Workshop top tips

jaydee75 said:
Speaking of shop lathes, I just finished a project this summer that was much like restoring a Norton. This is a 1945 Atlas lathe sold by Craftsman (Sears) back when the US made good stuff. Lathe is 12 x 18 and a joy to use. I am teaching myself. This is a deep money pit sorta like an old bike. There is always another tool, attachment, or replacement part you need.
Jaydee
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Workshop top tips
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Here's a modified Myford lathe that was carried around in the Fereodo racing van for when they were doing this in the 1950s/60s, funny how the raised head & tailstock look like the 1980s Chester and other raised lathes;

http://www.lathes.co.uk/myfordcapstan/
 
Need to make mudguard stays? or in my case, braces for the rack and pannier frames I made for Krauser panniers.

If you just squeeze or hammer the end of the tubing - I was using 16swg 1/2dia - there is a stress concentration on the transition. Plus it looks really ugly.
I got a couple of bits of 2" angle and filed a groove across one side of each, so that there would be a gradual transition from round to flat. When held together, you create a funnel like shape.
The two bits of angle go into the vice, place the tube between at the groove, and tighten. A bit of practise to get shapes and distances right and you are ready for production. Very quick and simple.
A bit of tweaking and I was producing nicely graduated, smooth looking flats.
Rather than cinch it right down tight, I inserted a short length of flat stock, same 16swg, into the closing end for reinforcement. Put a nice radius on the end, drill fixing hole and I brazed it up as it was in a bit of an exposed position.
Not only looks factory, the ones I did have lasted over 25 years.

Thanks to Slick for reminding me, his crimp idea is similar.
 
Nick your funnel tube end squeezer sounds like the cat's meow from for some 1" OD alu tube I need more of. Could ya show example of the crimper shapes? Need to crimp a hose barb in other end so will use Texas slicks trick too.

Ya know using Texas as a handle is pretty impolite/rude - cause it embarrasses everyone who's not a Texan.
 
Sorry, I only have a film camera - which I haven't used for 15 years, and I don't have/need a phone.

I just hand filed the groove until it produced the shape I liked. I did actually make one which did the bending on one side only, to go into a tight space.

With Al, you may need to anneal it first. A few swipes on the end with some hand soap and add heat until the soap goes black. Allow to cool. Don't use your hand as a heat sink.
 
One sided tapper former eh, cool that would work better for Peel needsl. Appreciate the annealing and soak indicator advise too. I love it when I can use wood carptenery tools for mechanical metal works. Peel's long struts from Z plates to above frame loop luggage rack are steel factory formed one sided taper flats but with a neat bend in them about 15-20' so have a model to mimic, w/o the bending part. I lucked out find these long struts already pre formed in a junk pile as a loop for some tractor implement I only had to slice in half through the flattened arc part - done ready to paint. Winter nights are prefect to relax by the fire and whittle up some wood chips.
 
nickguzzi said:
Need to make mudguard stays? or in my case, braces for the rack and pannier frames I made for Krauser panniers.
If you just squeeze or hammer the end of the tubing - I was using 16swg 1/2dia - there is a stress concentration on the transition. Plus it looks really ugly.
I got a couple of bits of 2" angle and filed a groove across one side of each, so that there would be a gradual transition from round to flat. When held together, you create a funnel like shape.
The two bits of angle go into the vice, place the tube between at the groove, and tighten. A bit of practise to get shapes and distances right and you are ready for production. Very quick and simple.
A bit of tweaking and I was producing nicely graduated, smooth looking flats.
Rather than cinch it right down tight, I inserted a short length of flat stock, same 16swg, into the closing end for reinforcement. Put a nice radius on the end, drill fixing hole and I brazed it up as it was in a bit of an exposed position.
Not only looks factory, the ones I did have lasted over 25 years. Thanks to Slick for reminding me, his crimp idea is similar.
Click to expand...

if you use ½ inch internal diameter steel tubing’s for bending there is a useful pluming tool spring available in 15 & 22 mm that they use on copper pipes, to prevent any kinks/creases occurring but with steel you will have to anneal the tube first;
:!: USE ONLY on thin gauge tubes :!: :idea:

Plumbing Tools Internal Pipe Bending Spring 15mm

http://www.transtools.co.uk/hand-tools/ ... ernal-15mm

Plumbing Tools Internal Pipe Bending Spring 22mm

http://www.transtools.co.uk/hand-tools/ ... ernal-22mm
 
A conduit bender available from any electrical supply house should work well on mild steel tube. Electrical conduit would be suitable for stays if the galvanize were removed with acid, then either chromed or painted.

