I run a haunted house each year for charity and I
would like to create a large metal arch very similar to
the archs you see at the entrance to a cemetary to go on a
set of pillars I created. It would be two 14 ft sections of
steel 1" tubing bent in an arch to form a slighty elongated
1/2 circle. I am having trouble finding someone with a roller
to bend it. Does anyone have any suggestion on who I can go
to in NJ? Obviously cost is always a factor since its a
charity event and I am in no rush.

Thanks,
Mike

Are you expecting it to be rammed by a 4x4? If not, why not make it
from square tube? It will be hundreds of pounds lighter, that way!

Jon

Crayola wrote:

I run a haunted house each year for charity and I
would like to create a large metal arch very similar to
the archs you see at the entrance to a cemetary to go on a
set of pillars I created. It would be two 14 ft sections of
steel 1" tubing bent in an arch to form a slighty elongated
1/2 circle. I am having trouble finding someone with a roller
to bend it. Does anyone have any suggestion on who I can go
to in NJ? Obviously cost is always a factor since its a
charity event and I am in no rush.

Thanks,
Mike

Jon Elson wrote:
Are you expecting it to be rammed by a 4x4? If not, why not make it
from square tube? It will be hundreds of pounds lighter, that way!


Heh Rammed by a 4x4 Rofl.... yes 1x1" square tube with an 1/8 wall
would be the goal. A circular tube isnt what I ment to say.
Any ideal wo can bend this in NJ?

Thanks,
Mike

j.b. miller wrote:
Try looking for an 'awning company'. Up here, the local metal fab
shop make
the 1" tubing 'frames' for the awning fabric .

Or maybe the local muffler shop ?

Or maybe OCC ( that custom bike place from NY ) ?

Here's what I would do. Take the 14' long piece and put it in your
chopsaw. The objective here is to cut through 3 sides only, not all 4.
Mark your tubing off at 4" intervals and cut down through the top and
both sides, leaving the "backbone" of the tubing intact. This will give
you three cuts every foot, times 14 feet is 42 cuts. You'll notice as
you get about half way down the stick, that the tubing is getting weak
enough that you can "bow" it by hand. Be sure you support it on the
outbound end as it leaves the saw so it won't buckle and lay on the
floor.

Once you get all 42 cuts made, lay it out on the floor and bend it in
an arch with the intact backbone on what will be the "top" of the
tubing once it's mounted. Once you have the arch made, go back and tack
the slots with your welder so you can pick it up and position it on
your pedestals. Should you want to strengthen it up after you've cut it
like this, you can take a piece of 1/8" by 1" flat bar and bend-weld it
in the bottom side to add strength to your arch. If you can close it
down enough with 4" intervals, go back and cut in between about every
thrid one again with the chopsaw. The more cuts it has, the tighter
it'll fold up.

Ronnie

ifn you use the thin stuff, you migh tbe able to do it with a little
heat 18 gauge is pretty bendy

Crayola wrote:
I run a haunted house each year for charity and I
would like to create a large metal arch very similar to
the archs you see at the entrance to a cemetary to go on a
set of pillars I created. It would be two 14 ft sections of
steel 1" tubing bent in an arch to form a slighty elongated
1/2 circle. I am having trouble finding someone with a roller
to bend it. Does anyone have any suggestion on who I can go
to in NJ? Obviously cost is always a factor since its a
charity event and I am in no rush.

Thanks,
Mike

Perfect job for a Hossfeld bender with appropriate dies. And that 1"
O.D.tube is pretty standard. Call any metal fab shop or even welding
shop around you and tell em what you want to do. Be ready to tell them
what radius you want (sounds like you want an ellipse, but a semicircle
would be easier. Don't even bother with 1/8" wall. Go thinner. If you
can trade them something (a number of tickets to the haunted house?, you
may get it done at lunchtime for free.

If it's a semicircle, it should take only 10-15 minutes. (Easy for me to
say, since I'm in western Wisconsin)
!
Pete Stanaitis
-------------------

Crayola wrote:

I run a haunted house each year for charity and I
would like to create a large metal arch very similar to
the archs you see at the entrance to a cemetary to go on a
set of pillars I created. It would be two 14 ft sections of
steel 1" tubing bent in an arch to form a slighty elongated
1/2 circle. I am having trouble finding someone with a roller
to bend it. Does anyone have any suggestion on who I can go
to in NJ? Obviously cost is always a factor since its a
charity event and I am in no rush.

Thanks,
Mike

Contact these people and see if they have something that will do what you
want:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=4352057429

I haven't used their bender so I really don't know how well it works but it
seems worth looking into.

Best Regards,
Keith Marshall


"I'm not grown up enough to be so old!"


"Crayola" wrote in message
ups.com...
I run a haunted house each year for charity and I
would like to create a large metal arch very similar to
the archs you see at the entrance to a cemetary to go on a
set of pillars I created. It would be two 14 ft sections of
steel 1" tubing bent in an arch to form a slighty elongated
1/2 circle. I am having trouble finding someone with a roller
to bend it. Does anyone have any suggestion on who I can go
to in NJ? Obviously cost is always a factor since its a
charity event and I am in no rush.

Thanks,
Mike

Before I bought a Bouldon and Lawson tubing bender for $3300, I used to just
have a local welding shop do it for me. They used a table that looked like
a chekerboard, and had steel pegs. They did it accurately every time, but
it cost me about fifty bucks.

In the time between when I had it bent and I bought my bender, I tried all
sorts of ways to bend it, and never was successful to any degree in that I
couldn't get decent looking arches. The tube would kink, or the bends would
be uneven. I eventually sold the bender with the business, and checking now
can't find if that manufacturer is still in business. As stated before, try
to get an awning maker to do it for you. Unless you are going to do this
more than once, that is your most cost effective way.

We used to have pretty good luck with local merchants when it came to
donating for our PTA and Scouts activities. Tell them you will put up their
sign acknowledging their donation, or give them a form so they can deduct it
as a donation. Most of the time they just did it for free, or for a heck of
a discount.

Let us know what you end up doing.

Steve