Preheat advice requested

[BukitCase]

Terry, I like it - I'm thinking I should have made a wider mouth like yours, may need to change that. Guess I'll find out later tonite -

How does/did yours work, and what (if anything) would you have changed? Steve

 

[Sodo]

I've bent 1/2" x 3" flatbar with a much flimsier jig than that. I was using a 50T press. I don't know about 20T, but the 50T bent the 1/2" flatbar like butter.

If you want to pretend you are setting up for a production run……. (of more than 2 :laughing: )

Consider to flip it over and bend it "open" a little wider (with the press). Then you release the down-force it automatically springs open a little to release your part.

 

[Big Barn]

Terry, I like it - I'm thinking I should have made a wider mouth like yours, may need to change that. Guess I'll find out later tonite - How does/did yours work, and what (if anything) would you have changed? Steve

I don't think I would change anything Steve. Actually surprise myself sometimes when something I design turns out okay. Using a 50 ton press. Wish I had an eighty ton, but then...... Terry

Edit: the wider mouth is nice. You can always tack in spacers to narrow it up.

 

[BukitCase]

Sodo, I know I only need two, but if they're not right they'll be a pain in my ***-embly every time I switch implements So I went overkill (I usually do) -
From this
20 TON Finger Brake Heavy Duty DIY Builder Kit

I think the 20ton won't have much problem, but then again I'm doing a 180 degree bend not a 90, so I won't be 100% confident it'll work til it actually DOES... Besides, I made this so it'd take spacers to do narrower things if/when I need to, so maybe I'll get more out of it than two pieces and some experience

Yeah, Terry, they had a nice 100 tonner at work with several dies, etc, but when I retired it just wouldn't quite fit in my lunch box :laughing: (not for a total lack of trying though...) Steve

 

[Arc weld]

If 20 tons isn't enough, heat the flat bar and you'll get a smoother radius and no spring back. I'd be a little worried everything will be stuck together in your jig. Get some graphite to put on the jig and the flat bar. It will lessen the friction when bending. Talked to a welder that worked at Edmonton Exchanger and he said the shop was messy from all the graphite they use when making pressure vessel components, like heads... and they have a 3000 ton press!:shocked: It uses a 72" dia. hyd. cylinder. They also have a set of plate rolls, serviced by a 100 ton crane, that can roll 7" thick cold and 11" thick hot (1650 deg.). That's some serious capacity! I went to school with the foreman. He was offered a job after going there for work experience and has been there since 1981. Lucky bastard. :laughing:

 

[BukitCase]

Thanks Arc weld - Yeah, couple of the places I worked at the last 35 years had monster presses like that - one had two 40 inch and one 60 inch cylinder running the same press, had 3 100 horse pumps in tandem

Note in the pics that the sides of my jig are open? If things get stuck, I'm thinking I can lay the jig on its side, support the two verticals with press plates and push the part out sideways. I also have the trusty rosebud standing by - no graphite, but a few tubes of moly grease.

It may take a few different methods to get the two GOOD pieces I need, but I have quite a bit of 1/2" flat bar to play with.

Hopefully, with plans A, B, and C already lined up, I won't need to figure out what plan D woulda been

The end result should be well worth it though, I already have 5 or 6 candidates for QA setup - a couple will need hydraulic motors, so I have the 3/4" hard tubing here to run hard lines up the loader arms, and a 30 gpm variable excess flow control valve mounted next to the loader control valves, to be inserted prior to loader valve with excess routed into the loader/backhoe.

Did I mention that this project is just getting STARTED??!? Steve

 

[Shield Arc]

So how did it turn out?

 

[BukitCase]

No actual parts bent yet - cooled it, welded between gussets, ran a couple stringer beads (your #10) on each gusset, ground the outside welds flush and blended so it would sit flat on either side (better support if/when I need to lay it on its side to push out the part), found the scrap piece of 1" plate to make new press plates, cut that in half.

After things cooled, I measured the distance between the uprights - it's dead on 2-9/16" both sides, top and bottom :cool2:

After seeing Terry's version (thanks Terry), I'm gonna make bigger bevels on the "mouth" next - Gotta clean up the new(old) press plates a bit (bit of slag here and there, 10 years of Oregon "patina")

Sooo, probably see some "proof of the pudding" sometime this afternoon (did I forget to mention I'm sometimes just a teensy bit OCD ?)

Already have another small "project" for this jig, gotta find a piece of 2" round stock (fatter pusher) so I can make 1/4" thick, longer legged "U's" to mount gate wheels on four 16' tube gates on my place.

Sodo, you'll be happy to know I'll now be "mass producing" :laughing:

Remember, if you can laugh at yourself, you'll nearly always have lots of company ... Steve

 

[Shield Arc]

After things cooled, I measured the distance between the uprights - it's dead on 2-9/16" both sides, top and bottom :cool2:

Did you use my weld sequence or yours?

 

[Sodo]

Sodo, you'll be happy to know I'll now be "mass producing" :laughing:
Remember, if you can laugh at yourself, you'll nearly always have lots of company ... Steve

Mass produce bending jigs or J-parts?

Stack 2 pieces of 1/4" flatbar and bend them with the pusher you have. The parts will become u-shaped '1/4" adapters' for either diameter (bigger or smaller) and you can cut them off flush at the top, then bevel the entry throat(s).