1: Get a pneumatic jack (REDUCES ARM STRESS) 2: Set tool on a level stand 3: WD40 Silicone Spray (Spray your die and tube everytime before every bend). 4: know your die clearance, Set back, 0 point. Remember when calculating multiple bends, your clearance changes depending on what side you are feeding the pipe into the die. Different size Die will have different clearance or setback. This dictates your math when doing multiple bends. 5: Make one test bend at 90° to see how much springback you get so when you do your bends you know how much to overbend. Springback will be different depending on thickness and degree of bend and temperatureof day ( spring back will be differentif a piecehas been out in the sun all day comparedto a piece that has been inside the shop in a cool area. The less degree on a bend, the less springback. *Remember you can always place your piece on a vise to correct the Degree or even twist incase it comes out a bit off. I learned to bend pipe after my place of employment had a large job for handrail, Purchased equipment and thru it at me with a 2 week deadline. It's not something difficult, it just has its steps. Once you learn those steps and follow them every time, everything will be ok. Every bender is a little different. Hopefully this helps anyone who is starting out.
I built a bender that uses the same dies, but built it out of tubing and an air-hydraulic jack. Use it for my racecar and just recently for a custom vehicle. Video is on my channel. I see the dies are now $200, I think they were $100 or so back then. There is a new video on making your own dies using 3dprinting and steel plate, so almost free to make them (if you have 3d printer). I'm going to have to try that eventually, as the dies are the most expensive part, and I could use a 1-3/4 size.
That's what I thought. I just couldn't remember the real name of it. IIRC in my area we called it a one shot bender, but that was many years ago before my health caused me to leave the electrical trade. He needs to get and use a "no dog", not magnetic but that old school set screw and bubble type. He also could benefit from a bending table, clamp the tail end down with a vise ( chain or clamp style) then level the whole conduit/pipe/tube before bending. Make sure to align seam of pipe on the side. Pre-warming the pipe will help with consistency of bends. IIRC it's called annealing. Use a high detail protractor to read the bends. Let the pressure off the ram just enough to unload it. If it springs back 3° then you need to over bend 3° to compensate for the spring back. I never tried the sand trick but it sounds like it should work well on EMT and think wall pipe/tubing. It should be great to use and then pre-warm. The sand would help hold the temperature consistent until you are through bending. For reference, I was in the electrical trade for 22 years. I used to be able to lay out and bend conduit pretty accurately. On 2" and less conduit, I could usually hit the mark within 1/4" of the target on the first try. 2 1/2" and larger required a little more effort and more luck getting it right on first try.
I've owned this bender for probably two years now and its great after getting used to it. I've used it on countless projects and I've had no issues at all. There is a learning curve just like any bender. But if you take your time it works perfect. The company is actually based in Wyoming. I would love it if they hooked me up with some other dies, I mainly use 1 3/4 but would love more sizes.
Yep! That's what I've done on other bends. I haven't done a lot, but I found that leveling a digital angle finder on my work table, then sticking it on the tube, is better than using the indicators on the die.
pack tube hard with sand and plug ends well with tape or whatever ...big difference. i used to do this when building 316 stainless boilers..works like a charm
Clean your tube before bending using a drill with an adapter to spin it on your hand while holding a scuff pad. It cleans very fast. Also, buy a magnetic level and a bevel protractor to measure your angle properly, assuming your bender is sitting on a level platform.
I would recommend a grease. Just any old #2 wheel bearing or chassis grease, that's what they use on the pins and bushings in excavators and heavy equipment.
A little trick you can try to maintain the tube profile / roundness is pack the ID of tube with fine grain sand. Cap one end fill agitate & compact sand in as tight as possible then cap secure both ends caps. Will help with thinner wall tubing
lol! i do some of both. i’m not awesome at either. i live in my grandfathers old house and he was more of a woodworker. so i still have a lot of his old tools.
@@SWBCrawler I used to do a lot of it myself. Then I got into machining and building CNC machines. Now cars. A friend came by the shop the other date and noticed that in the 'wood shop area' I now have two v8 engines, 2 wheels and a transmission. He didn't notice the bench covered in engine parts. I'll never completely abandon the art of killing trees but all things metal is where I am now. ~P
He is indeed a novice. But its simple to learn I am retired now but when I worked in the central heating we used them a lot. But if you need a certain amount of space between the bends you have to mark the pipe at a certain way so that you will get the right measurements
I use to work in a shop that did nothing but custom stainless steel boat railings. So here are some helpful hints. 1. Make up some bending sticks out of the tubing style you are using. We cut ours 24 inch. We had a clamp die to hold the tube so we aligned the end of the tubing there. On your's maybe use the face of the radius die as your zero point then bend your bending stick. Only bend it one time! If it's not bent enough bend another one. Mark your bend angle on the tubing. We used white masking tape covered over with packing tape. 2. Make a log of the bends you make and the spring back you have. This will be valuable when you are doing angles you don't have bending sticks for. 3. When making hoops work from the center out when doing your bends. Also place any weld seam at right angle to your bends this helps you have more consistent bend angles. 4. Get a good protractor so you can measure your angle. General Tools has a digital one with 12 or 16 inch legs. I use mine a fair bit. 4. Get 2, 2 foot pirces of 1.5 in aluminum square tube with sharp corners. This will let you place them on the outside of the tubing and lay out the angle on butcher paper. 5. Use your bending sticks and butcher paper to layout and plan your bends. This saves time and frustration in the long-term. When you do your layout alway do your layout to the outside of the tubing. I use a band of masking tape with an arrow pointing to the starting point of the bending process for us it was the clamp die face for you it would be the face of the radius die. The trick is use the same place every time. I hope this helps you with your builds.
