I have a JD2 hyd tube bender.I wanted to bend 1" square tube without it distorting.I used a 1-1/2" mild steel round bar,milled a 1" wide x 1" deep grove in it.Bar needs to be long enough to fit in my round die.put a 1" square tube in the grove with grove 180 degrees from the die I bent it 90 degrees + a few degrees to allow for spring back.Had to pry the square tube out of the grove.Very little distortion.Worked so good I tried a 2" bar with 1-1/4" grove . This one I put a little more side clearance in it.Made it easier to pry out the square tube.I can send pics if you want.E-mail me at lboyd39@hotmail.com Good luck,hope this is clear to you.
May 20, 2010 Rating
It will still crushNEW by: Anonymous
The dry sand idea work great if you dont mind the small imperfections in it. No matter what you do you will get a small amount of crush on the inside of your bend. Stands to reason, the metal has to go somewhere. If you want to get a bend with out any crush try wedge cuts. Cut wedges out of the square tubing, close them up, weld and clean. Depending on how much your bending and how tight is the key on how much to take out, but i think youll like the out come better with the amount of work youll have to put in.
Sep 22, 2009 Rating
tube bendingNEW by: Joe
Thanks for the input. I also have not done this process and was hoping that there would be some other method. I guess I will just have to try it.
Once again, thank you for the input.
Sep 22, 2009 Rating
Bending square tubingNEW by: Anonymous
I never did it, but I know that a method is to fill the tube with dry sand. Seal (obturate) both ends of the tube before bend.