Baileigh is just 2 hours north of the Illinois / Wisconsin boarder.

https://baileigh.com/metalworking/tube-pipe-benders/

 

Not a business, looking in the hobbiest category, or used area. But Thanks!

 

JD2 M3 is really hard to beat.

 

What type or sizes of tubing do you plan to bend. I bought a used hydraulic bender that I used to make lots of rollbars, chassis work, etc. It was what was called Greenlee show bender I had to hand pump to make bends, and came with a number of shoes for different size tubing from 1.25" up to 2". It worked great but found some tubing that was a bit smaller than the various shoes, and that tubing bent well, but got slightly oval due to the smaller OD. This bender and shoes were for electrical tubing, but worked for a lot of other tubing also. Got it at a tool auction.

 

1 1/4" x .120 wall

 

Any good tubing bender has at least a shoe and a back shoe that encases the tubing during the bending process to keep it from getting oval shaped, or kinking. I've been bending tubing for chassis work, roll cages, and other uses for almost 50 years, and I use a Greeenlee hydraulic that's a hand pump bender. Slower than their electric benders, but it makes just a good bends, just takes more time and a little effort to pump the handle.
Check your local Craigslist for "tools" and "hydraulic benders". My local CL has a number of good used benders with shoes for $200-$300 that are hand pump hydraulics. Also a few higher end manual benders that are $600-$800.

 

Well. I've contacted Eastwood. Their cheapest benders come with " no " dies. My background stems for use with Pines benders. That's long gone. My budget comes from what I think I'll pay out for a bender that'll be used maybe once, or twice in what's let of my lifetime. I'm 66. As far as Greenlee goes. I haven't seen any bender there for less than $3500.00 , or there abouts. It might be to my best inerest to contact the steel vendor and have them bend what I want.

 

I've got one of those cheap HF benders, or actually pipe kinkers I bought used at a swap meet for $40. That was $40 wasted. I could eventually figure out how to bend tubing by marking out the tube with a felt pen, and only doing small bends each time until it got to the angle I wanted. But never any short tight bends as they always kinked. Wish I could think of something to adapt it to so it would be useful for something!

 

My great grandad used to bend pipe by filling it with sand and capping the ends, with a steam hole left open; a little heat and a smooth pull around whatever he jigged up for a mandrel of sorts. Might work for light gauge stuff with that HF kit

 

We just thru out a complete 1940s vintage Pines with old tooling.

The controls were dead and Pines could not revive it, and it would have been close to $100,000 for new controls. So a new CNC Star bender went in

The last small pines we got rid of was replaced with the Baileigh.

Still have 4 di-acros in use with 4 enerpac units with custom dies

For one or two uses, find a local shop. The place I last used was $15 for the first bend and $5 per bend after. They make DOT rails, and commercial rails and make custom T-tops for boats

Have you checked the used equipment consignment businesses

 

Used Equipment Consignment, no I haven't. I could go back where I bought the material, but not sure of the fees, or how soon they'd get it done.

 

If you ask a pipe shop to do the bends, ask them how THEY want you to layout and mark the bends for their guys to follow. Might seem silly but you're more likely to make their job more pleasant and get a better product. Its also nice to bring by, or send pictures of, their work in your project.

 

years ago we use to get the JD2 benders and then convert them to hydrolic with cylinders from HF. swag offroad makes mounts to convert it. Its well under the $3500 mentioned above.