Bending big hoops on compact bender.

[aametalmaster]

Lots of guys have these benders and some don't really know what they can do easily. Heres how i do the big hoops from flatbar for industrial ladders with the safety cages. I lay out the metal with centerlines and where the radius starts and stops. Then draw lines 1 1/4" apart for the segments where it will be bent or tweeked prob is a better word. Then i make a pattern for the radius i want. Then i start tweeking 3 or 4 places at the first line and check it with the pattern. If its bent too much just spring it back a little and if it needs more just hit it again. After a few minutes you will get the hang of how hard to pull the handle because it doesn't take much...Bob

 

[Tony Wells]

That brings back some memories. I have built a number of them along with the platforms that surround tanks and stacks in refineries. Some of them went all over the middle east. After completion, they were hot dipped in Zinc to galvanize them. Had to ship them about 100 miles to the nearest galvanizing outfit with tanks large enough to handle the sections. Also built piping bridges that were sort of like bar joists or trusses that got dipped too. Probably over 100,000 lbs of structural all together. Good money, but lots of work. We built a roll for the hoops, since we had so many to do. Your method looks perfectly workable though. I like it.

 

[xalky]

I see what you did there. I'm alway like to see new ways to use my bender. I especially like how you adapted it to bend over the arm rather than in between which allows you to increase the width capacity a little. Excellent.)

 

[aametalmaster]

I see what you did there. I'm alway like to see new ways to use my bender. I especially like how you adapted it to bend over the arm rather than in between which allows you to increase the width capacity a little. Excellent.)

Plus the biggest thing is you can see what you are doing better on top. I use dies to 7 7/8" in dia...Bob

 

[aametalmaster]

Some more hoops. Ladders are booming at work. 6-8 at a time...Bob

 

[pjf134]

Bob,
Brings back a lot of memories as well. We did those on rolls in the shop and would have been easier on benders. We did have patterns for those and a layout table for those and handrail also. We used to do a lot of structural and tanks also, and a lot easier to put together.
Paul