What Tubing Bender Die Do I Need For Your Plans?

by David Perseke
( Minnesota)

I have been in the process of building a chopper. I purchased your frame jig plans, and built that. I got most of the equipment now The question I have is on the Medford 3 tubing bender. The dies are costly, they offer four different radius 3.5, 4.5, 5.5, and 6.5 radius. I will be purchasing a frame plans from your company, after I get all the tools that I need. On your frame prints what is your smallest radius, I would use, and the largest radius. This information would help me picking out the right dies. Thank you for any information that you got.

Comments for What Tubing Bender Die Do I Need For Your Plans?

Average Rating

Click here to add your own comments

May 23, 2014
Rating

Bend Radii
by: Custom-Choppers-Guide.com

Hello David,

The frames we have range with a variety of bend radii. Some of these are very tight but most all of them follow the rule that the bend radius is never smaller than 2 times the tube O.D.

The nice thing about the designs, is that you can use a larger radius and still get a fully functional frame. So to answer your question, what is the smallest radius die you should purchase, I would recommend that you pick the radius that suites your design of the frame and aesthetic tastes.

Keep in mind that you can use a larger radius and it will give your frame a softer look.

I've even seen some builders who just cut the tube and use a stiff hard 90 degree sharp angle because that is the look they wanted for their Custom Chopper.

Also plan ahead and think about what kind of fork you are going to use. A girder, or springer fork or maybe even just a standard hydraulic piston fork.

All of these items will help you to choose the look you want to go for. Also keep in mind that smaller radii bends are a lot harder and you may have some buckling in the tube when bending.

I've seen some builders fill tubes with sand and seal them before bending so that they can get a nice tight bend. I hope I have giving you some sort of idea on how you should proceed with the tube bender. Please let us know if you have any other questions or concerns.

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Bobber Frame Plans Questions.