Very impressive Dmoney, nice work!!

Soon to be outfitted with one of these as soon as I get the dies done and proven...

http://www.harborfreight.com/8-ton-long-ram-air-hydraulic-jack-94562.html?utm_medium=cse&utm_source=googlebase&hft_adv=40010&mr:trackingCode=9F750F9E-782A-E011-B31E-001B2163195C&mr:referralID=NA

Just needs a "flange" made to go around the top of the actual cylinder and hold the body right near the shaft. Got some 6x6x1" steel on hand and just ordered a bigger fly-cutter bit.

Or something like this is even better...done and built already! [url][http://copperheadfab.com/index.php?action=productview&productid=164[/url]

Or even simpler...for $100...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-M-GUO7 ... re=related

Eff it...I ordered that Swag kit, un-welded for $100. They responded immeidately to my email and I can save some BENDER time to make-up some BUGGY time. =) The youtube video sold me, too.

Here's what the dies (green) and tube strap (purple) will look like. Still need to model up the follow block and Delrin shoes before I fab.

The tube strap...still ping-ponging on using a pin to lock the tube in (as shown), or using a slide over collar with a set screw. If one doesn't work, the other will.

Will start spitting chips on the 1.25" die in a little bit. Some hole drilling first on the CNC, then lathe turning the groove, and then a little more CNC for that recessed area. But I need to get some work done before I go play...

And here's what the cylinder and SWAG mount will look like (pic from swagoffroad.com)...and will go in place of the handle and ratchet bar. Wish I would've made this decision earlier so I didn't spend so much time machining that ratchet bar - lol. At least I can still bend when the power is out, or when the compressor is dead or beyond the reach of the 220v outlet.

And so it begins...

Holes done. Time for the lathe...

Hole-ee-Jesus... On hole #6...I set the # of passes to 1 instead of 10, and the damn thing actually hogged a 2.02" deep x 1" ID hole in 1 radial pass! If it were anything but aluminum, that tool would've been a goner. Hole is perfect though. Scary power on these things -- love it.

Like butta...

Looking good!

I agree on the cnc,I have a two axis proto-trak in my home shop.

Amazing how those silly things go where you tell them,no matter whats in the way!

Annnnnnnd voila!

On the "backside" we had to hog out a round pocket to get some meat to get the lathe chuck jaws onto. And even that still slipped a little with the monster cutter. The thing cuts potato chips, running at about 50rpm. So I put a 3/4" bolt through the 3/4" hole (for the tube clamp) and used it as a drive pin driven by the chuck jaw. It did the trick.

The center hole was going to be 1" ID to the print, but I decided to use a bronze bushing that's 1" ID and 1.375" OD. Since this is T6061, I want this to last me at least a few years. And it will since I'm not going to be bending much heavier than .095 ever.

For the 1" drive-pin holes, a .875" pin will drive it, per the print. But that will deform the pin holes after some use. And I don't want to make the hole on the frame bigger (its .875 now) to weaken the structure. So...I made a drop-in flanged sleeve to put in the drive hole.

Took just over 4 hours of machine and brain time. Figure it should've taken about 3 hours except the lathe sprung a coolant leak we had to clean up, and then I had to figure out the XY-coordinates for the pocket cuts. Plus $45 for the billet of T6061 T651. Our mahcine shop generally uses an hourly wage of $102, so there you have it...that's why the dies cost what they cost. =) And figure someone using a single CNC program will save some time, for sure. The cost to efficiently make a die like this would be around $200-$225.

Still have to prove it makes good bends. Right now I'm only out $45 for the billet, $20 cash + case-o-beer for the machinst's compensation. I need to make my follower block and we're ready to bend (manually).

Nice!! I'm jealous. Thank God the machinst is slow at work right now. =) And if I didn't have to PAY Uncle Same some taxes this spring, I would've picked up a Bridgeport from Detroit last weekend for $1500. It was a hellova deal to pass up. Stupid Feds!

Wow that's looking good cant wait to see it bend up some tubing.

Sounds like you should have hired the same accountants GE used

You make sure your not late with that money for the feds they have plans for it heck we still have not paid for all the money the last administration spent lmao.

The feds will get their money via check dated April 15th in an envelope date April 15th. Bastards...

I have to give special thanks to our machinist, Mr. M. Lynch, who did 90% of the machine work on this die, and will be machining the 1.5" die, too. So when I said "we" in the machining steps, I generally meant "he". lol I take / give credit only where due. This guy is awesome. If I can sensibly model it in Pro/E, he will build it. Period. On the side, he builds Harley-powered choppers completely custom from the flywheel up. He's an old school mad scientist, for sure. Good dude.

Got the bronze bushing pressed into my die. Need to ream the bushing ID to accept the 1" pin for a clearnce fit. Hoping to make the follower shoe tonight. We'll see.

Progress on all the buggy stuff will be slow for the next few months on anything thanks to some home improvement work I'll be doing pro bono, plus Easter, plus putting my house up for sale the week after Easter (need more room for babies and buggies! ha).

with it being aluminum are you worried about the die getting pits and dents during the bending process?

