Thanks Rich, this is my first attempt at bending. Don't have a bender yet but I plan on getting one soon. Any suggestions on types of Metal benders?

Well that depends a lot on what kind of stock you need to bend and what sort of bends you need to make. For simple bends in lightweight stock (up to 1/4x2" flat bar), one of the cheap Harbor Freight benders would probably do fine. It's a simplified, crude, lightweight knock-off of the venerable Hossfeld Bender. Unlike the Hossfeld, however, it has no optional dies available.

The real Hossfeld bender will handle stock up to 1/2x3 flat bar and even bigger with the hydraulic assist option and there are literally hundreds of auxiliary dies available to allow you to bend angle iron, channel iron, round tubing, square tubing, T-bar and other profiles any direction you want. Also scroll formers and other goodies.

The HF bender is usually under a hundred bucks and the real Hossfeld is about a grand - plus another jillion if you buy every die they offer. (grin) It really comes down to how serious you are about a bender. Pros like Ries Niemi live and die by their Hossfelds and can work absolute magic with them. It does take some serious practice and study to be able to work that magic though, the bender has no brain.

There are also the DiAcro benders a slightly different concept than the Hossfeld swing-arm style, and probably not as adaptable for a blacksmith though some guys love them. They start around the same price as a Hossfeld, I believe.

Then there are the hydraulic benders, everything from a cheesy Harbor Freight tailpipe bender to $50,000+ machines from Germany that will crank out scrolls a mile a minute all week long with a few clicks of your computer mouse.

The guy to give you the best advice about bender sis probably Ries Niemi. Hopefully he'll chime in here and give the straight poop. I do 99% of my bending at the anvil or with bending forks, so I'm not really the right guy to make suggestions for you.

Rich

Thank you again Rich, I will do some research on the benders you suggested. I like the idea of the inexpensive one from HF, as I am just getting started and don't know how much bending I will be doing.

That little HF bender isn't a bad way to get your feet wet in the steel binding arena, Tom. You can't do tubing on it, bu tit will do flat bar and rod and give you a feel for how a Hossfeld would work for you. Just a feel, mind you, since the Hossfeld is a real production tool with much broader capabilities than the little knock-off. If you watch carefully HF often has it on sale for around $90 so you wouldn't get hurt if you decided it wasn't for you.

One thing to keep in mind with any of the benders of this type is that they need to be anchored solidly in a place where there is plenty of room around for the tail end of the stock you're working with. For intermittent use on a "hobby" basis, I'd suggest setting a post in the ground in where you have about ten feet all around it. Mount the bender on that and you won't have to fight with the tail end of the stock running into walls and other tools.

Rich

Thanks Rich, Like you said I think that will be an inexpensive way to get my feet wet in bending. I think I have the room, so I will probably go for it. Thanks again

Tom

That's what we're here for, Tom. Have fun with it!

Rich