It seems to me that there might be a market for tube steel for chassis building if you could buy tubes pre-bent to standard angles (30, 60, 90 degrees). Anyone know of a source?
It seems to me that there might be a market for tube steel for chassis building if you could buy tubes pre-bent to standard angles (30, 60, 90 degrees). Anyone know of a source?
All kidding aside, I bet you could make some money doing it. Why not start the business?
In reply to Taiden:
I'm not sure I'd make enough money to pay off the tube bender I'd have to buy. Easier to find somebody who's already GOT the tube bender and is making a few extra bucks with it...
I think you should go for it!
Pre-bent with how much length left after each bend? Sounds like a waste to me, sorry.
Rent time on this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot0Cxmk2aa4
Plus a little cad work and "profit"
mr2peak wrote: Pre-bent with how much length left after each bend? Sounds like a waste to me, sorry.
Yep this is a problem I can agree with. You could sell kits, but I think people already do that.
It's not like an exhaust where welding up in sections to get a single tube is normal. I wouldn't want to piece together a chassis bend by bend.
Alston, Chassis Engineering, S&W Race Cars, etc.
tube bender + notcher + welder = fun
If you have the extra coin I'd pop on one... invaluable to your shop, it'll handle your projects... hell, you will find more projects to do. Most car clubs know of a shop or individual w/ a bender however. Hard to beat some fab/ weld shops and roundy rounders who usually have one around... especially if they have tube stock on hand.
I have the heavy Pro Tools 105 bender. After about 8 years cost has become irrelevant to me, I bend whatever I want whenever I want. Pro Tools dies show up on ebay occasionally but not as many as JD Square, might wanna consider that.
My pockets ain't that deep... I'd pop on a good bender over a big screen TV any day, but that's just me. I say go for it.
wearymicrobe wrote: Rent time on this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot0Cxmk2aa4 Plus a little cad work and "profit"
The music in that video reminds me of a Warren Miller Ski Video
In reply to Aeromoto:
Not seeing anything like what I'm talking about on their websites...
jakeb wrote:wearymicrobe wrote: Rent time on this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot0Cxmk2aa4 Plus a little cad work and "profit"The music in that video reminds me of a Warren Miller Ski Video
Sounds like Satriani. Which would be about right for a WM film.
Edit - oh, it is Satriani, says so right in the caption box.
wearymicrobe wrote: Rent time on this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot0Cxmk2aa4 Plus a little cad work and "profit"
"bend up to 1-1/4" O.D." Not big enough for the portions of a Locost that are actually bent.
Most are square tube welded or short sections of round tube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cquCfvsvoq0
I have always wondered about doing something like this with sand inside the tube and without the heat?
I have a good quality hydraulic-manual tubing bender and a very small assortment of dies (1.75x.095 6" rad. and the same for 1.5x.120) that has paid for itself - if not in monetary value... my friends have paid in damage to my liver ten fold.
Shipping steel bent and left long for chassis use is a costly PIA. I get a good wholesale price on tubing and can turn around a reasonable amount of precision bends per hour but I seriously doubt the demand would exceed a single afternoon of actual work per week. If I had to buy more than a couple more dies I'd need a berkeley load of potential work to break even. I cannot imagine there are 30 people willing to place an order in the next 6mos. who couldn't just ask a local cage builder to do it for beer money. Hell, if someone came by with beer, some tube in a size I have dies for and a good story... (insert ephiphany) This is why I can't make any money no matter how many tools I buy.
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