Tubing Benders which oh which to choose?

[MattWatson]

So, unless someone has one I havn't found, I am debating between:
http://www.affordablebender.com/
or
http://www.jd2.com/

Now, I know that tighter (over the 3x rule) is better, but would it be possible to construct a cage with a 7" CLR die? I suppose the only important junction that way is the main hoop top bends?

Opinions? I know the JD2 is better... but is it 2x better (2x price)? is the lower CLR worth it? Say I build 2-3 cages in my lifetime. It seems like no matter what, you can get your money back out of the benders.

[87 n/a]

I worked with one like the JD2 model 3. I consider it my nemesis My first attempt at bending the main hoop was a complete failure. After measuring many times before bending it came out 5" to narrow
Even with a 4' leverage bar, my back was tweaked for like a week after working with it for a day.

[DrewP]

I have this one and like it a lot - http://www.pro-tools.com/hmp-200.aspx

I only have one die, for 1.75" on a 6" centerline radius, worked out fine for the cage I built for the yellow car.

[MattWatson]

I looked at that one, but almost $1000 for a bender for a cage or two seems a bit excessive.

I fully understand you get what you pay for (I have multiple thousands in high end woodworking equipment) but if I can just get by for now and then trade up later, I think I will be better off for now (and the wife won't kill me).

[DrewP]

Could also look at it from the standpoint of how much 2 cages would cost if you had someone else do the work. I was chatting with a guy at one of the rallycrosses who just built a WRX and spend over $12k on his cage and all the extra reinforcements around the rear seat area and in the trunk. A cage like the one I build around here probably costs $5-$6k with nice welding and quality tubing.

Cheap bending dies may be more likely to ripple the inside of the bends too.

I think there are some cheap benders out there that let you use Hossfeld brand dies (really really high quality, but really really expensive to buy one usually) that are worth investigating.

Whatever you get just get something hydraulic. A cheap one of those and a decent cobbled-together stand or fixture to hold it to the floor or a sturdy work bench will work fine.

[KPAero]

I have an EZ-bend bender, I believe luke also has the same one. I bought mine used but I think they are around 800 and come with four dies. It is an upright bender which is nice because you dont really need to bolt it down.

[DrewP]

That's what mine is like. Bolting it to the floor or a pedestal would be nice just to not crawl around on the ground, but is not a necessity. It also doesn't take up hardly any space when not in use.

[MattWatson]

I have an EZ-bend bender, I believe luke also has the same one. I bought mine used but I think they are around 800 and come with four dies. It is an upright bender which is nice because you dont really need to bolt it down.

I emailed them to ask what the price is, their website seems a bit (a lot) broken right now.

I don't really need the 4 dies, (probably really only NEED a 1 3/4" 6" CLR) and if I wanted another make work project, I would just make one since they look stupid simple, and jut buy a set of dies. However, I want to work on the car, not build tools... which is a first

[Luke]

I have an EZ-bend bender, I believe luke also has the same one. I bought mine used but I think they are around 800 and come with four dies. It is an upright bender which is nice because you dont really need to bolt it down.

Yep, I have an EZ-bend. It has been fantastic, for the price with 4 dies you can't beat it. I've done 3 cages with it and my friend Josh has used it for about 12 cages now and its held up very well. Think about the uses for other die sizes... skid plate mounts, jack stands, bends on the 1.5" roof bars, coolant pipes etc.
I've used a manual JD2 and it seemed like a pain by comparison. the horizontal layout means you need a big clear space to operate it, plus wherever you use it it has to be bolted down... People have obviously built awesome cages with it... but I don't see any major advantage other than being cheap.

[MattWatson]

I have an EZ-bend bender, I believe luke also has the same one. I bought mine used but I think they are around 800 and come with four dies. It is an upright bender which is nice because you dont really need to bolt it down.

I emailed them to ask what the price is, their website seems a bit (a lot) broken right now.

I don't really need the 4 dies, (probably really only NEED a 1 3/4" 6" CLR) and if I wanted another make work project, I would just make one since they look stupid simple, and jut buy a set of dies. However, I want to work on the car, not build tools... which is a first

EZ bender is a bit out of my reach... at 1200 for the bender and $230 shipping, it's a no-go... may just roll the dice on the affordable bender.

I May do some mockups in the car this weekend to see what the 7" CLR would look like. Yay craploads of spare wood.

[Luke]

I have an EZ-bend bender, I believe luke also has the same one. I bought mine used but I think they are around 800 and come with four dies. It is an upright bender which is nice because you dont really need to bolt it down.

I emailed them to ask what the price is, their website seems a bit (a lot) broken right now.

I don't really need the 4 dies, (probably really only NEED a 1 3/4" 6" CLR) and if I wanted another make work project, I would just make one since they look stupid simple, and jut buy a set of dies. However, I want to work on the car, not build tools... which is a first

EZ bender is a bit out of my reach... at 1200 for the bender and $230 shipping, it's a no-go... may just roll the dice on the affordable bender.

I May do some mockups in the car this weekend to see what the 7" CLR would look like. Yay craploads of spare wood.

So did the price just go up a lot? I remember paying about $850 with shipping

[99Super]

I have an affordable bender w/ the 1.75" die. I've not used it yet myself but I loaned it out once and got rave reviews back about it. It always seems to be my "next" project
One month until the Larrison Rock Hillclimb so it has to be done by then...
Not to hijack the thread, but what is the preferred style of front hoop?

John

[formulasaab]

I've got a JDSquared Model 3 and am very happy with it.

My only problem isn't really a fault of the bender... I don't have enough room in my garage to use it and house the car at the same time. Swinging a 10' piece of tubing around a pivot point requires a somewhat "central" mounting location.

I suspect the same thing would apply to the vertical benders, but in terms of ceiling height. Eh?

[DrewP]

That's what driveways are for....

Yeah, I needed the tall ceiling in my shop when making the main roll hoop for my cage, though if you start in the middle with the two roof bends the legs that swing up aren't that long. I usually do it that way, start at the top and leave the legs long, and then cut the ends to size, so you're only swinging like a 5' leg up at a time. (that's what she said?)

[MattWatson]

I ended up buying the Affordable Bender, and Ceiling height isn't really a problem if you work your way from the inside of the hoop out. I bent the main and half laterals in my garage which has a slightly greater than 8ft roof.

Also: inside, if you don't have a drywalled ceiling, an old woodworking trick is to bend between roof trusses... then you usually have about 12-14 feet available of vertical space.