How do I do this?

[austinpace]

I'm building an iron fence using 1" flat bar sandwiched around 1/2" pickets. Where I need you guy's help is getting the bends on the gate arches right.I have a metal table and was thinking of cutting some plywood to the bend radius I need then clamp it to the table and bend the flat bar around the edge of the plywood. Any help would be welcome and appreciated..... Thanks and I have a few pics of the fence if needed

BTW - I am bending the flat bar edgewise...

[DougAustinTX]

You are bending flatbar edgewise?? Yes, I think a photo would be helpful in answering this question.

[phyisisist777]

If you are bending It edgewise, you are going to have problems...

Easiest way i can think of is, build your jig out of something fire resistant and use a torch to get it red hot and bend it around your jig.

Or, you might be able to use a tubing bender with the right die.

Pictures would be helpful

[bert the welder]

Pretty tough to bend a flat bar arch on edge, by hand. Usually requires a roller or press with specific roller wheels/dies for the job. The problem when bending flat on edge is you are stretching the outside edge and compressing the inside. The compressed metal needs somewhere to be displaced too. You could cut your arch out of sheet or make kerf cuts on the inside edge of the flat bar and bend and weld. If you haven't got a big enough sheet to cut the full arch out of you could also cut it out in segments, out of smaller pieces, like carpenters build arches out of 2x lumber.

[austinpace]

Thanks for the replies fellas. I got some pics to give you a better idea.

I used paint to draw the arch so don't laugh...:laugh:

61312

Just some other pics of the project..

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[Supe]

Figure out the height of your arch, pick up a piece of plate/sheet that width, and cut to shape.

[weldbead]

i like the solidness of the design, but are there gonna be problems rusting because it seems there's not much paint inside on the flat bar, or maybe pic 4 just looks that way..nice fence

and i thought brian from appironworks bends flat bar edgewise with a hossfeld ?

[Fegenbush]

I would draw the arch with soapstone on your table. Weld stubs along the inside diameter. Heat your bar red hot and bend it around the form. This works especially well if you have quite a few of them to bend.

[WyoRoy]

Bert the welder's recommendation of kerf cut on the inside edge and welding them up worked for this project. Not flatbar...square tube.

[bert the welder]

I would draw the arch with soapstone on your table. Weld stubs along the inside diameter. Heat your bar red hot and bend it around the form. This works especially well if you have quite a few of them to bend.

Nope. :waving: Studs will put dimples in the flat bar and it will have lots of flat, uneven spots. You could use a second piece of flat bar to bend it around, but your in for a bunch of hammering to get the flat curve to lay flat. Plus torch heating it even enough to do this will be a pain.
Looking at your picture, I'd say go with cutting the arch in two or three segments out of flat bar and weld into one. That is, if you don't have a sheet big enough to do the whole thing as one.

This method of construction, with the flat bar sandwiches, is really only OK for dry climates. All those open seems are just waiting to suck up water. But it's already there so it's a moot point.
Good luck let us know how it goes!

[con_fuse9]

Grab the harbor freight roll bender and head on over to SWAGOFFROAD.com He has all kinds of dies for rolling square and bar on edge.

Hit McMasterCarr for some shims to make it prettier first time out.

[austinpace]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Yeah I'm not done painting yet, had to install some panels to make room in the shop for more material. I will get all those bare spots as soon as we get a little warmer weather.

I am looking at the bender right now.... should work well with the dies from Swag.

[dunemetal]

[I bent 1"x 1/2" bar channel (the hard way) using this fixture and O/A torch. Not easy but got it done.

http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/1108/railing001.th.jpg (http://img188.imageshack.us/i/railing001.jpg/)

Here is the end result, channel is top and bottom, about 52" radius IIRC. Trick I found was to move heat constantly along and clamp securely as you go.

http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/9486/railing013.th.jpg (http://img683.imageshack.us/i/railing013.jpg/)

Here are some clamp as I go clamps I fabbed just for this project

http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/7350/railing007.th.jpg (http://img683.imageshack.us/i/railing007.jpg/)

[dunemetal]

I've got to add the following. The bar channel I used in above post was 1" x 1/2" w/ nominal 1/8" thickness. When you heat it up w/ O/A torch it bends actually quite easily. One problem is keeping the bend smooth and continuous. I ended up using a friend to hold torch. Other problem is keeping the bend in the same plane. It wants to twist and roll. In the first pic abvove, you see a continuous piece of flat 1/2 " welded to every stud angle and then one that's inverted on every 4th one. All done to keep the bend in the same plane.
Personally, if you can find some one to roll it, I'd do that.

Here was an earlier attempt that ended in failure.

http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/6810/railing005.th.jpg (http://img39.imageshack.us/i/railing005.jpg/)