Gareth
Guru
- Location
- Norwich, Norfolk, UK
During the days running up to my Christmas break, I spent a few minutes each lunchtime practicing my newly found pipe bending skills on lengths of scrap hydraulic pipe.
I just the love the aestethics of engineering pieces with circles, sweeping radii, and equalateral triangles, especailly if I have designed and made it myself.
6 months ago I would have never been able to produce multiple bends maintaining an accuracy in all 3 dimensional planes; plus or minus (+/-) 1 mm and plus or minus (+/-) 0.5 degrees.......... Time and experience makes perfect.
The following 3 photos show my practice efforts at making a section of space frame containing 120 degree angled bends. Unfortunately the lengths of available scrap pipe that I had to hand would only make sections one bend short of my requirement for the side space frames that my new single wheeled bike trailer will be made up from.
Going for it with the pipe bender.
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Putting in the last bend: That's 10 mm outside diametre galvanised steel hydraulic pipe with a wall thickness pipe of 1.5 mm. It requires approximately 20 kg/metres of force to make the bends, and the handle of the pipe bender is only 300 mm long. So that is in excess of 60 kgs of force that I am having to put on the handle for each bend.
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A few grunts and five or so minutes later, my practice piece is done.
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I now have sufficent lengths of 10mm hydraulic pipe for my new single wheeled bike trailer curtesy of Stauff ltd. Over the next few days I will be completing the refurbishment of my original bike trailer, and then bending up sections and components for the new one.
I just the love the aestethics of engineering pieces with circles, sweeping radii, and equalateral triangles, especailly if I have designed and made it myself.
6 months ago I would have never been able to produce multiple bends maintaining an accuracy in all 3 dimensional planes; plus or minus (+/-) 1 mm and plus or minus (+/-) 0.5 degrees.......... Time and experience makes perfect.
The following 3 photos show my practice efforts at making a section of space frame containing 120 degree angled bends. Unfortunately the lengths of available scrap pipe that I had to hand would only make sections one bend short of my requirement for the side space frames that my new single wheeled bike trailer will be made up from.
Going for it with the pipe bender.
Putting in the last bend: That's 10 mm outside diametre galvanised steel hydraulic pipe with a wall thickness pipe of 1.5 mm. It requires approximately 20 kg/metres of force to make the bends, and the handle of the pipe bender is only 300 mm long. So that is in excess of 60 kgs of force that I am having to put on the handle for each bend.
A few grunts and five or so minutes later, my practice piece is done.
I now have sufficent lengths of 10mm hydraulic pipe for my new single wheeled bike trailer curtesy of Stauff ltd. Over the next few days I will be completing the refurbishment of my original bike trailer, and then bending up sections and components for the new one.