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Bending small copper tube

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Steve Crow26/10/2020 17:49:56
429 forum posts
268 photos

I need to bend some 5/32 or 4mm copper tube to quite tight cl radius, around 10mm.

Checking past forum posts, the DuBro tube bender seems to be recommended.

Can any one tell me the minimum radius achievable with this tool? I can't find that information on the web.

Cheers

Steve

Former Member26/10/2020 18:32:02
1085 forum posts

[This posting has been removed]

Steve Crow26/10/2020 19:35:44
429 forum posts
268 photos

Thank you Bill, that sounds just about right for me scaled up.

By cl, I meant centre line radius ie. mid point. I should have been clearer.

Steve

BOB BLACKSHAW29/10/2020 09:23:59
501 forum posts
132 photos

I have been looking for a pipe bender that will take various small size tubes, looking at the Dubro on You Tube it looks so easy to make your own but looks like a one size tube. Prices for this bender are between £16 and £44 on line, a cheaper on Toolzone at £13 are they any good ? they take various sizes and for £13 its not worth the effort to make your own.

Bob

Michael Gilligan29/10/2020 09:41:49
avatar
23121 forum posts
1360 photos
Posted by BOB BLACKSHAW on 29/10/2020 09:23:59:

I have been looking for a pipe bender that will take various small size tubes, […]

for £13 its not worth the effort to make your own.

.

... and yet : **LINK**

https://www.model-engineer.co.uk/forums/postings.asp?th=167860

MichaelG. dont know

Nick Wheeler29/10/2020 10:00:29
1227 forum posts
101 photos
Posted by BOB BLACKSHAW on 29/10/2020 09:23:59:

I have been looking for a pipe bender that will take various small size tubes, looking at the Dubro on You Tube it looks so easy to make your own but looks like a one size tube. Prices for this bender are between £16 and £44 on line, a cheaper on Toolzone at £13 are they any good ? they take various sizes and for £13 its not worth the effort to make your own.

I bought one many years ago(although not from Toolzone) for bending brake pipes. It was so bad that after making one bend, I went back to bending them around a gate hinge. If you want to make accurate bends, or bends really near the ends of your pipes then making one of the properly designs engineered to do that will be necessary

Martin Connelly29/10/2020 10:40:44
avatar
2549 forum posts
235 photos

I think the incentive for making your own tool is that the distance between bends can be reduced when you make your own tooling. Tools such as the Dubro have a fixed minimum distance between bends which may be too restrictive for some applications. Adding some sort of joint between bends to allow a cut and join operation for reduced distance between bends may be unacceptable at this size, too easy to block the bore, have a weak point or have an unacceptable bulge if a sleeve is used as a union.

Martin C

not done it yet29/10/2020 12:55:12
7517 forum posts
20 photos

I resort to my CZ Metal Bender if I want to bend anything small, neatly. I expect it would cope with the above application, even if I needed to make yet another mandrel for it.

Glyn Davies29/10/2020 13:03:04
146 forum posts
56 photos

I also needed to make some tight bends close together on 5/32 tube. I bought the Dubro and its former wheel groove diameter is 11mm, so 5.5 mm +5/64" cl radius. The disadvantages of the Dubro are that it needs 12mm or so of straight tube before and after the bend and its plastic body means that it will only bend annealed tube.

img_2894.jpg

I then wondered how I could make the simplest possible tool and came up with this:

img_2886.jpg

img_2895.jpg

Took half and hour to make and although restricted to 90 degree bends, it works a treat on un-annealed tube. Groove diameter of the former is 7.5mm. Make sure the groove is deeper than half the diameter of the tube so the tube is positively prevented from going oval during bending and the groove in the clamping block needs to be shallow enough that the tube is solidly clamped when in the vice.

geoff walker 129/10/2020 13:09:27
521 forum posts
217 photos

I'm really pleased that I made the pipe bender in the last MEW.