@@SWBCrawler you are welcome, I know how hard it is to work out bend placement on one off projects. Much of the time I was given them to do because I was good at layout. If you hadn't figured it out, by using a fixed length bending stick you can work out your cut lenght quickly doing your layout with bending sticks. Most of the time I could keep my bends within 1/8 inch of where I wanted then. It all depended on what grade of metal the tubing was. 304 bends differently than 316 or mild steel. There is a learning curve as you have likely found out, I wanted to help you with your curve... with the little hints that few in the business will share.
Total newb here, about to tackle a desert racing style front bumper, and about to buy one of these benders. Was reading through your comment and most everything made sense but I couldn't immediately make out what a bending stick is and why I need it. Thanks for the help!
I don’t have much experience myself, but found it useful to put a (parallel to pipe length) marker line on the pipe if going over 90* to help keep alignment. You know, so it don’t end up all catty-wompus like- lol
What's that little blue welding machine over your right shoulder there? Ah, maybe I'll have to check out some of your videos. Thanks for the bending info.
For those who wonder about tube thickness this will bend; affordable bender does not recommend trying to bend thin wall tube like exhaust pipe. It is also only rated to .120 wall for HRW and ERW, .095 max for DOM and Cromoly tube.
Thanks for the comment! I hate to admit it, but I'd overlooked that. I'd read that it'll do up to .120, but I missed the distinction between DOM and HREW. Just another caveat to put into the decision process. So I wonder how people are doing cages and tube chassis with this bender? Surely not using HREW? Is .095 suitable for work like that? No doubt, i've got a lot to learn here.
Youd be surprised what people will build cages from....ive seen more home built cages that used black pipe from homedepot than i have seen actual tube. And yes .095 wall dom will work fine, just go to bigger od for the same strength as a smaller .120 wall. Btw, clearly it will do .120 wall, just isnt rated for it and probably only shortens the working life....i wouldnt worry too much about it considering the purchase price 😉
Also i forget the exact strengths but a quick google search will show you what the strength of .080 wall cromo is equal to in DOM.....and its a massive difference in strength. Something like 1" od .080 wall is equal to 1.5" .120 DOM
Get a magnetic digital angle finder for higher precision bending. If you're bending something non-magnetic then use a hose clamp to hold it on. They're only like $20 and you'll use it more than you think.
I've had one of these in the past it's a solid buget design only downfall I didnt like was the 7" radius only option was the 5" the large radius would probably be best for roll cages if they come up with a 3" die I'm in ! Good video 👍
Nice bender, did they give you any paperwork on how to bend pipe? I've been bending conduit for along time with Greenlee benders and they give you the numbers on how much to deduct on 90's. It sure makes it easy when you have the numbers for deducting for bends.
My first bender was that style.....it did ok, I now have a electric/hydro JD2 on a custom rolling cart and it is so much better....move up now rather than wait....you will be glad you did. almost forgot....get a Bend Tech basic program, it will save you wasting a lot of tubing.
thanks for the connect! my fabrication has been on hold while we deal with some family medical stuff. but i’m hoping to start getting into more tube work once that settles down. being able to plan out materials, bands, and cuts will be super helpful.
It wont. According to affordables website it is not recommended for thin wall tube OR wall thickness over .095 for DOM and Cromo tube..... thats why this bend was so difficult. Its rated to .120 wall for HRW and ERW tube only.
Excellent video. Great info and detail. I also had the old Harbor Freight run around on a welder I purchased. Took about 6 weeks to finally get it. Luckily everything was there and it worked perfectly. I’m thankful I haven’t had to go down the Harbor Freight warranty road. That might be a yuge pain in the arse.
Hey not sure if anyone, or even you thought of saving that first loop you bent up. But if you cut the center of the loop (loop is upside down here ) ________________________BUMPER_____________________________________ \ / \ [WINCH is HERE] / \_ cut here and weld in a piece of tubing __/ put in a smaller diameter tube to re-join the Loop then you'll have the width you need to clear you winch.
use a dab of chassis grease, it will stay in and not make a mess on the floor like that runny stuff others are sugesting, this ain't a hi speed or hi temp situation' this bender rolls the pipe instead of kinking it in the middle, i'm gonna build one next week good vid THANX
After about 3 months I got an email from hf informing me of a computer error where several orders were never processed. And they asked me if I'd like the order processed. I told them I've already asked 3 times to cancel... They cancelled. ;)
I know how you feel had a similar issue with a plasma cutter from a chinese company . Sent me the wrong item to start with and it was faulty ..took anpther 13 weeks to get the correct one after i sent their mistake back .no apology just a flipant if you wish to order in the future we will discount your next purchase..wont ever order from them again ..glad your getting on ok with the affordable one .ive got one of the 12 ton squashy bendy things that does what i need but would buy an affordable one if i needed to do more . Looking forwards to some more of your videos now
@@garyyorke1080 I have a project or two in mind, that might happen over the winter when I dont really want to be outside in the cold. ;) Thanks for watching! I can say that I wont be ordering from HF unless its a really good deal, or a product of proven quality. OR in person in a store. This was not a good first experience. Affordable Bender has been great though, very responsive, they even followed up to this with some more dies and a t-shirt! And if anyone ever needs an affordable bender sticker, ive got about 10 million of them. :P
When I built the stinger and braces for my front bumper I used the same angle for both. After I found the shape I liked, I made a cardboard template of it.. I save all of the templates to get different ideas. Thanks for the vid on this bender! Do you have a tubing notcher yet?.....
no notcher yet. Once i get more into it i may pick one up. for now i’m going to do my best with a chop saw. For now i haven’t had many chances to use the bender. i plan on a fender project once i get a little experience with the thing. but as you might have noticed the channel has been on a little bit of a hold while we deal with some family health issues. hopefully ill be coming back strong in 2022. but it’s all up in the air for now. Thanks for watching!
