TheSamba.com :: View topic - Whats the most commonly used die for 1.5 tubeing

Sun Sep 26, 2010 6:41 pm

I am just about finished building my Takacs tubing bender and need to buy a die set for 1.5 tubing. I am going to order from Pro Tools and I need the 105 series die, I can only afford one so I was wondering what is the most commonly used radius or CLR. I am mostly bending for a bumper and a rack.

Sun Sep 26, 2010 7:13 pm

Chucky
I seem to recall that the CLR should be at least 3 times the diameter of the tube, so for 1 1/2 tube 4 1/2" CLR. the tighter the radius the thicker the tube should be or you get wrinkles in the inside of the bend, I have a 5 1/2 CLR die for my JD squared bender and if I do any thing under .088" wall tube I get wrinkles in the bend.

Casey

Sun Sep 26, 2010 7:51 pm

i purchased a 105 pro from pro tools with there dies its the biggest piece of shit ive ever seen,the folower die teares the tubing up i called they said to sand / pollish the die,you have to make up your own spacers for the dies its a joke. it is horibbe i will be saleing the hole set up soon. i paid extra for the pro tools set up over the jd2 since it was supposed to be better / stronger i am so dissapointed with it it sucks. i had a hossfield bender berfore and it was just fine i guess i screwed up good luck with your choice just my opinion

Sun Sep 26, 2010 7:57 pm

Just remember the bigger radius of the die, to more "space" bend will take and large bends can interfere is some aspects of construction and aesthetics too .... My die size of preference for 1-1/2 inch tubing would be a 5 inch radius die....

Dale

Sun Sep 26, 2010 8:04 pm

It's all trial and air...what works for one person may not work for another...everyone uses different wall thickness and material...just do your home work and find out what most people are using...there are a ton of web sites and you tube vids that show different products...just my opinion but you're on your own on this one cuz no one will want to be blamed for a product they suggest and you may not like it...my 2 cents.

Mon Sep 27, 2010 4:01 am

Pro Tools 5" radius die says it's Min. Th. is .083 and max is 0.134 and for 6" Min. .065 Max 0.134 What would you recommend for bumpers. I tend to always go over kill when I try and Fab.
Will JD's fit my bender the same as Pro Tools? Cuz I may rethink what brand I buy, Thanks for all the info and I will do some more searching.

Mon Sep 27, 2010 7:42 am

I have the "got trikes"/Takacs bender. I have the 1.5" 4.5" CLR die and I bend .095 tubing all the time with it and I've never had a problem with kinks. I've had an issue with it flattening some tube on the inside of the bend, but there was lots of paint on the tube (so it didn't slide very well) and it was thin wall (it was stuff the guy had laying around).

I got the smallest CLR because I figured it took the least amount of space for the bend. In looking at buggies and cages, it seems most choose the smallest CLR as my die seems to match everyone elses car.

I was fortunate in that Pro Tools is local for me (big reason I chose the Takacs bender, dies are EXPENSIVE to ship.

The guys are very nice there, and they have a nice operation (I got the nickel tour once).

Mon Sep 27, 2010 7:46 am

chucky73 wrote:
Will JD's fit my bender the same as Pro Tools? Cuz I may rethink what brand I buy

I don't believe they are interchangeable. I've never had a problem with Pro Tools dies, and I've never heard of anyone else having problems with their dies. I wouldn't let one rant (with very poor spelling and grammar) sway your decision.

Mon Sep 27, 2010 8:03 am

ive got the 4.5 clr, jd2

Mon Sep 27, 2010 9:11 am

Hi i have a baileigh rmd 150 tube bender my 1 1\2 '' die has a 5.5 CLR and use .095 mild steel or dom no problems at all . Spary wd 40 on dies and tube

Mon Sep 27, 2010 5:25 pm

Ok, I think I am going to give the Pro Tools die a try. I think I will either go with the 4 1/2 CLR with a Min. thickness of 0.095 and a max of 0.134 or the 5" CLR. with a min. thickness of 0.083 and a max of 0.134, I wont be bending up a cage for awhile but I do want to build a front bumper and some mods to the rear Empi engine cage. And one day shoot for a rack and light bar. Thanks for all the excellent input.

Chucky.

Mon Sep 27, 2010 9:44 pm

norcalracer wrote: i purchased a 105 pro from pro tools with there dies its the biggest piece of shit ive ever seen,the folower die teares the tubing up i called they said to sand / pollish the die,you have to make up your own spacers for the dies its a joke. it is horibbe i will be saleing the hole set up soon. i paid extra for the pro tools set up over the jd2 since it was supposed to be better / stronger i am so dissapointed with it it sucks. i had a hossfield bender berfore and it was just fine i guess i screwed up good luck with your choice just my opinion

What were you trying to bend? Mild, DOM on 4130. The only time I have had problems with mine was with ERW. After it galled up on the die I had to polish it to get it back in shape for the better material. No problems before or after with DOM or 4130. All I use for lube is WD40.........

Mon Sep 27, 2010 9:45 pm

chucky73 wrote: Will JD's fit my bender the same as Pro Tools? Cuz I may rethink what brand I buy, Thanks for all the info and I will do some more searching.

Most JD and Pro-tools dies are interchangable. I regularly swap with another shop that has a JD.

Mon Sep 27, 2010 9:50 pm

Williams Low Buck Bender comes with 7.00" radius unless otherwise specified. It has worked for me, but like he said, to each his own.

Tue Sep 28, 2010 3:32 am

Skidmark, I was wondering what you built with the 7"and how the radious looked.

Tue Sep 28, 2010 9:30 am

I also have a 7" radius that i built my car with

By kbwakesk8 at 2010-07-09
it's a little big but my bender was cheap i have sense upgraded to a jd style bender with a 5 or 4.5" radius not shure that has a 180* die wich i used to build shock towers.

By kbwakesk8 at 2010-09-25

By kbwakesk8 at 2010-06-17
I also converted my bender to work off the air compressor

Tue Sep 28, 2010 4:58 pm

Florida_Buggy wrote: I was fortunate in that Pro Tools is local for me (big reason I chose the Takacs bender, dies are EXPENSIVE to ship.

Fed-ex has those one price shipping boxes up to 75lbs...That die can't weigh more then 75lbs.

Tue Sep 28, 2010 5:00 pm

Have you ever picked one up? I think it would be very close with the die, shoe, strap and pin. That shit is HEAVY.

Wed Sep 29, 2010 3:19 am

Pro Tools quoted me a shipping cost of about 40 bucks from Florida to San Diego. must be heaver than I thought.

Wed Sep 29, 2010 4:51 pm

chucky73 wrote: Skidmark, I was wondering what you built with the 7"and how the radious looked.

I did the front and rear bumpers with it... and the rear side tubes.