Shop pedestal idea...

[komelika]

What do you think of this? The left is pedestal. The right is the attachment piece. The red pieces welded in and ground flush. Everything should fit flush and tight and the pinch bolts cinch everything down.

[komelika]

$10 A CUT?!?!?!?!! Damn,they really stick it to ya there! I gotta ask though.How you planning on cutting the tube and stuff? I'm not TRYING to be a smartass either. THe reason I ask is that the first 2 cars I built I used a hacksaw and a fricken file. I didn't have so much as a grinder. All I had basically was a drill,a hacksaw ,a file and an ancient scratch start TIG rig. I farmed all  my bends out.  Simply put, I did what I had to do to get what I wanted. Where there's a will there's a way ya know. Fortunately that was over 30 years ago. Now I'm a spoiled rotten old BRUSHFIRE! LOL!!!!! I'm REALLY glad those days are behind me.  We're behind you and know that you'll get the job done. When you hit a hard spot ,as we all have,someone here will jump right in and offer help. Be sure to feel free to ask any and all questions you wish and keep the pics coming.

Yeah, when I built my welding cart I had a plate cut out of some scrap they had laying around and the cut cost $10! Caught me off guard too.
I have an angle grinder and a Milwaukee chop saw in the garage and a notcher on the way so the tubing shouldn't be a problem. Cutting plate into pieces would be a chore though. Hey, I appreciate the encouragement for sure. That is the best thing about the internet. You can find people that know how to do what you want to learn how to do and the possibilites are endless.

And since I'm so picture happy today, here is my welding cart. To date, this is the only thing I've ever really fabbed in my life. I dig it! It was welded with Flux core and has been converted to mig now.

[Nutz4sand]

More common and maybe better for the task woulkd be 2 inch metal like a hitch reciever uses. Easier to find to I bet. With longer pieces of a tight greased fit (get your minds out of the gutterz....  :P) it would be stabler than the short distances you propose above.

The bender part will need to remain solid or at least not tippable in degrees. As you pull on the tube to bend it if the bender slides any degrees in the mount and you do not account for it the tube will likely be bent off by at least that much! (and thats if you was dead on to begin with)

The bender need not be level (but that nice if it is. IMO)
But if its off a few degrees you will need a plane of bend measuremnt and work off it. If the bender flexes it will be off. If the bender tips any. Unless you account for it. You would need to measure the top of the bender in at least two different directions then double check afterwards.

IMO you are asking for issues doing it this way for the sake of easy change to vice etc.

What I would recommend is and anchor plate on the floor with studs. The anchor oplate remains there and you unbolt the whole stand to put the new stand there for different tools. The studs are a tripping hazzard but its the price you pay for this kind of deal. You can cover them when not in use with a piece of wood with beveled sides so its not so bad and not gonna kill you if you fall on it.

I know its not what you want to hear.

I do not see the device you made above holding a bender solid enough myself without it being hydraulic and all the forces being contained in it.  Its your game though.   
   

[fabr]

I agree with the rigidity also but there are several that have used benders mounted like he's suggesting. I've even seen some that were literally using the receiver hitch on the truck! Would I like/do it? NO,but it does work. I like the pedestal mounted to the floor but he hasn't the room

[fabr]

Oh and nice cart. With some practice you'll be as good as most of us. Most of us can only wish we had the skills of a few here. I wish I had the /hands some do !

[Nutz4sand]

I know he is hurting for room Fabr. I am just pointing out a few things that might affect his bends.

Nothing worse than your first few bends being all screwy and you are not aware of why.

Might be worse yet if someone could saved yah the headache and did not! One would like to think that  someone at least showed you how to work around it to get the desired results. 

[komelika]

More common and maybe better for the task woulkd be 2 inch metal like a hitch reciever uses. Easier to find to I bet. With longer pieces of a tight greased fit (get your minds out of the gutterz....  :P) it would be stabler than the short distances you propose above.

The bender part will need to remain solid or at least not tippable in degrees. As you pull on the tube to bend it if the bender slides any degrees in the mount and you do not account for it the tube will likely be bent off by at least that much! (and thats if you was dead on to begin with)

The bender need not be level (but that nice if it is. IMO)
But if its off a few degrees you will need a plane of bend measuremnt and work off it. If the bender flexes it will be off. If the bender tips any. Unless you account for it. You would need to measure the top of the bender in at least two different directions then double check afterwards.

IMO you are asking for issues doing it this way for the sake of easy change to vice etc.

What I would recommend is and anchor plate on the floor with studs. The anchor oplate remains there and you unbolt the whole stand to put the new stand there for different tools. The studs are a tripping hazzard but its the price you pay for this kind of deal. You can cover them when not in use with a piece of wood with beveled sides so its not so bad and not gonna kill you if you fall on it.

