Tube benders and swagers

[MikeHolm]

Does anyone out there know of a reasonably priced semi automatic tube bender/end former (doesn't have to be in the same tool)? I do small scale manufacturing up to 1" copper and I want some repeatability in the work.

[Toosh]

Try here

http://www.jd2.com/shop/

http://www.yellowjacket.com/node/815

[chemi-cool]

Mastercool and Ridged make the best tool you can get.

From what you write, I can only tell that you are not rich enough to buy cheap tools!

[HVACGRRL]

yes the Mastercool 71650 and the Yellow Jacket 60407 are what we sell and they are both great. You should be able to buy from and HVAC wholesaler in Ontario

[MikeHolm]

No, I do not like cheap tools. I am mad that a drill that I would expect to last many years like older Makita etc now come with plastic gears and you would be lucky to have them last a couple of years. Not fond of disposable tools.

Thanks for the reference on the swagers, now I need to find a nice small motorized tubing bender for tabletop use. If you are making 20 of one complicated piece, you don't want to be doing it completely by hand.

[Magoo]

Hi Mike
check your local hydraulics people, the guys that install pipes, as they have really cool electric pipe benders and long radius as well. The formers may have to be re-made, but good with copper pipe.

[MikeHolm]

years ago (and I mean in the 1920s) we would bend steel pipe at times for heating. It just is not done any more. Very rare is the steel pipe heating installer, and I am one, except for gas where it is still common but we just cut and thread and the only welding is on large commercial work (putting drains etc onto 8" pipe, for example or gas lines above 2").

As North America is predominantly "scorched air" since the 1950s the art of pipework is dying. PEX is the tubing of choice (or sometimes copper). Europeans, I guess, still use the more flexible steel and do some welding, even on residential. I saw this while I was traveling in Germany a few years ago and was amazed that it still happened. We are just getting used to compression tools for copper and PP is not common at all.

That said, none of my compatriots in Toronto use benders except for copper tubing for gas or refrig. I figured that there would be some good links from Europe for a nice bender.

[chemi-cool]

Its called google.......

http://www.parker.com/literature/Tub...sion/HB632.pdf

[MikeHolm]

Yes I know about Google, I was more interested in personal experience.

[FreezerGeezer]

Lol!

You know, if you have a blacksmith within travelling distance he (or she) could probably make up a Hossfeld type bender with whatever radius you want. I can't remember names right now, but I'm sure there are some smiths around Toronto.

[MikeHolm]

I know a couple of smiths and I will google a Hossfeld bender. Never heard of them before. Cheers.

Any other great tools out there that make your lives easier?

[chilliwilly]

I thought the trades in North America were revolutionised years ago with things like automatic benders. I've only ever used Rigid, Record, and Piset pipe fitting equipment when I worked as an improver at a HVAC company over twenty three years ago. Most of the pipe was red band (steamgrade) 3" steel pipe threaded, and then fittings were used to branch and change direction on the wet side and gas.

The only time we actually used benders was to go underground across a door threshold in a solid peice, from a low level surface installation. Or to set through holes cut in the girders, most of the other jobs were just installed in the ceiling voids, then branched off in copper to rads. We used a Record or a rigid hydraulic bender, which was hired then taken off site immediately after the last piped was formed. The firm we worked at had no fat whatsoever in their quotes.

I would have thought that you would be able to hire/rent one in a place like Ontario. I've seen sparkies use the motorised ones on sites out there. And I'm sure they will have the imperial sized formers that will fit on it. If you use your hand benders and get one peice right, put it on the floor and chalk round it then you have a jig, and a pattern peice to work from and check to. Heres a link for rental in Toronto. http://www.ur.com/

[Bigfreeze]

REMS make some nice pipebending tools, you should check out their range. I use their gear on copper and multilayer pipe

[FreezerGeezer]

Most of the Hossfeld benders I've seen & all I've used are man powered. But I have seen powered versions for sale on the net. They are not a dedicated pipe bender, but are hugely versatile machines.
http://www.hossfeldbender.com/
Having just looked at the website, I see they do a tube bending only package now.

[MikeHolm]

Oh No, benders are not used in the trades in any standard way except the electricians who mostly use small ones for 1/2" to 1.5" what we call EMT, a thin wall galvanized tubing for conduit. Motorized ones might be used for bigger EMT.

The heating trades will use a lot of Victaulic or Rigid fittings with roll groove, what we call schedule 5 pipe (thin wall), all for work over 2".

Below 2" we still solder copper, thread steel pipe using a Ridgid 300 threader (mine is 35 years old and in great shape....never will die) or we use the plastic pipe.

I use PEX for a lot of things but the expansion rate can be an issue as we run them through wood floor joists (2" X 8" or 10" on 16" centres) and they can squeak.

I will check out REMS stuff but we don't have the range that you do over there. Cheers.

[Bigfreeze]

http://www.rems.de/go.aspx?lid=2&tid=15&pgid=5

Link to the REMS benders. We use the rems curvo. Good tool. Especially if mounted on the stand