Project 1 from agent4573. Category: Custom welded Shop tools and improvements

So I picked up a JD Squared Model 32 tube bender, and until I can get the hydraulic ram and all that going I'm going to mount it in the backyard. I live in the Mojave Desert so we get about 2 inches of rain a year. For most of the time I'll have a waterproof bag over it, in the winter I'll probably just unbolt it and bring it inside. Anyway, the stand costs over 100 bucks plus shipping so I decided to make my own. Picked up some raw material from the scrap yard. It sells steel for about 50 cents a pound, so this stand cost me about 18 dollars in scrap steel, 6 dollars for the bolts and 6 bucks for concrete. Add on a can of krylon and I'll be done for about 35 bucks.

I used a few 4x4's to hold the studs in place so they wouldn't move around while the concrete dried.
http://i.imgur.com/HOlxk.jpg

This section of my backyard doesn't really get any use except for holding large garbage until I can get to the dump. I wanted to put a shed or workshop back here, but its only 7 feet wide, so its not really feasible to build anything. It'll work perfect for a tube bender though.
http://i.imgur.com/tBsfF.jpg

Hole dug. Hopefully its deep enough. Again, this is only temporary until I get the hydraulics setup. Should only see a few light bends before that time.
http://i.imgur.com/IkCzp.jpg

It was a pain in the ### to drill 3/4" holes on a tiny little benchtop drill press, but it was a hell of a lot better than doing it with a hand drill. Lots of lube and a stepper bit though and eventually it all worked out.
http://i.imgur.com/ls0Ed.jpg

Here is the base plate. I wanted to make sure I didn't screw up the holes before the concrete set. Used 100 pounds of concrete. Two sides of the hole are basically square and we have solid clay soil out here, so I'm not that worried about spinning the concrete.
http://i.imgur.com/5zYTH.jpg

Here's the vertical post. I cleaned most of the surface rust off and ground the edge out to help with the welding. My mig box is 110 amps and this thing is a 4x4 post with .25" walls to a .25" base plate and top. I'm not even going to attempt it. At this point I'm waiting on a friend to let me know when I can bring it over and melt it together. Hopefully I win the winter contest and don't have to rely on friends for my welding needs.... hint hint....
http://imgur.com/HLAnp.jpg

Not a great idea to put wood inside concrete. It will break down and then you will have a large void with no support for your studs.

Yeah, its not the best solution, but I'm planning on going with a hydraulic setup next spring so it only has to last a few months. We also have about 1% moisture in our soil out here and I've dug up pieces of wood leftover from the contractors when they built my house 12 years ago and they're still rock solid. I'm ok with the idea of it lasting a few months without rotting out.

Well... Did you get the job done?
I'm curious if this setup will hold up to the bender's torque from the manual arm.
I've got a jmr bender (anchored in my shop's concrete floor) and I've accidentally used it with only two bolts in the stand before.
I think your mount should hold up pretty well.

I'm looking at the JD squared bender as well...
I've been wondering how to anchor it so it will hold up....never thought about busting up the concrete so thanks for the idea!! :)

More pics, More pics!!

Hey guys, sorry its been a while since my last update. Here are a few of the welded stand. I painted it up, but haven't had daylight to take finished pics yet. I'm going to try to install it in the back yard and get some pictures tomorrow with some daylight. The welds aren't great. They're 1/4" thick plate to 4 inch square 1/4" wall tubing. At 185 amps, its undersized but it stuck the two together so we'll see how they hold up. If it breaks I'll head over and borrow my friends 300 amp and really get some good penetration.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by agent4573

Hey guys, sorry its been a while since my last update. Here are a few of the welded stand. I painted it up, but haven't had daylight to take finished pics yet. I'm going to try to install it in the back yard and get some pictures tomorrow with some daylight. The welds aren't great. They're 1/4" thick plate to 4 inch square 1/4" wall tubing. At 185 amps, its undersized but it stuck the two together so we'll see how they hold up. If it breaks I'll head over and borrow my friends 300 amp and really get some good penetration.

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A Bit of Preheat Work Wonders with a small Welder/Fire/Gas or Sun=use a candle as an indicator=if it melts its ready for welding

my 2cents

Quote:

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Originally Posted by agent4573

Hey guys, sorry its been a while since my last update. Here are a few of the welded stand. I painted it up, but haven't had daylight to take finished pics yet. I'm going to try to install it in the back yard and get some pictures tomorrow with some daylight. The welds aren't great. They're 1/4" thick plate to 4 inch square 1/4" wall tubing. At 185 amps, its undersized but it stuck the two together so we'll see how they hold up. If it breaks I'll head over and borrow my friends 300 amp and really get some good penetration.

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Looks like your getting along OK with my old machine , Get some scrap material and try some different settings gas flow around 7 lpm ect. Purge the gun by holding the trigger or pushing the pedal when you are not close to the material to move the air out of the gas line. Then when you start an arc you have pure argon. That might be the porosity in the one weld or dirty steel.

Finally got some time off for the holidays so this is the final installed picture. Worked out perfect as the fully extended bar clears the house by about an inch or so.

Attachment 8980
Attachment 8981
Attachment 8982

Lets see some bent piping.

Looks good! I can't wait to get a real pipe bender

I'm in the process of offloading a motor and transmission now so I can go pick up a sand rail frame. Bent tubing will be coming within a month.

The JD2 is a great bender. I've built a few cages and loaned it out to several friends. Be careful with your mounting though, with 1-3/4, 095" tube, I use all of my 180lbs to make a bend. Your footing doesn't look very deep and may not have enough mass to resist your applied torque. You also need to look at your clearance to the wall when you have 10' hanging off one end and sweeping though the arc. I put four RedHead inserts in the middle of my garage floor and just unbolt the base between projects.
Good luck!