I would consider using aluminum tube and a purpose sized hand operated tube bender. A tube bender for 1/2 inch OD tube might be a little pricey...perhaps $75 - 100, but with a little practice, very professional looking bends can be achieved. Tube benders are meant for one size of tube only, but reasonably good bends can be achieved with tube one size smaller than the tool's design size....example 5/16 tube can be bent on a 3/8 bender, 3/16 on a 1/4 etc.

Nickguzzi's angle brackets are a good "poor man's" tube bender.

Slick
 
The guzzi's then new stainless front exhaust pipes were not bent quite enough on the lower bend, the rear end drooped and looked awful.
I filled them with dry sand and plugged them. I made a wooden jig to test for the correct angle. Plenty of heat and it was surprisingly easy with two of us.

I have used the bending springs Bernard mentions, when installing the central heating in my 3 story house of the time. They are buggers, get it even slightly wrong and they jam in and you can easily end up scrapping the piece you're working on. Even bending copper is heavy work, I can't see anyone using them successfully on steel. Better off getting the plumbers pipe bender.

The racks mentioned earlier were bent using a small bending m/c. Similar to the plumbers type but quite a bit sturdier. I think 1/2" or 5/8" was its max size. I was able to make the side frames which the Krausers hang on very easily.

The tricky bit was sourcing material without buying a lorry load. Fortunately the 1/2" stuff was kicking about at work, but quite a bit was from my scrap bin. Cummins pushrods, ERF cab tilt pump handles, made of T45 that! A few bits of child's pushchair got in there too.
Plus some 3/8" kunifer brake pipe for the little rack to bungee the tent to. I used a brake pipe bender for that. Works really well, not as fragile as I thought it would be.
All knocked up in tea breaks.
The real tip is ... never throw anything away!
 
With two kids in college, I don't have the $ or the inclination to buy machine tools, but a good vise, a bench grinder with a wire wheel on one end and various drills, bits, angle grinder, jig saw and all the tools I used to make a living with for over 30 years come in mighty handy at times.
 
nickguzzi said:
I have used the bending springs Bernard mentions, when installing the central heating in my 3 story house of the time. They are buggers, get it even slightly wrong and they jam in and you can easily end up scrapping the piece you're working on. Even bending copper is heavy work, I can't see anyone using them successfully on steel. Better off getting the plumbers pipe bender.

The racks mentioned earlier were bent using a small bending m/c. Similar to the plumbers type but quite a bit sturdier. I think 1/2" or 5/8" was its max size. I was able to make the side frames which the Krausers hang on very easily. quote]

Yes you are quite right, I have amended my reply to; USE ONLY on thin gauge tubes :!:
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Oh man Danno hand drills and bench grinder, files and hack saws are as much manchist tools as I expert with. The bend thin wall small tubing ya can fill it with various things, ice, sugar, sand, flour, etc or my favorte for small 1/4" or less tube I melt low temp metal alloy into it then bend tightly this way and that then flush out of metl out the filler so no collapse in tube dia. Have needed this on Peel air station and brake stand pipe, 1st one sharp bends, 2nd one undoing many bends til straightened out to lie right. For many nasty holes say in trailer floor or stuff I can't reach over head or down in a pipe ditch or with a eletric cord, cordless .22 . 308 or 12 ga gets em done in a flash.
 
Have used cerobend low temp alloy for bending hydraulic tubes for aircraft. Thin wall stainless tube. Cerobend melts at 80deg C. Melt it in hot water, pour it in the tube, bend then heat the bent tube in hot water again and pour to out. It's about the same as lead when set. Makes perfect bube bends. Magic stuff but I expect it wouldn't be cheap.
 

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Isn't technology wonderful? I'm sure it is much better working with small sizes.
I think that is what we call Wood's metal. £40 a Kg.
Isn't it toxic because of the lead and cadmium?

http://www.hotrod.com/cars/project-vehi ... ng-basics/ Shows what you can do with a few basics and practice.

For my use as backtard type blacksmithery, sand works fine at £0 per go, and is also endlessly recyclable.
Not so good on oil or hydraulic lines though.
 
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