me. I spent quite a bit of time touring a lot of the suppliers for both steel and aluminum around the Portland/Vancouver area to supply us with our materials for our products. Team Tube has a outstanding facility, as well as a group of people that really know there stuff. There is a lady there which you can rely on when the sales guys are not there to run the show. You want to speak to Richard, he will take care of you, and you will notice that the quality of there tubing as well as there facility is awesome. All there tubing is stored indoors, and the prices are real reasonable. I told Evs-One about that place and he was impressed with the quality and service they provided. I can't say anything bad about that place other than they treat there customers like family, and the guys in the warehouse will even remember you after 8 months. They are simply a down to earth group of guys and a lot of the people that work there have worked there for quite some time. So it's got a good core of people.

 

Your best bet is to call in, we are pretty overloaded and emails get missed as the box fills up fast. We don't necessarily "carry" DOM, but we buy it for production work, and we can get you anything you need.

Tube service is very aggressive for customers they choose. Having been on the wrong end of the not-chosen stick when we started, I know how frustrating they can be. They are more geared for customers who buy in large to huge quantities, and don't appologize about it much.

 

thanks for the info on team tube.i looked at there web site.it looks like they are geared to shops that do heavy equipment.heavy wall dom.i will keep them in mind for that.i wish there was a better source in portland for 4130.i get all my tubing from dillsberg or a.e.d.they are both back east.the prices are so damn good that it is worth it to pay shipping.sucks waiting for it though.maybe i will just open my own tubbing supply house.to bad the economy sucks right now.

 

That basically sums it up in a nutshell. Well when I call you Adam you always hit us back up pretty fast. So I can't complain haha.

 

You guys might want to check out Pacific Machinery, its just of of HWY 30 (Yeon area) they stock tons of DOM and lots of other goodies too. Pricing is on par or better, and real good people there.

 

Send me a list of the 4130 you need. I'll see what we can do to stock some around here. I'm sure it's heavily stocked out of LA.

BTW, PM&TS ... If the pricing you are getting from everyone else is making them look competitive then you are getting heavily bent over. They are expensive for most all tube & DOM product, typically not even in the ball park (and rightly so, they dont specialise in it). The only time i've found them to be competitive or better is for 4130 solid bar & tool steels which makes sense.

 

Give EMJ a call. I haven't sourced 4130 from them but there prices for DOM are very reasonable plus they can have it delivered within the week.

http://www.emjmetals.com/

 

The guys I talked to over at EMJ are really friendly as well. I went with Team Tube simply out of convenience and referral. Can't beat their PR as well

 

i dont have a need for any at this time.what i use alot of is 035-049-065 1 in square.1/2x1 035.1x1 3/4 065.round from 1/2 to 1 inch in 049 to 083.i keep alot stocked in my shop so i dont run out.try not to anyway.

i think i tried emj.they dont sell 413o.i know pacific metals does not.its pretty fraustrating when you run out and there is nowwhere in town thats sells anything.well you can get bent over at metal super markets.i got a piece of 1 inch round 083 4130 there last week for a prototype and it was 35 bucks for 3 feet.over 10 bucks a foot???

 

I got a quote from Skagit River Steel for $10/foot 1.5"x.120" 1020 DOM! I think the lady on the phone heard me s**t bricks.