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Very poor man's bend jig - lol

171K views 259 replies 126 participants last post by  Sprat 
#1 ·
Ok, I can't even believe this worked. I made it with some 1" angle and 1 1/4" bars from lowes. :headspin:
 

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#132 ·
on the 1/8th alignment holes... i lay them out by scribing a square line then scribing 45 angle lines and centerpunching where they meet.. that works pretty good, to within 3 or 4 thousandths/" i've also been off as much as a 20 thousandths and had to trash a few bars. is there a better way to do this? I'd like to get them to be perfectly center for some reason :) oh and I am using a $40 dollar HF drill press so maybe I should consider myself lucky I've gotten them as accurate as they are
 
#133 ·
I just gotta try this! I must be nutz.......
 
#134 · (Edited)
ahh i figured it out, 3100 rpm and using brand new spotting/centering bits works good.. bent one up today and it came out perfect.

I imagine if you screw/mig weld your lower rails and use the TAPCO flat that has the top rails formed you can install the lower rails prior to bending which would make the process a bit easier
 
#135 ·
Thirdtxcav said:
I was thinking of backing up the interior of my male jig with a piece of Oak or similar hard wood, topped with another strip of barstock. This would then be used as a form for folding the top rails. It would also help to keep the jig straight as it is pulled through the outer jig.
___________
(__________ \_________
| ::::::::::::::::\ ________ \______Barstock__
| :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::\______________ \________
| ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::\_________)
|:::::::::::::::::::::::: Wood:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;;|
|:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;;:|
-------------------------------------------------------------------------Flat

An oak wedge backed-up with a piece of bar stock and clamped between two pieces of 3x3x12" long angle is how I've bent the top rails on my flats. Make the wedge a bit long and you can slide it in and out to adjust height at one end, then shim the other end to get the angle perfect. If the wedge is 1.25" wide it gets clamped tightly in the vise so it doesn't move, and it keeps the sides from deforming.
Cadapult
 
#137 ·
ok, lets say you dont want to permanently alter the 2 rails that form the jig... you press down the flat through the jig, and the jig as you would expect, has bowed in the middle, bows out before you remove the blank from the die and the jig; you crush the outside edges of the lower part of the jig with a vise, thereby crushing the radius of the lower bends onto the flat and thus the jig, saving yourself both time and money and still getting a great looking bent flat... WEll, it works.... perfectly formed flats with low cost jig
 
#139 ·
Another Failure...

I built the jig this weekend and made my first attempt today. The bends didn't come out crisp on the bottom of the receiver. The mag well didn't form correctly and the front rails aren't aligned right. Not bad for a first attempt, but I guess I need to remeasure and try again. It is discouraging but I will try another time.

I don't know if I will be able to salvage this flat now that it is bent wrong. I'm probably screwed. I formed the magazine well with a hammer and pulled the flat through the vise once more and it looks better, but still not good enough to work. Axis pins don't go all the way through.

I noticed that the bar stock that I purchased from Lowe's is not even at all. It is shaped more like a trapezoid than a rectangle. I wonder if this had anything to do with my failure.

Any help or suggestions would be great. Thanks.
 
#140 ·
Used this Jig myself

I built this Jig, and I like how it works.

I used 1/2" bolts (2 in the Mag well) instead of 3/8s, and 3 pieces of steel. I used allthread to get the distance set on the angle iron, and then had my neighbor weld some spare steel across it so it would stay.

I used the method of pullng the flat through with nuts and washers...much more controlled bend if you ask me. Plus this gives you the opportunity to get everything lined up fairly well before tightening the bolts.

After the initial pull through the angle iron, the sides were still not at 90 degrees, so I kept the now 80% bent flat bolted to the 3 steel pieces. I put a piece of hardwood on each side, then used my vice to make the bends to 100% 90 degrees. I think it came out very well.

I like to build underfolders, so no pre-bent top rails out there to be purchased...at least not yet. I have access to a brake, and bent them first.

I have now bult 2 receivers using this Jig, and if a person takes their time, tightens everything down well, and finishes with a vice it should come out very well.

I am now using the extra $200.00 or so on a Romy.:thumbup1:

Regards,

Thom
 
#142 ·
I measure out to .20, scribed a line. When it was installed in the brake, I more or less eye balled how thick the front edge of the brake was, I then set it back approximatly that far back to make up for the radius. My scribbed line was as close to the center of the radius as I guess it can be.

I am no machinest by any means, just fly by the seat of my pants most times...:rofl:

Hope that helps.

Regards,

Thom
 
#144 ·
Viking,

Thanks for the info!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, have you bent the entire flat with a break yet????? I've seen the Ace template and it has a grey area for the radius so is that what you would bend by????. So, if one where to bend the entire flat with a break you would start with the top rails????? and then bend the 90s????
 
#145 ·
Bending on a brake

I believe, and someone feel free to correct me if I am wrong, that brakes are used for just the top rail bends.

Is this because that is an easy bend?.....Yes!!!

Looking at a flat, and then looking at a brake shows that the Mag dimples would be the major reason that brakes are not used for full bends.

A brake would work fine if the Mag dimples were not there. The fingers on the brake would need to be modified to accomodate for the dimples, which most shops would not do just to bend a few flats.

Not sure if anyone here has modified a brake finger, but it does not look like an easy job.

Why not just follow this thread, and build the "Poor man's Jig"? It would probably take less time to build it than modifiy a brake finger.

Just my humble opinion.

Regards,

Thom
 
#148 ·
Built mine this week. I tried bending a few flats I purchased from Tapco a year or two ago. Very easy to bend and came our OK. My only problem were the sides of the flat were bowed in about 3/16 of an inch in the center of the flat. I imagine I am not taking enought time to slowly go back and forth as I press the flat into the fixture. I will keep trying.
Thanks
 
#150 ·
555th Jig

I had already built the poor man's jig, before I found plans for the 555th. I think doing it over again, I would build the 555th. Not that the poor man's does not work fine, I just think it would eliminate having to press to the final 90 degrees in the vice.

If you have the materials for the 555th build that one, either way, you will see how fun it is to bend...even if you screw one up:wink:

Regards,

Thom
 
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