Cory makes a rotary tube indexer.

[YROC FAB.]

I have been bending tube a long time now and have always just cut and spliced tube together when i have multiple bends in different planes. The only time i really would do compound bends is when they were inline with each other or exactly 90* from each other as it was easy to measure with my V block clamp and a level. Well after trying to repeat production cages with a battery powered angle finder i came to realize how much i need a accurate repeatable indexer. One i could also use to measure between bender with also. JD2 offers one for there model 54 bender at the tune of 1750$. Im into this one 16$ so far in the bearings which were just spares for my plasma table, everything else was just scraps kicking around. I Bored the chuck out to accept a piece of 2" tube through the thru-hole so that the slider rail doesn't have to be a full 20' long. Im thinking ill make it 10' with the thru-hole.


I cavemanned that protractor ring with a few chisels and a paper templet glued on. Worked great👌

 

[Mouse]

Does this attach to the bender?

 

[I Lean]

That's awesome.

 

[notajeep]

Pretty cool!

 

[Kevin B.]

That degree ring is tits.

 

[mesha]

You make the coolest stuff.

 

[YROC FAB.]

Does this attach to the bender?

Yes it's going to. It will be a pinable attachment once I build the rail.

 

[YROC FAB.]

 

[YROC FAB.]

That degree ring is tits.

Thank you. I think i developed some carpal tunnel from it lol.

 

[YROC FAB.]

You make the coolest stuff.

Thank you sir. Im glad i can entertain you. I hope someone learns something from my nonsense. Knowledge is borrowed.

 

[Ashcat]

Think I’m tracking along, so the chuck holds the tube. It’s on a roller carriage that travels on the beam as the tube is drawn through the die and the beam pivots to compensate with the direction of the follower and die? What next, you park this thing in front of your plasma table and go all YROC tube fire breathing fictional flying reptile?

The purpose of the yard stick? Or was that a gauge you added on the last hydro mod?

Did you chisel or strike each degree with 3 different tools? I’m guessing at any rate you raided the old lady’s arts and crafts for some modge podge?

 

[YROC FAB.]

Think I’m tracking along, so the chuck holds the tube. It’s on a roller carriage that travels on the beam as the tube is drawn through the die and the beam pivots to compensate with the direction of the follower and die? Yes it does that but that is not the main purpose. Its main purpose is to do multi plane bends easily and accurately. The main tube on these production cages has three bends in three different planes. The first bend is bent the tube gets indexed/rotated to a specific degree, then the next bend and so on. Two things i didn't anticipate was how handy it is for just holding a full stick of tube and easily feeding it in and out and holding a bent tube from twisting long enough to pull it off the die just to check the bend and re bending if necessary.

Whats next, you park this thing in front of your plasma table and go all YROC tube fire breathing fictional flying reptile? I am looking into adding 4th/rotary axis to my plasma table so i can notch with it. A tube dragon cost 16k, I can do it for around 500$

The purpose of the yard stick? Or was that a gauge you added on the last hydro mod? I added the yard stick so i can more accurately repeat bends. The JD2 dies use a piece of 3/32 tig rod as the pointer on the degree wheel. I have always snugged up the bender arm till the tube was tight in the die and follower and made sure the wire was pointing on the zero on the degree wheel. With the fully hydro ram it has been hard to tell where the zero point is and the wire is easily bent. With the yard stick and pointer permanently attached to the bender arm like i have it, it will be completely repeatable every single time. I have already started taking notes to what "=* for that particular die. I have the production cage bends figured out in degrees and inches already. If i took the time im sure i could calculate and print off my own linear degree scale to replace the Inch stick for a particular die.

Did you chisel or strike each degree with 3 different tools? I did get three different chisels out but ended up using two sizes. I’m guessing at any rate you raided the old lady’s arts and crafts for some modge podge? She raids my stash. "If your not handsome, then you better be handy" -Red Green

 

[Ashcat]

I knew the purpose was to index but was verifying how it all played together. I can def see how incredibly helpful that device would be as a third hand positioning tube. One of my biggest gripes.

Kinda figured the yard stick was an accurate replacement for bend *. The wire system is kinda janky, I snag the little prick all the time but I’m too lazy to build anything more suitable. Maybe whenever I get around to pimping my bender stand/cart....been hoarding parts and materials but if I had time to do that, I’d have time better spent on my race car.