Is it possible to make your own pipe bender and if so how? I need to bend 1/4 inch pipe tp 1 ince pipe.

 

Not exactly sure what your project is but Ive used a conduit bender ( for bending Electrical conduit / IMT ) or you can get a cheap heavy duty bender from Harbor Freight ....

What were you planing on doing?? Frame , A-Arms, Roll Cage........?

 

Simple things like bumpers and racks. Eventually ill move up to arms but thats about it.

 

I was wondering that myself. To make a-arms you need fairly thick tubing but it is still hollow. So I was wondering if the tubing is hollow, do you need to have a mandrel bender or would a cheapy from harbor freight work.

 

I would go on the safe side and go with a mandrel bender Because for arms you want really strong bends.

 

would the tubing collapse on a cheap conventional bender

 

mandral benders are very expensive,but would do the best job for 90 degree+bends.
I bend alot of tubing at work any thing from half to inch and a half we use a tubing bender from "rmd manufactering, not to expensive,and simple to use,i'll see if i can get some info posted for you
See ya
Tim

 

Here's some benders click

 

Didnt know they were that much.

 

I have one of the benders that sixsixt posted. model three I think. I also have the one from harbor frieght. the diference is, the one from harbor frieght is for bending pipe. the other is for tubing. you can bend tubing with the one from harbor freight. but, only to about 120deg. if you try to bend futher than that it will kink the tube. it will help to fill the tube with sand before bending. also, the dies for the compresion type bender are like $100 a peice. thats on top of the cost of the bender. if you plan on making something structural. do not use mild steel. it will not hold up. use DOM (drawn over mandrel) or chromo. if you have access to a tig.