Nope, it'll get light use building buggy accessories for my fleet, not full cages or anything. But we'll see how the first few bends go. Most of what I plan to use it for uses .083 ERW in 1.25 and 1.50 OD tube (clean, straight, round tube, rust-free) and some 1" tube for a couple sets of Zilla nerf bars, golf cart accessories for my buddy, and maybe a "campground cruiser" toy. The bends will be slow with the air/hyd cylinder, which will help preserve life....It's not a wham-bam-thank-you-mam machine. And if it were heavier tube, I'd maybe worry. The die is a perfect radius and very smooth, too. Remember, the die only cost me $65 and a case of Bud, so I may in fact get what I paid for. lol

If I need a better die or plan on bigger projects, the JD-squared dies will fit this rig or I can order a roung slug-o-steel and start over. There's a TON of meat on this die, so I have high expectations for what I plan to use it for. If I knew an anodizer locally, I'd maybe have it anodized to help with wear. But...nah.

Need to get the rear suspension back on buggy #2, set the front height, and start detailing the front suspension. Enough of this bender stuff! ;)

EDIT: Brinell hardness of T6061 T651 is 95, versus typically 120 for mild steel. Softer, yes. Hey...if it doesn't work out, then I have a really nice blank for a sand casting for a steel die, or a pretty nifty Flava' Flav' necklace for Halloween (although he's like a 'D' celebrity these days). I hope it works for at least a few good projects.

Well, I have yet another tangent pulling me off this build. I landed another deal on a Suzuki LT500R Quadzilla basket case. This time a 1990 with all the right goodies. So, I'll be in Suzuki-land for the next month or so...

http://forums.everything2stroke.com/sho ... hp?t=49234

Back on the bender bender...

Changing the design a bit to go with ROLLER follower instead of a shoe. Too much machining required to make the follower right and be able to mount it where it needs to mount. And we have the 0.625" radius cutting tool, so I'm going to turn a 3" OD x 2" thick roller on the work lathe during lunch. The rear follower will still be a .625 radius shoe, but steel and welded in place.

Holy smokes, I finally got the bender together and...IT WORKS! Tried a piece of 1.25 x .120 DOM and it was smooth. No galling, only light-light tool marks from the die, and the bend is about .04" oblong. I'm happy!! =)

Got a Zilla to put together and clean up, and then I'll be back to buggy land.

Very nice!!

that's awesome. When you get tired of using that bender, let me know. you can send it to me to get it outta your shop.

Congratulations now cant wait to see some bending

Ditto! lol

Planning to do some front FL350R a-arms for LT, tree-bars, spare tire mount, and F/R bumpers for the original buggy #2 (where this thread originally started). Still want to try a rear LT with CV's on this one, too, but have talked more talk and thought more though than anything. Have a couple priority projects yet.

Added another pic of the bender so you can see the mechanics, etc.

Cost breakdown:
Plans - FREE (internet)
Stand - $10 (garage sale pick)
Aluminum - $40 (eBay @ Detroit)
Steel bar - $60 (eBay @ Detroit)
Hardware - $25 (Home Depot)
Pins - FREE (had them)
A/H cylinder - $96 (HF, incl shipping)
1.25" ID x .50" washers - $4 (eBay, used for rear shoe and for front catch)
Weld & machine work - FREE, except for the case-o-Bud-Select for the mill work
SWAG mount - $100 (swagofforad.com, incl shipping)
Grand Total: $335

These things retail over $1200 with the die set and air/hyd option. Woo-hoo!

I'm anxious to get some .083 ERW off the rack and into the bender to make sure the thinner stuff doesn't have any issues. Also going to make some pressed-in bronze sleeves for the die's drive-pin holes, since the pin is 5/8" and the drive hole is 7/8". I don't want the die to wear out. And the more I look at the pics, the more I want to weld a .125 thk gusset outside the two fixed steel bars near where I drilled two 5/8" holes for the shoe pin. It looks like weak spot.

No progress on the build, but I did manage to snag the last two missing pieces for build #2. Seller "Craigoro" on feeBay had a rigid rear brake line for $24, and then had "two throttle cables" listed for $30, but were actually the two shifter cables. Tee-hee!

No major updates, but hopefully soon. Bringing buggy #1 to my shop Wednesday for some upgrades and minor fixes. But may have landed a '98 Skidoo Formula with a water-cooled head & electric start Rotax 500 for $300. All together and running, too. I can probably break even with the fenders, track, etc this winter. This is the size powerplant I wanted for this frame-up build (400-500 rotax).

If NELLY / Dave is reading this, this is why I had to refrain from buying more parts off his part-out buggy. ;)

I may stop and pick it up on the way back from the buggy pluck since I'll have my trailer in-tow. Wife is gonna kill me when she see's a sled on the trailer! LOL! Buy hey...it's only 300-bones. I've got a Honda racing fan/rad that's 2x the size of the sleds, so would tame the heat fine for a summer buggy.




Also snagged a stock fuel tank w/ cap off fleabay for $11.00 + $20 s/h. I have an extra one here, but the return line is clogged with what is probably corrosion.