I’ve been looking for a pipe bender came across your video checked out the affordable pipe bender by the time you’re done you’re still looking at $1000 for this unit even the basic units 400 bucks
If you add a bunch of dies sure. But to compare apples to apples. Adding a number of dies to a jd2 or rogue will add up quick. You'll end up at 1500 or more. The old buy once cry once adage certainly applies here though. If you think the price jump for the added precision and quality is worth it, then I'm certainly not going to try to convince you otherwise. Good luck in your decision process.
@@SWBCrawler I hear what you’re saying definitely not getting that Harbor freight style bender on the other hand I need multiple dies what I see on the website this unit will add up fast Kind of caught in the middle don’t need a professional one. Thanks for the video it was very informative
@@jimmarcella5083 BUY once, spend the money now and get a JD2 setup, it will bend faster and more accurate everytime....you will be glad you did. If you build very much it will pay for itself fast.
I don't believe so. The dies are expensive enough that I would not expect to be replacing them frequently. I suppose they do wear though, with enough use.
Yep, I have another video where I marked up a piece of tube trying to figure out things like, how much tube gets consumed in a bend. Thanks for watching!
I have one. I make it work . you have to bend some pre bends to use as a moke up .I have 3 different ones and I use a wood table to make the pattern W--L .I do a layout on the table a magnet degree wheel helps and finding center .on you die and pipe. And the markings don't help .so good luck but it will bend it you figer it out it will work
Thanks! Yes, i pretty quickly figured out that a magnetic angle finder us not just nice to have, its required. And tube templates. Thanks for watching!
That hf kinker is a whole different class. This bender may not be the best thing ever. But it's a great bender for it's cost if you are ok with it's limits.
No question. You get what you pay for. There's a reason the jd2 is the go-to bender. And if I find myself doing a lot of work with the bender, I may upgrade someday.
If it was a 2 inch bending die will that die also work on 2 inch thin wall with out kinking the pipe ? Thanks for the demo I am in the Philippines and need to buy a bender.
@@jdtracing6502 no doubt those are nice. But you can buy 3 AB's for the price of one rogue. If I were doing a lot more bending I'd probably consider it. But this is perfect for me.
That's not a bad plan. I didn't have that much to spend. Honestly I didn't have the affordable bender money to spend. But when the hf didn't work out. I figured I'd just figure it out.
Do you recommend this to Bender after all these years I'm looking for a tube bender I'm a quadriplegic so is it easy to bend it with the Jack jacking it down
I do, as long as your projects are going to be within the limitations of the bender. The .120 wall tube I was bending in this video was actually thicker than its rated for, and it deformed the retainer on the die because of it. I'm also (just this morning actually) looking into converting this to an air over hydraylic jack instead of the pump jack. So that'll be an upcoming video hopefully.
i havent tried, it *shoudl* be a matter of repositioning and continuing the bend. I havent used this bender as much as I want to. I have a few projects i plan to use it on as soon as I can get the time to actually plan them out.
@@SWBCrawler ya that’s what I thought, but I’ve tried a couple times and the die doesn’t grip it just slides back to where it started. I was hoping not to waste too much material trying as it’s expensive these days. But I may have to. Thanks
thanks for watching! unfortunately i have not had much practice with it. some family stuff has me away from the garage and the channel. once i’m back i’ll definitely be coming up with some tube projects and a follow up. i did use it on my JK bumper build and it worked really well
SWBCrawler was correct in calling the spring back after bending “elastic”. That’s exactly the word used to define the property of metal when you deform it up until you reach yield strength. The resistance to bending (when in the elastic mode) is called the elastic modulus. The part of the tube that stays bent or deformed, has exceeded its yield strength.
So how much do they cost and where do you buy them. I need a bender that will bend a 30° bend in some 1 3/8 pipe that's fairly thin. It's 16 gage pipe.
Thanks for watching. An important distinction. This is for bending tube, not pipe. Pipe is measured by it's inner diameter, while tube is measured by outer diameter. You might be able to get away with bending pipe in this machine, but that's not what it's designed for, pipe may not fit in the dies properly. As for where to buy. You can order on their web site, or even Amazon. amzn.to/2YOHZNk they're about $450 with one die.
I've had this one a few months. Haven't done any major projects yet. It's definitely got it's limitations. But I think for the price point, it's a good little bender.
fyi I've not found a single bender that is sold via harbor freight to actually have dies for TUBE all are spec'd for pipe...remember folks there's a difference between tube and pipe and not all tube benders are actually meant for tube lol
HARBOR FREIGHT NOTICE: You're tubing vendor has been shipped and you're checking account will be deducted plus extra shipping to cover the annoyance of you contacting us. Thank you for shopping harbor freight. L M A O !😹😹😹😹💸💸 That's probably what will happen now. 👍
Lol. Eventually they contacted me and said they had some sort of order problem where several orders got lost. And wanted to know if I still wanted it. At no discount or anything. Just like.. whoops, still want to pay us?
hmmmm looks like it can be build at home if i can find a cast iron puley in the right size (the machine costs a lot more if you need to ship it to europe )
I do. You should check out my follow up video on the build quality. And read through some of the comments both here and on that video. It's definitely a budget bender. A few caveats there. But I do think it's worth the money for a hobbiest.
Ranted and Raved about not wanting to spend $1,000 on a bender, got given a $449 bender. The story of TH-cam. Everyone's first bender should STILL be a Harbor Freight Bender, just make sure to check the "In Stock" section before you leave the house.
i mean, technically I ranted and raved about Harbor freight's terrible customer service. And mentioned that I didnt want to spend a grand on my first bender. but who's counting. Thanks for watching.
