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How to Make a Square Tubing Roller

Square tubing benders are easier for the do-it-yourselfer because the radius of the bend does not need a half-round contour cast or machined into it; the metal being bent is flat, so the roller can be a flat surface too. The design is essentially a lever, like a break-form, but instead of a 90-degree edge, it has a fabricated radius to shape your square tubing to the specifications you want.

Things You'll Need

Square steel tubing
Steel plate
Round steel rod
Cardboard
Draftsman's compass
Steel bar stock
MIG welder
Cutoff saw

Instructions

- 1
  Weld two heavy pegs to flat steel stock to hand-bend the radius used in your square tubing die or roller.
- 2
  On a piece of cardboard, draw the desired radius with a compass.
- 3
  Place a section of heavy but bendable bar stock between your steel peg board, and bend it slightly, approximating the radius on your template.
- 4
  Adjust the stock in the pegs and bend it slightly, again, matching the bend to the template. When you have the radius close to the shape on your template, make minor adjustments; then trim the radius so it is half round.
- 5
  Weld five spoke-like supports from the inside diameter to the center of the radius to reinforce the die. The profile will look similar to the cross-section of a cut orange.
- 6
  Weld a four-foot long round or square-tube handle to the hub where your spokes join. This material should be heavier than the material you plan to bend. It will provide the leverage for your bender/roller.
- 7
  With thin, 1/8 inch steel strap, weld a loop at one end of the D-shape of your half-round. The loop should be sized so it will hold the square tube stock snug to the die during bending.
- 8
  Cut one inch lengths of your 1/8 inch steel strap and weld them to the edgy of the radius so they act as guide-tabs or railing, keeping your bending stock from slipping off the radius.
- 9
  Now, you can insert a length of square tubing through the loop and rock the lever back, rolling a radius into the tubing which is held in place by your guide-tabs.

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