Not that difficult to make and gives really neat bends.

Made some 1/8" formers yesterday and then made my first component part.

No prizes for guessing what it is?

20201011_153645.jpg

20201029_121808.jpg

geoff

Bazyle29/10/2020 13:11:22
avatar
6956 forum posts
229 photos

Funnily enough we discussed tube bending on yesterday's St Albans club zoom. Woods Metal was sugested as an aid and first put olive oil in pipe to stop it sticking.

Bazyle29/10/2020 13:14:12
avatar
6956 forum posts
229 photos
Posted by geoff walker 1 on 29/10/2020 13:09:27:

No prizes for guessing what it is?

geoff

Your wife is not going to be happy with the sink taking 6 hours to drain through such a small u-bend laugh

geoff walker 129/10/2020 13:58:46
521 forum posts
217 photos

Posted by geoff walker 1 on 29/10/2020 13:09:27:

No prizes for guessing what it is?

geoff

Your wife is not going to be happy with the sink taking 6 hours to drain through such a small u-bend laugh

Oh yes Bazyle!

My wife does complain a lot.

Only yesterday the handle came of a pan lid.

I was charged with fixing it right away, which I did.

Of course she complained, not good enough she said.

No pleasing some20201029_134546.jpg

Geoff

Steve Crow29/10/2020 16:46:12
429 forum posts
268 photos

Thank you all for responding.

It looks like the Dubro tool is out of the question. The radius is ok but I need to make bends close together.

I really like Glyn's simple bender but I am also Intrigued by Geoff's.

I don't get MEW but would like access to the plans and article. If I subscribe to a digital edition, will I get this and previous articles as part of the digital archive?

Many thanks

Steve

geoff walker 129/10/2020 17:46:56
521 forum posts
217 photos

Steve there is a thread on here for pipe bender I have made.

Search for Derek browns pipe bender MEW297 and you will find it.

There are numerous drawings in the thread but a read of the article would help if you intend to make it.

Geoff

Fowlers Fury29/10/2020 17:52:33
avatar
446 forum posts
88 photos

Have you ever looked at "David Carpenter's website"?
Some while back there was a short construction series by "Artisan" on making a tube bender.
03_pipe bender.jpg

As you'll see above, he made no claims for originality. I made one to the design and am very impressed with how well it works, producing tight bends without kinking or other unwanted distortions.

Artisan showed examples of bends his device had produced:-

artisans bends.jpg
David Carpenter has transferred most of his older articles to DVDs now which must be a bargain at GBP 7.90 each. Just check on his DVD section on the website.

I made a few alterations to the design such as a stronger baseplate and also discovered an easy and quick way to make the many rollers. I'm happy to provide details if you decide to go this route.

Harry Wilkes29/10/2020 17:53:30
avatar
1613 forum posts
72 photos
Posted by geoff walker 1 on 29/10/2020 13:09:27:

I'm really pleased that I made the pipe bender in the last MEW.

Not that difficult to make and gives really neat bends.

Made some 1/8" formers yesterday and then made my first component part.

No prizes for guessing what it is?

20201011_153645.jpg

20201029_121808.jpg

geoff

Geoff would that be issue 297 ?

H

geoff walker 129/10/2020 18:23:56
521 forum posts
217 photos

Yes Harry that's right issue 297

Do have a look at the Derek brown thread.

There are some issues with the article in 297 which are discussed in the thread

Geoff

geoff walker 129/10/2020 18:30:23
521 forum posts
217 photos

Double post

Edited By geoff walker 1 on 29/10/2020 18:31:19

Harry Wilkes29/10/2020 21:31:42
avatar
1613 forum posts
72 photos
Posted by geoff walker 1 on 29/10/2020 18:23:56:

Yes Harry that's right issue 297

Do have a look at the Derek brown thread.

There are some issues with the article in 297 which are discussed in the thread

Geoff

Thanks

H

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