Can you start bending around to make a cheater Market from the beginning of the been to the end of the bend on a 90 degree. Watch the fabricator episode on doing a roll cage
Thanks for watching, and for the recommendation! I have seen TFS's content on tube bending, and lots of other things, great content over there. I have started making cheaters as Ive been working with the bender. Thanks!
Love/hate for me. This experience really left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I do not deal with their web site anymore. I did buy my press from them in store though, and that was OK. Though.... it was missing some parts, and I never did get some of them. Luckily they were nothing essential. they're a budget tool outlet for a reason. Kind of a gamble. Thanks for watching!
Thanks! I've done a bit of research, and intend to do more before I start a real project with this bender. You can probably expect more tube and other fab content coming early 2021. Again, Thanks for watching!
1: Get a pneumatic jack (REDUCES ARM STRESS)
2: Set tool on a level stand
3: WD40 Silicone Spray (Spray your die and tube everytime before every bend).
4: know your die clearance, Set back, 0 point. Remember when calculating multiple bends, your clearance changes depending on what side you are feeding the pipe into the die. Different size Die will have different clearance or setback. This dictates your math when doing multiple bends.
5: Make one test bend at 90° to see how much springback you get so when you do your bends you know how much to overbend.
Springback will be different depending on thickness and degree of bend and temperatureof day ( spring back will be differentif a piecehas been out in the sun all day comparedto a piece that has been inside the shop in a cool area. The less degree on a bend, the less springback.
*Remember you can always place your piece on a vise to correct the Degree or even twist incase it comes out a bit off.
I learned to bend pipe after my place of employment had a large job for handrail, Purchased equipment and thru it at me with a 2 week deadline. It's not something difficult, it just has its steps. Once you learn those steps and follow them every time, everything will be ok. Every bender is a little different. Hopefully this helps anyone who is starting out.
Thanks for all the info! Very useful!
Awesome start for me thanks
I built a bender that uses the same dies, but built it out of tubing and an air-hydraulic jack. Use it for my racecar and just recently for a custom vehicle. Video is on my channel. I see the dies are now $200, I think they were $100 or so back then.
There is a new video on making your own dies using 3dprinting and steel plate, so almost free to make them (if you have 3d printer).
I'm going to have to try that eventually, as the dies are the most expensive part, and I could use a 1-3/4 size.
That's setup just like a Greenlee 881 conduit bender (albeit more basic). It's a tried and true setup and will probably serve you very well.
That's what I thought. I just couldn't remember the real name of it. IIRC in my area we called it a one shot bender, but that was many years ago before my health caused me to leave the electrical trade.
He needs to get and use a "no dog", not magnetic but that old school set screw and bubble type.
He also could benefit from a bending table, clamp the tail end down with a vise ( chain or clamp style) then level the whole conduit/pipe/tube before bending.
Make sure to align seam of pipe on the side.
Pre-warming the pipe will help with consistency of bends. IIRC it's called annealing.
Use a high detail protractor to read the bends. Let the pressure off the ram just enough to unload it. If it springs back 3° then you need to over bend 3° to compensate for the spring back.
I never tried the sand trick but it sounds like it should work well on EMT and think wall pipe/tubing. It should be great to use and then pre-warm. The sand would help hold the temperature consistent until you are through bending.
For reference, I was in the electrical trade for 22 years. I used to be able to lay out and bend conduit pretty accurately. On 2" and less conduit, I could usually hit the mark within 1/4" of the target on the first try. 2 1/2" and larger required a little more effort and more luck getting it right on first try.
I've owned this bender for probably two years now and its great after getting used to it. I've used it on countless projects and I've had no issues at all. There is a learning curve just like any bender. But if you take your time it works perfect. The company is actually based in Wyoming. I would love it if they hooked me up with some other dies, I mainly use 1 3/4 but would love more sizes.
To extend your bends just make incremental marks say every 3/8”-1/2” and keep moving the material through it . You’ll get used to it .👍🏼
Exactly like the bender I bought from Speedway motors about 8 years ago.
Have built 4 roll cages for drag cars with it. It works. Looking to upgrade.
Spring back looked like it was 8-10* to me by the gauge. Thanks for the video.
thanks for watching!
I just put a magnetic angle finder on the end of the tube and don't even pay attention to the die markings.
Yep! That's what I've done on other bends. I haven't done a lot, but I found that leveling a digital angle finder on my work table, then sticking it on the tube, is better than using the indicators on the die.
Sounds like you have it covered. I sometimes also use a turkey fryer burner to heat thick tubing before bending to help the bend from deforming.
@@hondapilot73 thanks for the tip. I haven't seen any deformation so far. Guess we'll see as I get more bends through it.
pack tube hard with sand and plug ends well with tape or whatever ...big difference. i used to do this when building 316 stainless boilers..works like a charm
Feels like waiting forever before I get a good demonstration...DANG ! FINALLY... AND THANK YOU for the information.
I really appreciate seeing your trial. I always thought there should be a less expensive tubing bender out there. Thanks!
Thanks for watching! I'm glad you found it useful!
That bender looks like an awesome design
@@UKBUILT i've used it a few times nowtimes it's got its limitations but i like it!
I’ve had one of there benders for a few years now. Solid product, can’t beat it for the money.
Do you mean "solid" product? Or did you sell it?
@@sterlingjohnson5147 solid 👍
Clean your tube before bending using a drill with an adapter to spin it on your hand while holding a scuff pad. It cleans very fast. Also, buy a magnetic level and a bevel protractor to measure your angle properly, assuming your bender is sitting on a level platform.
Thanks for the input!
got this drill adapter name, brand, or where to buy ?
Thanks for the video, will be looking forward to future videos
Thanks for watching!
I would recommend a grease. Just any old #2 wheel bearing or chassis grease, that's what they use on the pins and bushings in excavators and heavy equipment.
