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Learning how to build Lotus Seven replicas...together!
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PostPosted: July 5, 2013, 5:47 pm 
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Joined: October 24, 2008, 2:13 pm
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Location: Carlsbad, California, USA
Thanks for posting that. Later on (maybe the second series of posts?), he states he got 2", 1-5/8" and 1" tube to work. His stuff looks pretty good. He did use DOM tube instead of welded, but I wonder how much difference that would make? Most Locosts are built using welded tube in the chassis, of course.

Cheers,

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Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886


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PostPosted: October 24, 2013, 12:55 am 
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Location: Bend Oregon
mtntech wrote:
"vertical tube bender?" What the hell is that? Got a picture?


It's a bender that bends a tube on a vertical plane as opposed to a horizontal plane. Many benders....Protools, JD2, etc, operate on a horizontal plane. When these are operated manually they are required to be bolted down. Makes it very impractical if you have to bend a 20 ft. stick and have a small shop. Much nicer to have portable bender that you can operate anywhere. Probender makes some but their prices are not where they should be. They also lack features that I feel are important.[/quote]

Here's a pic of a prototype.


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PostPosted: May 23, 2014, 10:29 pm 
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Joined: April 12, 2013, 9:17 pm
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Location: Bend Oregon
Here's a pic of the final preproduction bender for Protools 105 dies.


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PostPosted: May 24, 2014, 10:36 am 
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Looks totally cool. Sorta like a praying mantis. I'm assuming those pneumatic cylinders are to buffer kick-back or something?

Now, all we need is a video of it in action. Hint, hint, hint.

Cheers,

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Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886


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PostPosted: May 24, 2014, 11:14 am 
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Location: Bend Oregon
Lonnie, The gas struts are to return the swing arms after the bend is done. Some benders use springs, but I consider springs dangerous. I will start another thread devoted to explaining the cool features when I have a little time.


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PostPosted: May 26, 2014, 10:46 am 
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Location: Carlsbad, California, USA
I'll look forward to it.

Although my current car does not have tubing, just RHS, I am actually interested in having the capability of bending tubing for future products. My garage has a slab, but it would not be practical to bolt down a tube bender. I have to keep things flexible as I need to move stuff around frequently, and a big tool bolted in place is not going to work out.

Cheers,

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Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886


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PostPosted: May 26, 2014, 5:35 pm 
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Location: Bend Oregon
Lonnie, That's one of the downsides of a horizontal bender. Mounting it is impractical and then what do you do if you have to bend a length that's 14 feet long?!! Requires a huge swing radius. Once you start using a good tube bender you can start fabbing on a whole new level. Kind of like not having a welder, and then getting a good one. Some of the things I wanted to improve on were: 1. Precision bushings between main frame and swingarm. Most offerings out there have lots of slop and no bushings. Makes bending consequent offset bends difficult. 2. Comfortable working height while retaining stability. Most benders are way too short, unless you're a midget. No offense to the little people out there! 3. Remote hydraulic ram release. This is by far the nicest feature, and no one else offers it. It is a huge PITA to always have to bend down to release the ram. 4. Gas shock swingarm return. Springs used by some are dangerous. If they ever let go watch out!!! 5. Hydraulic cylinder attaches to main bender frame with 1" pins vs the 5/8" bolts that everyone else uses.


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PostPosted: May 26, 2014, 8:22 pm 
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For horizontal benders all it takes is a 20 dollar rosette from Swag Off Road and the horizontal bender can be used in any small space.
So you do not need 14 feet of space to do a bend with the horizontal bender.
Also to be honest the ram is what makes it portable, if you want to attach a cheap harbor freight ram to a horizontal bender you can also have the same features.
I think each bender should be considered on its own merit as far as applications go.
The vertical bender has a lot going for it, but the features it has can be applied to the horizontal as well for not much money.
The bender in either consideration is the cheap part, regardless. It is the dies that cost the 'real' money.

Al

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PostPosted: May 26, 2014, 9:16 pm 
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Location: Bend Oregon
raceral wrote:
For horizontal benders all it takes is a 20 dollar rosette from Swag Off Road and the horizontal bender can be used in any small space.
So you do not need 14 feet of space to do a bend with the horizontal bender.
Also to be honest the ram is what makes it portable, if you want to attach a cheap harbor freight ram to a horizontal bender you can also have the same features.
I think each bender should be considered on its own merit as far as applications go.
The vertical bender has a lot going for it, but the features it has can be applied to the horizontal as well for not much money.
The bender in either consideration is the cheap part, regardless. It is the dies that cost the 'real' money.

Al


AL, You're correct, if you convert the horizontal bender to hydraulic it can become moveable or portable. You still don't have the retract function however, which is indispensable. Pushing the ram back manually sucks. The really nice part about going vertical is that you can use an angle finder, either manual or digital, and toss the degree wheel and pointer.


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