Where to buy?

[Komelika]

Where would you look for benders and notchers locally (aside from HF)? It seems like everything is available online.

[Bullnerd]

Just go to Standfasts house and use all his stuff.

Stay away from HF!

JD model-32 seems like a killer deal to me.

[Gene]

Even if you find it in a store it will come from the few manufacturers you see on line.

I Googled Pro Tools - on line of course.

[Komelika]

The model 32 looks killer, but the model 3 fits the budget a little better. By the time I buy the floor mount and die(s) it will be @ the $600 mark. I know it may be a bitch to do it all manually, but that is what I have to deal with since I have short money. Also, what do you think of the TN-100 notcher? $215 is do-able. With the bender and notcher in this price range plus shipping, that probably leaves me somewhere around $1000-$1100 for plans and tubing to get started on this thing. When the money runs out then I will be in a hold pattern until I save some. I don't do debt, so you can understand why I'm trying to go low budget. Thanks for the input?

[Gene]

I have the model 3 and the Notch Master. Good tools and you can always upgrade to hydraulic later. Good choice1

[Bullnerd]

Go with the notchmaster(249$)only a little more,but much heavier.Ask Standfast,he has one.(whoops so does Gene)

Model 3 is also an awesome deal.

[Komelika]

Originally Posted by Gene

I have the model 3 and the Notch Master. Good tools and you can always upgrade to hydraulic later. Good choice1

Which die do you recommend keeping budget in mind? I know I will need a 1" die but I haven't looked to deep into die selection yet, so I'm not sure about the center line radius. I assume it determines how tight of a bend it can produce, but I don't know what is desireable for this type of fabrication.

On another note, I can fab a mounting pedestal and save some cash over the one that JD offers. Besides, that will give me some much needed practice.

[Gene]

Buy the die that will make the bend required by the plans you purchase. I have the 3.5 radius for smaller tubing including 1.0 abd 1.25 and the larger radius for larger diameter tubing including 1.5 and 1.75.

Tighter bends are apparently weaker than larger bends but I think it is made up for with bracing. In our application it may not be relevant at all, which may cause debate.

I would purchase the more expensive die so thinner wall tubing can get bent.