A little trick you can try to maintain the tube profile / roundness is pack the ID of tube with fine grain sand. Cap one end fill agitate & compact sand in as tight as possible then cap secure both ends caps. Will help with thinner wall tubing
what kind of caps, brand, and where to get ?
A good practice media is electrical conduit. Same size as NP pipe sizing, but cheaper and readily available at your local
home improvement center.
Thanks for the tip! I'll check it out!
You look to be a reformed wood worker. I am still working through the 7 step program. Nice video. Thank you. ~P sbirdranch
lol! i do some of both. i’m not awesome at either. i live in my grandfathers old house and he was more of a woodworker. so i still have a lot of his old tools.
@@SWBCrawler I used to do a lot of it myself. Then I got into machining and building CNC machines. Now cars. A friend came by the shop the other date and noticed that in the 'wood shop area' I now have two v8 engines, 2 wheels and a transmission. He didn't notice the bench covered in engine parts. I'll never completely abandon the art of killing trees but all things metal is where I am now. ~P
Great video, thanks for show casing the Affordable bender. I didn't know about this product but will probably pick one up when the time comes.
You bet! and thanks for watching!
He is indeed a novice. But its simple to learn I am retired now but when I worked in the central heating we used them a lot. But if you need a certain amount of space between the bends you have to mark the pipe at a certain way so that you will get the right measurements
Yep. You are witnessing my very first bends ever. I have a lot to learn! Thanks for watching!
I use to work in a shop that did nothing but custom stainless steel boat railings. So here are some helpful hints.
1. Make up some bending sticks out of the tubing style you are using. We cut ours 24 inch. We had a clamp die to hold the tube so we aligned the end of the tubing there. On your's maybe use the face of the radius die as your zero point then bend your bending stick. Only bend it one time! If it's not bent enough bend another one. Mark your bend angle on the tubing. We used white masking tape covered over with packing tape.
2. Make a log of the bends you make and the spring back you have. This will be valuable when you are doing angles you don't have bending sticks for.
3. When making hoops work from the center out when doing your bends. Also place any weld seam at right angle to your bends this helps you have more consistent bend angles.
4. Get a good protractor so you can measure your angle. General Tools has a digital one with 12 or 16 inch legs. I use mine a fair bit.
4. Get 2, 2 foot pirces of 1.5 in aluminum square tube with sharp corners. This will let you place them on the outside of the tubing and lay out the angle on butcher paper.
5. Use your bending sticks and butcher paper to layout and plan your bends. This saves time and frustration in the long-term. When you do your layout alway do your layout to the outside of the tubing.
I use a band of masking tape with an arrow pointing to the starting point of the bending process for us it was the clamp die face for you it would be the face of the radius die. The trick is use the same place every time.
I hope this helps you with your builds.
Thanks a ton for all of the suggestions! Very helpful! And thanks for watching!
@@SWBCrawler you are welcome, I know how hard it is to work out bend placement on one off projects. Much of the time I was given them to do because I was good at layout.
If you hadn't figured it out, by using a fixed length bending stick you can work out your cut lenght quickly doing your layout with bending sticks. Most of the time I could keep my bends within 1/8 inch of where I wanted then. It all depended on what grade of metal the tubing was. 304 bends differently than 316 or mild steel. There is a learning curve as you have likely found out, I wanted to help you with your curve... with the little hints that few in the business will share.
Total newb here, about to tackle a desert racing style front bumper, and about to buy one of these benders. Was reading through your comment and most everything made sense but I couldn't immediately make out what a bending stick is and why I need it. Thanks for the help!
@@growlith6969 I'm glad you understood what I was talking about and I hope it is useful in your project.
I have a similar bender from Speedway. Haven't gotten to try it out yet.
Great video! Looks like a decent little bender. I’m interested to see how it holds up
Me too!
I don’t have much experience myself, but found it useful to put a (parallel to pipe length) marker line on the pipe if going over 90* to help keep alignment. You know, so it don’t end up all catty-wompus like- lol
Good idea! This whole... Working in 3d thing... It's new to me.
What's that little blue welding machine over your right shoulder there? Ah, maybe I'll have to check out some of your videos. Thanks for the bending info.
i think that’s the yeswelder mig machine. that or their plasma. they look similar.
Very nice Nate. I will have to consider buying one of those.
Well if you have any questions about it, you know where to find me. Feel free to ask!
Awesome video! Thanks for the demo on the new tool!
Thanks! And Thanks for wattching!
For those who wonder about tube thickness this will bend; affordable bender does not recommend trying to bend thin wall tube like exhaust pipe. It is also only rated to .120 wall for HRW and ERW, .095 max for DOM and Cromoly tube.
Thanks for the comment! I hate to admit it, but I'd overlooked that. I'd read that it'll do up to .120, but I missed the distinction between DOM and HREW. Just another caveat to put into the decision process. So I wonder how people are doing cages and tube chassis with this bender? Surely not using HREW? Is .095 suitable for work like that? No doubt, i've got a lot to learn here.
Youd be surprised what people will build cages from....ive seen more home built cages that used black pipe from homedepot than i have seen actual tube. And yes .095 wall dom will work fine, just go to bigger od for the same strength as a smaller .120 wall. Btw, clearly it will do .120 wall, just isnt rated for it and probably only shortens the working life....i wouldnt worry too much about it considering the purchase price 😉
Also i forget the exact strengths but a quick google search will show you what the strength of .080 wall cromo is equal to in DOM.....and its a massive difference in strength. Something like 1" od .080 wall is equal to 1.5" .120 DOM
I like how he gets high at 8:28 lol might buy or build one of these.
my boi😭
😂😂😂you ain't lying
Get a magnetic digital angle finder for higher precision bending. If you're bending something non-magnetic then use a hose clamp to hold it on. They're only like $20 and you'll use it more than you think.
