On Sun, 19 Feb 2006 09:18:20 -0800, "Steve B"
wrote:


"Grant Erwin" wrote
Most blacksmiths just catch one end of the square bar in a vise and twist
the other end with an old school monkey wrench, sometimes with an
extension handle welded to the top so it becomes a two-handed wrench. That
way you can control the twisting, make it tight or slow. It's real easy if
the metal is hot. - GWE

Exactly my idea. Or cut eight short lengths of the square stock I want, and
stack them around a center piece that I want to twist, and weld them all
together, except for the center one. That would make a block with a hole
down the center.

There's lots of simple ways to do this.

I am also going to go and get a rem of plate about 3 foot square, and drill
and tap holes to put bolts I can do repetitive bends around, and various
stops and fences as I figure this out.

Again, this is small stuff, and it won't take much.

STeve



My cousin had a job for building about 500 linear feet of railing that
used twisted bar for the vertical pieces. I think it was 3/4 or 1"
square stock.
He found an old gearbox tiller and mounted it to a table and ran it
with an electric motor. At the other end of this long steel table he
mounted a plate with a square hole.

He would turn on the electric motor and it would twist this steel
right up. He would then cut it up into the lengths he needed.

He demonstrated this to me and it was effortless he then reversed the
motor and it took the twists back out.

He did not heat the metal to do this either.

He bought premade baskets and other decorative pieced to go on them.

Made very nice railing.