Lowbuck Tubing Bender Fact (FAQ) Page

Lowbuck Tubing Bender Fact Page

Pipe Bender Image 1 Pipe Bender Image 2 Pipe Bender Image 3

The images above are used strictly for the purpose of illustrating popular types of "PIPE" benders currently on the market. If you are able to make any connection to companies that sell these particular benders, let us just say that some of the products that these companies sell are good products (look for the words Made in the USA) and we are in no way trying to suggest otherwise. That having been said, the following information is to help you decide which bender will suit your needs, whether you choose to buy a bender from Lowbuck or not.

The common mistake in selecting one of the benders pictured above for use in building Race Car Chassis, Race Car Roll Cages, Sand Rails, Dragster Chassis, Nerf Bars, Bumpers, etc. is that they are PIPE benders. Most of the time, if not all of the time, you will be working with TUBING not pipe when working on those types of projects.

Will a pipe bender work on tubing? NO, absolutely not. One of the many differences between pipe and tubing is the way it is measured. Pipe is measured from the Inside Diameter (I.D.) tubing is measured from the Outside Diameter (O.D.) So, lets say you have selected a PIPE bender that is advertised with 1", 1 1/4", 1 1/2" and 2" dies. Those are to be used with the pipe of that size measured from the inside (I.D.) and the outside (O.D.) measurements of those materials would be 1 3/8", 1 5/8", 1 7/8" and 2 3/8".

Can you use a pipe bender for say 1 5/8" or 1 7/8" tubing? NO, probably not. These types of pipe benders (we call them bow and arrow style) will not give you a smooth mandrel bend that is required for any type of sanctioned racing. The wall thickness you will be using wouldn't be thick enough to make a smooth bend. The pipe that works in these benders is schedule 40, or heavier, iron or aluminum pipe. That would be almost twice as thick as some of the common tubing used in the projects listed above.

Will a tubing bender work for bending pipe? NO. The dies (mandrels) for any bender must be used for the exact material they are specified for. Pipe dies for Pipe and Tubing dies for Tubing. The same rule applies to diameter. You must use the proper diameter die for each size of material. If you try to bend a piece of 1 1/2" tubing in a die that is for 1 3/4" you will probably break the die when the tubing flattens out on the sides and you will definitely have to throw the tubing away.

Some of the benders we sell at Lowbuck have tubing and/or pipe dies available. As well as dies for square tubing, rectangular tubing and different types of solid iron. ALL of the benders we sell at Lowbuck make smooth mandrel bends in TUBING.

If you have ANY other questions please click on the link below or call (909) 735-7848 between the hours of 8:30am - 4:30pm M-F and we'll be happy to help.

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