Bending aluminum tubing

[quack24]

Anyone have suggestions or experience bending aluminum tubing I'm trying to figure out how to bent it for the framework of my ttt its 3/4 square by 1\8 I couldn't order full length pieces so I ordered 8 foot pieces and I'm going to attach them together by using 5 inch pieces of 1/2 inch tubing inside and riveting them together

[Juneaudave]

I would message Alaska Teardrop AKA Fred. He pretty smart and makes some extremely nice trailers. You should probably also check the construction thread for Freds Northern Lite Trailer http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=51991&p=956704#p956704

[dmdc411]

Would something like this work? I use these to bend electrical conduit. Takes some time to get good at it, but not hard at all!!
http://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/ ... IJQ&adurl=

[alaska teardrop]

Thank you, Dave, for the compliments. It means a lot coming from the man that built a beautiful award winning teardrop.

Quack, I've read your posts and am a little confused as to what your plans are. May I suggest that you start a build thread, post pictures & drawings and ask questions there.

Tube bending: you could try cold bending the tube around a form such as a truck wheel of the diameter you want. You could try making a conduit like bender to your radius. But my best suggestion to get matching bends of all your arches would be to find a local machine shop/fabrication shop that has a ring bender with 3/4" square dies. Pay for an hour or two labor and be done.

Tubing: Why you are using 3/4" x 1/8" x 8' tubing? Find a local industrial steel/metals supplier. They should stock or be able to order extruded aluminum shapes in 20' lengths. Also sheet aluminum in a variety of types & sizes.

Rivets: I highly recommend using closed end aluminum structural rivets installed with a pneumatic rivet gun. You should be able to find them at a local industrial supply store.

Good luck, Fred

[tac422]

halfway down this page is a homemade tubing bender ...
viewtopic.php?f=50&t=66629

[Iain Hall]

Harbor fright do a nice tube roller for a couple of hundred bucks but I made my own

[ssuuki19]

Hi I am new to the forum, just getting to my first post but saw this - I paid a supplier to bend the 1" square tube to the required profile for my build as I was told aluminum would rather 'tear' than bend, especially on any type of aggressive bend. It cost a lot of money for the two roof splines, but the profile was perfect.