Yep! I've got one. I thought I used it in this video. I used it in my follow up video on bending a cheater.
Love the video man. You and I learn the same way, just dive into it. I'll be picking up a bender soon. 👍👍
Yep! Now I just need to get into some more projects! Life keeps delaying things. Hopefully soon.
I've had one of these in the past it's a solid buget design only downfall I didnt like was the 7" radius only option was the 5" the large radius would probably be best for roll cages if they come up with a 3" die I'm in ! Good video 👍
Thanks for the comments. I have a follow-up video scheduled right now outlining some of these limitations. Should be up later this week.
Nice bender, did they give you any paperwork on how to bend pipe? I've been bending conduit for along time with Greenlee benders and they give you the numbers on how much to deduct on 90's. It sure makes it easy when you have the numbers for deducting for bends.
As far as I know this bender is for tube only, not pipe. Though I haven’t tried.
@@SWBCrawler Its the same principle, just different deductions for each.
My first bender was that style.....it did ok, I now have a electric/hydro JD2 on a custom rolling cart and it is so much better....move up now rather than wait....you will be glad you did. almost forgot....get a Bend Tech basic program, it will save you wasting a lot of tubing.
thanks for the connect! my fabrication has been on hold while we deal with some family medical stuff. but i’m hoping to start getting into more tube work once that settles down. being able to plan out materials, bands, and cuts will be super helpful.
Tube kinker! Oh that's hilarious! That got a good chuckle!😂🤣😆
I cant take all the credit, i've heard lots of other folks call it that. ;) Thanks for watching!
It takes time to learn most tools like that!
Heck yea it does! Thanks for watching!
Thanks for sharing!
thanks for watching!
Very helpful video... I would like to bend some exhaust tubing and this may work well...
I've asked this question of fabricators more experienced than me, and they don't think it'll bend exhaust. I may try it at some point anyway.
It wont. According to affordables website it is not recommended for thin wall tube OR wall thickness over .095 for DOM and Cromo tube..... thats why this bend was so difficult. Its rated to .120 wall for HRW and ERW tube only.
@@johnpike9612 Thanks for looking into it.
Thanks for DEMO!,Fab some steel saw horses!
I've got some plans in mind for a better fabrication table. Thanks for watching!
spin the pipe as you push it in leaveing on die the u clamp might add some sopy water.
Thanks for the suggestion! I'll give it a try next time. And thanks for watching!
Excellent video. Great info and detail. I also had the old Harbor Freight run around on a welder I purchased. Took about 6 weeks to finally get it. Luckily everything was there and it worked perfectly. I’m thankful I haven’t had to go down the Harbor Freight warranty road. That might be a yuge pain in the arse.
I'm likely going to them for a press soon. But I'm pretty sure I'll buy it in person. Less chance of a problem that way. Thanks for watching!
Have a hammer to relax the tension in the tubing. Before releasing the pressure of the bender.
They are made in Rock Island IL.
Yes they are.
Hey not sure if anyone, or even you thought of saving that first loop you bent up. But if you cut the center of the loop (loop is upside down here )
________________________BUMPER_____________________________________
\ /
\ [WINCH is HERE] /
\_ cut here and weld in a piece of tubing __/
put in a smaller diameter tube to re-join the Loop then you'll have the width you need to clear you winch.
Yes, I could do that. But honestly. I don't mind trying again. I'll do that once I get some more tube.
Very informative
thanks for watching!
use a dab of chassis grease, it will stay in and not make a mess on the floor like that runny stuff others are sugesting, this ain't a hi speed or hi temp situation' this bender rolls the pipe instead of kinking it in the middle, i'm gonna build one next week good vid THANX
Thanks for the tip and thanks for watching!
A good honest review not a bad video as well cheers. Hope the harbour freight thing arrives somepoint soon so you can throw it back at them
After about 3 months I got an email from hf informing me of a computer error where several orders were never processed. And they asked me if I'd like the order processed. I told them I've already asked 3 times to cancel... They cancelled. ;)
Without even an apology discount or something. Sheesh!
I know how you feel had a similar issue with a plasma cutter from a chinese company . Sent me the wrong item to start with and it was faulty ..took anpther 13 weeks to get the correct one after i sent their mistake back .no apology just a flipant if you wish to order in the future we will discount your next purchase..wont ever order from them again ..glad your getting on ok with the affordable one .ive got one of the 12 ton squashy bendy things that does what i need but would buy an affordable one if i needed to do more . Looking forwards to some more of your videos now
@@garyyorke1080 I have a project or two in mind, that might happen over the winter when I dont really want to be outside in the cold. ;) Thanks for watching! I can say that I wont be ordering from HF unless its a really good deal, or a product of proven quality. OR in person in a store. This was not a good first experience. Affordable Bender has been great though, very responsive, they even followed up to this with some more dies and a t-shirt! And if anyone ever needs an affordable bender sticker, ive got about 10 million of them. :P
When I built the stinger and braces for my front bumper I used the same angle for both. After I found the shape I liked, I made a cardboard template of it.. I save all of the templates to get different ideas. Thanks for the vid on this bender! Do you have a tubing notcher yet?.....
no notcher yet. Once i get more into it i may pick one up. for now i’m going to do my best with a chop saw. For now i haven’t had many chances to use the bender. i plan on a fender project once i get a little experience with the thing. but as you might have noticed the channel has been on a little bit of a hold while we deal with some family health issues. hopefully ill be coming back strong in 2022. but it’s all up in the air for now. Thanks for watching!
