Bending Perfect Rings???? Help!!!
 

I have tried to use my bender to make 14" perfect rings out of 1/4 inch steel
rod, however I keep having the same problem! They are not perfect!! They are
not flat rings--when I lay them on the table they are not even close to lying
flat!! I can't figure out what I am doing wrong!! Also they are not perfectly
round. Is there anything I can do--I kinda need to make a lot of them, any help
would be greatly appreciated!

Shannan

You can make near perfect rings by winding the rod on a mandrel, then
clamp the coil in a vise and saw through them with a hacksaw. They can
be aligned by clamping each ring in a vise and twisting it with a flat
jawed wrench [large Crescent].
I made thousands of them in the 1960's as parts for various ornamental
iron products. I built a dedicated mandrel by slotting the end to start
the coil and mounted it in a sleeve and put a handle on it. A ball
bearing rider on the frame did the actual bending.
matohato

I think I would use a set of slip rolls for this project. Most sets of slip
rollers I have seen have a notch for rod and this way you could cut the rod
to length first, weld them grind the edges and re-roll them if not quite
round.

Harbor Freight usually has these.

--

Roger Shoaf

About the time I had mastered getting the toothpaste back in the tube, then
they come up with this striped stuff.
"Bonettes" wrote in message
...
I have tried to use my bender to make 14" perfect rings out of 1/4 inch
steel
rod, however I keep having the same problem! They are not perfect!! They
are
not flat rings--when I lay them on the table they are not even close to
lying
flat!! I can't figure out what I am doing wrong!! Also they are not
perfectly
round. Is there anything I can do--I kinda need to make a lot of them, any
help
would be greatly appreciated!

Shannan

Bugs wrote:
You can make near perfect rings by winding the rod on a mandrel, then
clamp the coil in a vise and saw through them with a hacksaw. They can
be aligned by clamping each ring in a vise and twisting it with a flat
jawed wrench [large Crescent].
I made thousands of them in the 1960's as parts for various ornamental
iron products. I built a dedicated mandrel by slotting the end to start
the coil and mounted it in a sleeve and put a handle on it. A ball
bearing rider on the frame did the actual bending.
matohato


This is the best idea, assuming the OP has 1/4" rod in long lengths to
make it worthwhile.
The mandrel should be maybe an inch smaller in dia. to allow for
springback. It can be made of hardwood (maple).
It's necessary to wind the rod straight around the mandrel, a shoulder
at one end would help (just an area about an inch or two larger in
diameter at one end).
I would make it maybe 6" long, and mounted horizontally on a heavy base
at waist height. With a lever pivoting at the center of the mandrel, and
carrying the ball bearing rider, you'd walk around the thing to wind it.
Would take some more thought to actually engineer it, but hopefully you
got the general idea.

Ken Grunke

--
take da "ma" offa dot com fer eemayl

On 07 Jan 2005 10:49:15 GMT, Bonettes wrote:
I have tried to use my bender to make 14" perfect rings out of 1/4 inch steel
rod, however I keep having the same problem! They are not perfect!! They are
not flat rings--when I lay them on the table they are not even close to lying
flat!! I can't figure out what I am doing wrong!! Also they are not perfectly
round. Is there anything I can do--I kinda need to make a lot of them, any help
would be greatly appreciated!

I don't suppose you have a lathe big enough to turn this rod around a
large drum (at very low speed)?

I've turned small rings (up to 3/4") out of steel wire with a lathe
and a piece of round stock as a mandrel, but you're getting past the
upper limit of what I could do with _my_ lathe. But if you can handle
it, could you set it up as if you were cutting at 4 threads per inch,
and basically make a long "spring" looking thing?

"Dave Hinz" wrote in message
...
On 07 Jan 2005 10:49:15 GMT, Bonettes wrote:
I have tried to use my bender to make 14" perfect rings out of 1/4 inch
steel
rod, however I keep having the same problem! They are not perfect!!
They are
not flat rings--when I lay them on the table they are not even close to
lying
flat!! I can't figure out what I am doing wrong!! Also they are not
perfectly
round. Is there anything I can do--I kinda need to make a lot of them,
any help
would be greatly appreciated!

I don't suppose you have a lathe big enough to turn this rod around a
large drum (at very low speed)?

I've turned small rings (up to 3/4") out of steel wire with a lathe
and a piece of round stock as a mandrel, but you're getting past the
upper limit of what I could do with _my_ lathe. But if you can handle
it, could you set it up as if you were cutting at 4 threads per inch,
and basically make a long "spring" looking thing?


The method you want is exactly how custom springs are made. Call around to
some machine shops, and see if they have a manual spring winder you can look
at. Or check out some catalog pictures at an industrial supply house.
You should get some good ideas.

LLoyd