The last month has been really difficult for me...the herniation of a few discs in my back has kept me out of the FD and the shop for weeks. I've been focusing on hitting the physical therapy hard and in the last week really felt like I've turned a corner. I actually have been getting out in the shop a little bit to work on a personal project, a new tubing roller.
My current roller was made for shaping tubes for chopper frames and while very effective, is large and not easily adapted for differing tube diameters.
I had purchased a cheap Harbor Freight roller a few years ago simply for the dies, as 120 bucks for three die sets is dirt cheap. However, as a roller it is an ineffective tool on cycling tubing, either hardened steel or ti. There is a significant user driven adaptation for this tool to make it better than originally designed for, much of the insight coming from an off road forum and pushed by Troy of SWAG Offroad. Reading through the thread the mods they were making were simple but had much improved results, so I embarked on a project to adapt this tool to my needs. Borrowing some ideas and making a few modifications of my own, I really like how the end result turned out. I added a 4 ton hydraulic press, expanded wings for greater rigidity, and ceramic coated the roller pins for decreased friction.
I rolled out a few seat tubes and have nice transitions, so it looks like it was a successful effort.
Looking forward to getting cleared to return to work full time, lots to do and only a month before the show...gonna be busy.
rody
1 comment:
Even your tools are pieces of art.
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