I’ve been looking for a pipe bender came across your video checked out the affordable pipe bender by the time you’re done you’re still looking at $1000 for this unit even the basic units 400 bucks
If you add a bunch of dies sure. But to compare apples to apples. Adding a number of dies to a jd2 or rogue will add up quick. You'll end up at 1500 or more. The old buy once cry once adage certainly applies here though. If you think the price jump for the added precision and quality is worth it, then I'm certainly not going to try to convince you otherwise. Good luck in your decision process.
@@SWBCrawler I hear what you’re saying definitely not getting that Harbor freight style bender on the other hand I need multiple dies what I see on the website this unit will add up fast Kind of caught in the middle don’t need a professional one. Thanks for the video it was very informative
@@jimmarcella5083 I'm glad you found it helpful!
@@jimmarcella5083 BUY once, spend the money now and get a JD2 setup, it will bend faster and more accurate everytime....you will be glad you did. If you build very much it will pay for itself fast.
The holes elongate due to stretching. Dies are considered consumable components, much like a drill bit or something?
I don't believe so. The dies are expensive enough that I would not expect to be replacing them frequently. I suppose they do wear though, with enough use.
I would have put a mark on the first bend to figure out the outside of the tubing.
Yep, I have another video where I marked up a piece of tube trying to figure out things like, how much tube gets consumed in a bend. Thanks for watching!
I have one. I make it work . you have to bend some pre bends to use as a moke up .I have 3 different ones and I use a wood table to make the pattern W--L .I do a layout on the table a magnet degree wheel helps and finding center .on you die and pipe. And the markings don't help .so good luck but it will bend it you figer it out it will work
Thanks! Yes, i pretty quickly figured out that a magnetic angle finder us not just nice to have, its required. And tube templates. Thanks for watching!
1.4K+👍's up thanks again for having us all along with you
I will subscribe to your channel
Thanks for watching!
@@SWBCrawler you are very welcome
@@SWBCrawler do you ues a big block Chevy in your crawler
@@bigredracer7848 no. It's got the stock 4.0l. decent engine for what I do! I've thought about a v8 swap. Maybe someday
That's a better design than the Harbor Freight. I purchased a Harbor Freight pneumatic jack that made my HF bender into a nice setup.
That hf kinker is a whole different class. This bender may not be the best thing ever. But it's a great bender for it's cost if you are ok with it's limits.
Make a longer , 3ft ish, handle on the jack and it will be even easier to jack
Yea I didn't want to break the dang Jack. ;) But I could make it longer for sure.
If you buy a jd2 when you’re done with it you can resale it for almost what you paid for it
Costing less in the long run
No question. You get what you pay for. There's a reason the jd2 is the go-to bender. And if I find myself doing a lot of work with the bender, I may upgrade someday.
I think you always need to oil the dies where they touch your tube.
If it was a 2 inch bending die will that die also work on 2 inch thin wall with out kinking the pipe ? Thanks for the demo I am in the Philippines and need to buy a bender.
Depends on how thin. I don't know the lower end, but ive been told that things as thin as exhaust tubing would likely kink.
Thanks for info video although I’ll stick with my new awesome RogueFab Hd bender.
I'll admit it. I'm jealous. ;) Thanks for watching!
Rogue Fab Bender all the way!
@@jdtracing6502 no doubt those are nice. But you can buy 3 AB's for the price of one rogue. If I were doing a lot more bending I'd probably consider it. But this is perfect for me.
Would this bender be anygood for Exhaust or Aluminium Snorkels 2.5"Tubing
They're not great for tube that thin from what I hear. And I don't think they have 2.5" dies anyway. Thanks for watching!
I just spent the money and got a JD2 Model 32 air over hydraulic, wasn't going to be buying a bender twice
That's not a bad plan. I didn't have that much to spend. Honestly I didn't have the affordable bender money to spend. But when the hf didn't work out. I figured I'd just figure it out.
Skip to 9.50 if you want to see bend
Yep, i added chapters to this one so folks could skip my little rant. Thanks for watching!
Slow start but recovered
Yea, I keep regretting that rant at the beginning but i cant change it now. ;) Thanks for watching!
Spring-back.
I don't hate it. I sold my jd2 setup because I got in a pinch, this might be it's replacement.
It's got it's limits. Worth looking into before buying. But I like it so far.
Do you recommend this to Bender after all these years I'm looking for a tube bender I'm a quadriplegic so is it easy to bend it with the Jack jacking it down
I do, as long as your projects are going to be within the limitations of the bender. The .120 wall tube I was bending in this video was actually thicker than its rated for, and it deformed the retainer on the die because of it. I'm also (just this morning actually) looking into converting this to an air over hydraylic jack instead of the pump jack. So that'll be an upcoming video hopefully.
Well, good to know there's an alternative to harbor freight at least even if it isn't perfect.
Also it's called springback BTW, not snapback 😉.
Can you bend square aluminum rubbing?
If you could find a die for square tube, maybe. It does not look like Affordable Bender themselves sell dies for square tube. Sorry.
Have you figured out how to get a 110 degree bend as the website says is possible?
i havent tried, it *shoudl* be a matter of repositioning and continuing the bend. I havent used this bender as much as I want to. I have a few projects i plan to use it on as soon as I can get the time to actually plan them out.
@@SWBCrawler ya that’s what I thought, but I’ve tried a couple times and the die doesn’t grip it just slides back to where it started. I was hoping not to waste too much material trying as it’s expensive these days. But I may have to. Thanks
Cheers for the review now you've had it for a bit how do you rate it on getting a first bender
thanks for watching! unfortunately i have not had much practice with it. some family stuff has me away from the garage and the channel. once i’m back i’ll definitely be coming up with some tube projects and a follow up. i did use it on my JK bumper build and it worked really well
Skip to 10:00 to get to the bending and avoid the talking.
I added time codes to the description. Sorry for the bit of a rant at the beginning. Thanks for watching!