I know its not what you want to hear.

I do not see the device you made above holding a bender solid enough myself without it being hydraulic and all the forces being contained in it.  Its your game though.   
 

Thanks for the feedback. The only difference I see in this idea and the optional pedestal that can be ordered with the bender is the interchangeablity. I wouldn't mount studs in the floor. Instead I would put heavy duty concrete anchor inserts and use 1/2 in lag screws and washers to mount the pedestal. That would eliminate the trip hazard when they aren't in use. I can't imagine the 2"x3" square tubing flexing much under load, especially if it is reinforced with 1.75" square tubing rosette welded down the base.

I agree with the rigidity also but there are several that have used benders mounted like he's suggesting. I've even seen some that were literally using the receiver hitch on the truck! Would I like/do it? NO,but it does work. I like the pedestal mounted to the floor but he hasn't the room

It will be mounted to the floor with 12"x12"x .25" plate. That is a pretty large footprint. I have enough room for that. It will be mounted in the middle of the garage at the garage door.

Oh and nice cart. With some practice you'll be as good as most of us. Most of us can only wish we had the skills of a few here. I wish I had the /hands some do !

Thanks! I know I have a lot to learn, but all in all I think it was a pretty good start for a newbie.

[Nutz4sand]

Thanks for the feedback. The only difference I see in this idea and the optional pedestal that can be ordered with the bender is the interchangeablity. I wouldn't mount studs in the floor. Instead I would put heavy duty concrete anchor inserts and use 1/2 in lag screws and washers to mount the pedestal. That would eliminate the trip hazard when they aren't in use. I can't imagine the 2"x3" square tubing flexing much under load, especially if it is reinforced with 1.75" square tubing rosette welded down the base.

Its not the tube itself flexing so much as the joint. It can be tough to make a joint with truely no flex. A longer tube would be better IMO. 

It obvious you have put some time and thought into yours. But I just wanted to make sure you knew that for bending it cannot move ANY!!! OR if it moves you will need to adjust for it. The longer a tube (your bending) is the farther off it can be with this movement. 

The pedastal it comes with will have no slop in its joint! lol Due to no joint.

Thus the bender will remain perfectly in the plane it started bending in. If it was not level to start with it will not be when its done. You just need to account for that before the bend (plane of bend). 

IF the bender moves ANY the tube might (will likely) be quite far off.

Just trying to make you aware of a potential problem and that you are able to guarantee it does not plague you.
 

[fabr]

I know he is hurting for room Fabr. I am just pointing out a few things that might affect his bends.

Nothing worse than your first few bends being all screwy and you are not aware of why.

Might be worse yet if someone could saved yah the headache and did not! One would like to think that  someone at least showed you how to work around it to get the desired results. 

I agree completely! I wasn't arguing witcha.

[fabr]

DO NOT use lag screws and shields. They WILL NOT do a decent job ESPECIALLY if you plan on putting it up and down. A better solution would be to drill larger holes and use anchor cement or epoxy anchor to embed a 1/2" coupling nut in the floor.Insert it aqbout 1" below the floor surface with a well greased bolt in it. In a few minutes when the anchor or epoxy has set remove the bolt. Rock solid insert and when not in use insery a countercunk bolt in the inserts to keep them free of debris. Otherwise I like your plan.  I guarantee you you will regret the lag bolt/screw method.










































BTW,I'm in the building business and I've seen WAY too many failed lag screws/shields.

[Nutz4sand]

My bender stand started like this one below and went off the deep end! (more on that in other threads) but I started wanting a nice one like this.

It would be decently easy to make something like this that collpased flat too fit against the wall. Yet was solid when up. The cylinders not a ton of loot but it does use a lot of air.

Just another idea for thought.

 

[komelika]

Good idea on the mounting. I like the idea of an epoxied nut better. Back to the flexing problem. This should take care of that. The red outer pieces would be welded to the pedestal. I could weld nuts on them to hold the cinch bolts in. This idea development discussion is fun!

[Wyattboche]

nice welding cart. what are the dimensions on it, if you don't mind me asking?

[komelika]

Thanks! I'll have to take the measurements again. I'll post them tomorrow.

[Carlriddle]

The welding cart looks good.  Only problem I see is the rear castors, where the cylinder sits, are in too far.  Fine as long as welder is on cart, but if you take welder off cylinder does a flip.  Ask me how I know. 

I like the idea of bender being interchangeable/removeable.  Mounted SOLID.  Always had too much crap in way for horizontal bending, so I prefered vertical.  10' ceiling not a problem with long tubes, yet.  But always outside.  Built a new air/hydrolic bender on castors for Turkey day.  Pics as soon as I find camera.