Thread: Bar bender build

Been meaning to make a bender for a while.
Lo, the MkI version. Based on a youtube video.







Each pin is 16mm rod with M12 thread cut for mounting.







I may end up making some bushes that fit over the pins. For bending smaller diameter rods or wire.
The whole thing is bolted to the workshop fabrication table that weighs ~250kg.

Trial and error fabrication... Yes, it's not unusual for the MkI version of stuff to break.

This is the home made portable version for use around floor slab starters and whatnot

I have one of the manual ones like you would bolt to a plank - they take a bit of fine tuning to get the start point on the bar at the same place each time to make stirrups to the same length

the good thing about your one is that it looks like it would do flat bar well


The best tools are often the ones you make yourself

Be aware that for bending reinforcing bars for concrete construction there are minimum diameters for the pin you bend the bar around. The diameter depends on the bar diameter, round or deformed & main bar or stirrup/tie. The Inspectors & Engineers will/should be looking for this & it's a bastard to change when the cage is all tied up, the concrete truck is waiting & the inspector fails it.

Originally Posted by Joe_90

Been meaning to make a bender for a while.
Lo, the MkI version. Based on a youtube video.

Attachment 260689

Attachment 260690

Attachment 260691

Each pin is 16mm rod with M12 thread cut for mounting.



Attachment 260692



I may end up making some bushes that fit over the pins. For bending smaller diameter rods or wire.
The whole thing is bolted to the workshop fabrication table that weighs ~250kg.

Trial and error fabrication... Yes, it's not unusual for the MkI version of stuff to break.

Out of curiosity what are you making up? Can see you have a plan of parts to bend but can't figure out what the final product will be

But also the minimum bends are different for machine and hand bent steel, with hand bent you struggle to get the minimum bends into a normal foot plus clearance from dirt, a real pain in the ass

Excellent points on required bend radius. If I have to bend rebar for construction then something terrible wrong has happened. This one is definitely workshop based.
@Dan88, the bend plan on the table is the vague outline of a Formula 1 car. Being an 'art' project, the use of standard units of measure* are banned. So far it's be "yeah a bit more there, about one finger width"

*no tape measure or rules allowed. Definitely no use of millimetres.

Those battery rebar benders are the go on site

That's the end result. Only tacked together and still very raw. Proves the concept though, so that's nice.