really. I have one (bought it off Craigslist couple years ago) and used it to bend pipe. Never had any problem with kinking.

 

I've built a few interior racks, exterior racks, light bars, etc with my $50 used HF. It's worked fine and never kinked black pipe from the 2 different steel yards I use as well as cheap store bought pipe.

 

Built this using one...

 

thats nice. glad it worked for you.. i dont know what the secret is? i couldnt bend past 40 degrees without major kinkage.

 

did u put the rollers in corresponding holes on the bender?

For example with 1/2" pipe, you have rollers close together on the first holes above the ram. But when you do 2" pipe, you put rollers all the way to the holes on both ends

 

Weird all that paint smeared on the pipe. Maybe the shoe isn't wide enough or too large of diameter pipe. I'd use some sand paper to smooth the shoe and try using a bit of grease on the shoe.

 

When I was using mine I noticed if you put the welded part of the pipe on the shoe it won't kink as bad. So u always want the weld on the inside of the bend

 

i tried everything from modifying the dies to clamp the pipe in, moving rollers in all different spots. heating while bending (lol) and nothing made it much better.

 

It may be possible but I wouldn't try it. The fight you're in for will be harder than just tearing down the diff and putting it back together.

 

Um, wha?

LOL

 

I heard that packing your tubing with sand before bending helps with kinking. Maybe it acts as a mandrel. Never tried it but worth a shot.

 

I was bending some 1 inch pipe today, i figured id use my jd2 with the 1 1/4 die, since i just used the 1 1/4 die with 1/2 pipe and it bent very well, even though the die is huge. i tired the 1 inch and it flattened on me. i pulled out the HF bender and i seen the 1 inch die fits nice and tight on the 1 inch pipe. bent it PERFECT. wow. every other die fits its pipe size like ****. so either the dies arent made to good spec/quality control. or the pipe is not... im going to guess the dies lol. IF you buy one. check it with the sizes you will be using.. if it doesnt fit the dies nice and snug it will kink. i had to beat the die off the pipe after bending. and the bend is schweeeeeet

 

Weird. I replied to the wrong thread somehow. My bad.

 

that JD2 is a nice bender. i have the pro-tools 105hd, only because that's what is available up here in canada.

either way, a tubing bender bends tube and a pipe bender bends pipe. one won't bend the other without ending up being disappointed with the results.

 

The nice thing is you can get pipe and tube dies for both the pro tools and the JD2, as well as dies to bend square tubing. However, they are expensive. Love my JD2. Worth every penny.