Tubing bender recommendations

[easyspeed]

I'm looking to buy a tubing bender. It will mostly see 1" .120" steel or ss. Handle bars and frame tubing. I'de like to ba able to bend a tight enough radius to make narrow style bars and apes. Search always leads me tk the jd2 model 3. I see the smallest radius die they have is 3". Are there any other options worth exploring. I found eastwood makes one and some off brands. And are there tooling or dies cheaper out there that work for this medium size tubing?

[bohica2xo]

I have a JD model 4 bender, ithas been a good machine.

With 1" tube, the 3" radius is as tight as it gets with this type of machine. You would have to step up to a mandrel bender to get a smaller radius.

[RickG61]

I've got the JD model 3. Huge selection of dies available for this thing. I looked at Eastwoods and the similar styled benders. Most of those only do 90 degree or slightly more, and not sure about die choices, radiuses, or is it radiaii? LOL When you look at a 3 inch radius with a 1" tube, that's actually a pretty tight bend. 6" to do a 180?

Yeah, the JD dies set you back a chunk o change, and if you want different radiuses for the same diameter tube, you can get quite a few happy meals worth of money invested there, but I don't think you're gonna buy in any cheaper anywhere else. I got mine from craigslist with a couple of dies. Traded a dead Monte Carlo for it, so the price was super right.

[CTNewman]

I have a 2.5 die for my bender that uses protool dies. I special ordered the die. It smooshes the tube a bit though.

This is the bender, no complaints:

http://www.probender.com/probender/d...ic-tube-bender

[vnygra]

I have a 2.5CLR die for a JD2 model 3. You have to modify it to make it work, but it works awesome. You have to call in to order the die, i can get you pics of what to do if you go that route.

[Parisbrom]

Getting the jd2 this week, 1" 180 d free die, I'll let you know asap!

[Parisbrom]

Degree

[Parisbrom]

Haven't bent anything, need to weld the stand. Thing is a tank though, solid as they say, worth the money.