@ 8:18 of the video, you mention elasticity. What your actually describing is metal (all metals) has memory.
Yes. Wrong word, same concept. Thanks for the input! And thanks for watching!
SWBCrawler was correct in calling the spring back after bending “elastic”. That’s exactly the word used to define the property of metal when you deform it up until you reach yield strength. The resistance to bending (when in the elastic mode) is called the elastic modulus. The part of the tube that stays bent or deformed, has exceeded its yield strength.
Good vid !
Thanks! and happy new year!
I welded 2 sleeves to the body and slipped a pin thru it to keep die pulled up in zero position when youre trying to load it, if that makes sense?
Thanks for the tip! I'd considered something like that, something to put backward tension on the die when it's not loaded.
So how much do they cost and where do you buy them. I need a bender that will bend a 30° bend in some 1 3/8 pipe that's fairly thin. It's 16 gage pipe.
Thanks for watching. An important distinction. This is for bending tube, not pipe. Pipe is measured by it's inner diameter, while tube is measured by outer diameter. You might be able to get away with bending pipe in this machine, but that's not what it's designed for, pipe may not fit in the dies properly. As for where to buy. You can order on their web site, or even Amazon. amzn.to/2YOHZNk they're about $450 with one die.
Eastwood makes one, looks just like it. It's got 3 out of 5 stars. Do you still like it?
I've had this one a few months. Haven't done any major projects yet. It's definitely got it's limitations. But I think for the price point, it's a good little bender.
Hey friend. I went to the website in your description. They only have the dies.... did you have to build the bender yourself?
No they sell the bender frame as a unit. Perhaps they are sold out at the moment? I don't see them listed right now either
Can you get smaller radius dies for that bender? I almost bought this bender a couple years ago
Not for the higher tube radius. I forget where the beak is, but the smaller tube have two radius options, the larger is just 7".
Thanks
and thank you for watching!
I seen you're multi players u army vet great video
Hey! Thanks for watching. am i an army vet do you mean? No i'm not. i've got plenty of respect for those who are though. what makes you ask?
Will this bend exhaust tube or kink it
I've asked this same question and I've been told that it will probably kink it. I may try it at some point. But I'm not expecting much.
Nice overview.
Thanks!
Hey interesting video Did you ever get the Harbour fright bender?
Nope! About an month later they wrote me to inform me of an error on their side, and wanted to know if I wanted to cancel the order. Lol
Send me your scrap tube u bent for my go karts. Lol great video! Exactly what I was looking for. A starting point.
Thanks! I'm using it to make bend templates though. Thanks for watching!
It looks like a bender made for electtical conduit.
fyi I've not found a single bender that is sold via harbor freight to actually have dies for TUBE all are spec'd for pipe...remember folks there's a difference between tube and pipe and not all tube benders are actually meant for tube lol
absolutely. The HF bender is a pipe bender, no question. Many folks use it to bend tube, with some success. That was my goal by ordering it.
HARBOR FREIGHT NOTICE:
You're tubing vendor has been shipped and you're checking account will be deducted plus extra shipping to cover the annoyance of you contacting us. Thank you for shopping harbor freight.
L M A O !😹😹😹😹💸💸
That's probably what will happen now. 👍
Lol. Eventually they contacted me and said they had some sort of order problem where several orders got lost. And wanted to know if I still wanted it. At no discount or anything. Just like.. whoops, still want to pay us?
hmmmm looks like it can be build at home if i can find a cast iron puley in the right size (the machine costs a lot more if you need to ship it to europe )
Maybe you could get just the die from them and then build around it?
Wd40 is more of a solvent than lubricant nasty stuff would try the cooking spray
Thanks!
Wheres there website cant find it online
That would be www.affordablebender.com Thanks for watching!
I am ordering one do you still like it?
I do. You should check out my follow up video on the build quality. And read through some of the comments both here and on that video. It's definitely a budget bender. A few caveats there. But I do think it's worth the money for a hobbiest.
@@SWBCrawler i definitely will man thanks!
@@adamshartley glad I could help!
Ranted and Raved about not wanting to spend $1,000 on a bender, got given a $449 bender. The story of TH-cam.
Everyone's first bender should STILL be a Harbor Freight Bender, just make sure to check the "In Stock" section before you leave the house.
i mean, technically I ranted and raved about Harbor freight's terrible customer service. And mentioned that I didnt want to spend a grand on my first bender. but who's counting. Thanks for watching.
Can you start bending around to make a cheater Market from the beginning of the been to the end of the bend on a 90 degree. Watch the fabricator episode on doing a roll cage
Thanks for watching, and for the recommendation! I have seen TFS's content on tube bending, and lots of other things, great content over there. I have started making cheaters as Ive been working with the bender. Thanks!
nice!
thanks!
If I have to go to Harbor Frieght.....I usually just look for another project that I can actually afford. I hate that place and cannot support them.
Love/hate for me. This experience really left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I do not deal with their web site anymore. I did buy my press from them in store though, and that was OK. Though.... it was missing some parts, and I never did get some of them. Luckily they were nothing essential. they're a budget tool outlet for a reason. Kind of a gamble. Thanks for watching!
nice bender
Yea! Seems like a great starter bender!
Never order something from harbor freight. It’s always late and or damaged. I only buy in-store now.
Yep! Bought my press from them, in store, and it still had parts missing!
It’s called spring back not snap back.
Thanks!
@@SWBCrawler no problem you gave a good review of the tool 👍🏻.
@@mikeeagle2653 I think somewhere I knew it was spring back. Not sure why snap back was in my head. :p
Watch rouge benders youtube videos (many cover it) and he goes over how to accurately figure your over bend
Thanks! I've done a bit of research, and intend to do more before I start a real project with this bender. You can probably expect more tube and other fab content coming early 2021. Again, Thanks for watching!