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Bending Handrails
- Thread starter droopy
- Start date
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2000
- RO Number
- 1702
- Messages
- 1,621
You either need a mandrell press or go to a plumbing shop and gut either a tubing bender or a spring tube for bending tubes
If you ever go buy decent lengths of shiny stainless tubing with a an appropriate wall thickness, you will quickly learn two things. 1.) The stuff is damn near jewelry expensive (even with the significant discount of ordering from a metal supplier). 2.) It's difficult to bend (tough stuff) without the right tools. A conduit bender will leave marks and not really the best thing. Spring tube is way underkill for this kind of thing.
If I had a bunch of stuff to do, I'd contract with a railmaker or pipewelder shop to have them bend on their hydraulic mandrel benders. It won't cost much, will be much less at risk for ruining the expensive stock and on a per job basis, won't cost you much to have them do and usually they can turn around per job work within just a day or two.
I bought a bunch of the shiny stainless stuff years ago and welded up a radar mast. I specifically avoided having to bend the tubing. Even the cutting/notching was expensive to do with my not quite industrial quality drill presses and grinders. In the end it came out well, but with tons of time into it. A couple years later I had need for a radar arche (lots of bending) and decided to farm out the entire project, but to my specs and design, along with my installation. It was too much material to risk on my own.
bp
If I had a bunch of stuff to do, I'd contract with a railmaker or pipewelder shop to have them bend on their hydraulic mandrel benders. It won't cost much, will be much less at risk for ruining the expensive stock and on a per job basis, won't cost you much to have them do and usually they can turn around per job work within just a day or two.
I bought a bunch of the shiny stainless stuff years ago and welded up a radar mast. I specifically avoided having to bend the tubing. Even the cutting/notching was expensive to do with my not quite industrial quality drill presses and grinders. In the end it came out well, but with tons of time into it. A couple years later I had need for a radar arche (lots of bending) and decided to farm out the entire project, but to my specs and design, along with my installation. It was too much material to risk on my own.
bp
The handrail I need is typical 7/8 stainless. I know it is pretty heavy walled stuff. I need to bend as the fittings are installed because I do not think I can slide the fittings in place after bending. I considered using aluminum, but that is what the boat had originally and it looks bad. I hate to put handrail on that is just going to oxidize. But I am investigating all options.
I thought I might try a press bender. You know, the kind that uses a hydraulic jack and shoes. But I have never used one and did not know if it could make the longer rolled bends at each end. Also the handrail is about 20 feet long so I will have to special order a stick. $$$ I hate the thought of messing one up. One other consideration is the length of the tube. The bend at the bow is rather sharp. I will have to bend it horizontally. I wonder if the press bender will work with the jack laying down. What I really need I guess is a roll bender??? Man I hate the idea of having this thing made by someone else. Every time they hear the word "marine" or "boat" the price goes up %40 percent. Any ideas?
I thought I might try a press bender. You know, the kind that uses a hydraulic jack and shoes. But I have never used one and did not know if it could make the longer rolled bends at each end. Also the handrail is about 20 feet long so I will have to special order a stick. $$$ I hate the thought of messing one up. One other consideration is the length of the tube. The bend at the bow is rather sharp. I will have to bend it horizontally. I wonder if the press bender will work with the jack laying down. What I really need I guess is a roll bender??? Man I hate the idea of having this thing made by someone else. Every time they hear the word "marine" or "boat" the price goes up %40 percent. Any ideas?
2 years ago I welded up a swim platform for the boat. I had to cut and reconfigure the rails to allow egress from the stern deck. I bought a hydraulic bender from Harbor Freight for 67.00. It came with all the mandrels up to 2". I had to use tight 6" radius bends to fab my ladder and rails. The pipe I bent was 1/2" and 3/4" steel pipe. It worked great, although with that tight radius it did slightly flatten the 3/4" pipe. I just practiced with it and took my time. I did some bending with it laying on it's side. To prevent marring the ss, you could line the mandrel with felt.
Exactly my thought. I have some leather left over from my holster making days. I thought I might line the mandrel and rollers with it to prevent marring. I definitely leaning that way. I may pick up a bender and buy a short stick of S.S. 7/8" and try it, just to see if it works. The $100 bucks I'll have in it will be worth the experiment. I bet it will be $1000+ to get the thing made. Maybe a local rental store will have a fancy portable bender I could try out.
The standard way to keep thin wall tubing from collapsing when bending is to fill it with water and freeze it first....works like a charm. Of course, it's hard to do with a 20' long part.
Roller mandrel bending is the answer in that case.
Conduit benders and the like just butcher the thin wall tube.
Roller mandrel bending is the answer in that case.
Conduit benders and the like just butcher the thin wall tube.
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2006
- RO Number
- 20406
- Messages
- 1,584
quote:
Originally posted by luckydave
The standard way to keep thin wall tubing from collapsing when bending is to fill it with water and freeze it first....works like a charm. Of course, it's hard to do with a 20' long part.
Another method I've used is to fill the pipe with sand and as securely as possible plug the ends then bend it. It'll prevent the pipe from collapsing or crimping on you.
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2000
- RO Number
- 958
- Messages
- 484
A canvas shop could also bend it