How tight can you bend square tube before colapses

[TecateDan]

Okay I want to know if it is possible to bend a piece is 1.25" square tube with a 0.062" tickness aroound a 3.5" Diameter die 180 Degrees. I have an oxy/acet torrch and a welder to do this with and a bucket of sand to fill the tube with? Is this a pipe dream or can it be done with out distorting the tube to much

[Dirtcrasher]

Well, it's gonna bulge out sideways. IDK what it would do if there were a way to fixture it.

Cut a V out of it, fold it, v it out a bit and weld away :D

[up-tyte]

You should be able to, you will have to get the inside radius to fold into the tube as you do the bend and then will have to pound the top and bottom sides back square, get it red hot to start. I did some 3/4 on about a 1 inch radius when I made a grab bar on my 200x. If you don't want the side to cave in they make a special roller press type tool, can't think of the right name at the moment, it rolls the tube back and forth as it presses the curve. Harbor Freight has one for round tubing. The only issue might be the size your using.

[Jim mac]

instead of messing with that and coming out with something your not happy with. why not just take a flat sheet of .062 sheet metal. but your 180* half circle twice cut a 1.25 strip for the inner circle and outer circle and just weld it up in 4 pieces? jim

[TecateDan]

instead of messing with that and coming out with something your not happy with. why not just take a flat sheet of .062 sheet metal. but your 180* half circle twice cut a 1.25 strip for the inner circle and outer circle and just weld it up in 4 pieces? jim

Oh now that's a good idea

[Billy Golightly]

The best method for making radius bends on square tubing without having a real tubing bender in my experience is to take a saw and make a bunch of cuts (Space them 1/4in apart or something there abouts) almost all the way through. Cut through the top, the sides, but stop when get you get to the bottom. The material you take out and leave out makes a gap. Over the course of several of these cuts, you can basically bend the square tubing where all those gaps close up, and then you just weld those up and you've got your radius.

[ylwgtr]

try filling it with cerrobend

[TecateDan]

try filling it with cerrobend

Litle to expensice for my taste but would love ot try it some day