Rod bending

[Gary_S]

I have need of quite a few plant stands and obelisks. I had a look at. the garden centre and decided that if possible I would make my own. I am reasonably handy but have no clue about buying or making jigs for bending the rod. I would like to be flexible regarding the curve size.

Any advice apreciated.

Gary

 

[Myfordman]

Get some rebar and heat red hot and bend around different diameter formers
MIG weld together and take them to be galvanised once finished. If needed paint with zinc etch primer followed by desired colour. Bare galvanised will last forever (ish) and does not need paint for protection.
Miss out the galvanising and you will be repainting every couple of years.

 

[Jamesc]

All the plant stands we have are much thinner rod than rebar (varios between 6 and 8mm). This can readily be bent cold.
You can use any suitable former to bend aroun (tree, water but etc) and I trap the curve with a block of wood on the path and stand on it to make the right angle bends.

Bob's (Myfordman) recomendation will give a superb support, but my el-cheapo ones have lasted with their rust finish for over 10 years.

 

[Dalboy]

Do you have access to a lathe if so turn some discs with a groove in it to bend the rods around even MDF would do unless you are planning to make lots. Each one with a hole in the centre to fix to a board and holes in the board for pins for the rod to stop against

 

[Lorenzl]

The other way would be to drill holes in a flat board and and put pins in. You could also cut disc's out of plywood and screw them to the board to bend around.

 

[Sandyn]

If you think you might want to expand what you make, have a look at Metalcraft they make cold bending jigs. They have a huge range of products. British made and extremely well made!! They make a range of scrolling kits for cold forming. I have the XL workshop package it's very very good. I make all kinds of things. Pot stands are easy, but I weld them together. You could cold scroll flat steel and rivet. You can also edge bend flat steel...cold

Pot stand in 10mm steel, cold formed.

Hanging pot stand. Pot goes in the middle in 10mm cold formed steel.

Fish wind chimes in 8mm cold formed steel.

 

[Owd Jockey]

Depending on the shape and thickness of the metal stock you are using, as others have already said, you can either cold or hot form the metal. Cold forming is ok but not as precise as heating the metal up to a forging heat. If you do cold form, you will soon see that you will need to 'over bend' the stock as it will naturally want to unbend itself. I have a small gas forge in my forge workshop and have practiced making a number of pieces for the garden, mainly plant pot holders and the Obelisk seen in my photos.
Being able to apply heat to metal, does give you greater flexibility with what size stock to use, but obviously does add to the cost, at least initially, i.e with how you heat the metal and also how you handle it. One of my first jobs was to make a few sets of blacksmith tongs.
Anyway, here are a couple of things I've made including a very ostentatious obelisk!

 

[GLS]

When I was working steel, I never would have considered heat for anything under 12mm, it adds to the cost, but I had made umpteen jigs to make what I needed. As usual YouTube is your friend, just put in 'bending round bar' and watch those vids that catch your eye. Then follow those practices you like. Like most things there is no ‘right or wrong way’, get to your goal by whatever method suits you.

 

[MikeH]

Out of interest, where do you all get your thin (6mm, 8mm etc.) steel bar from please?

 

[GLS]

Out of interest, where do you all get your thin (6mm, 8mm etc.) steel bar from please?

Working in a general fabrication shop that also did decorative ironwork, ours would come from a steel wholesaler and 20 lengths might be bundle with half a ton of other stuff. Bought from stockist most standard lengths are 6 meter long, although 5 & 6mm diameter can sometimes come in 4 meter lengths. If you only want a few lengths of any one size, find a friendly fabricator who will order them in for you and possibly chop to length as well. We would, as it encouraged the customer to come back. Casually ask who they use as their supplier, then look up the retail price on their website and then you could work out the markup they are charging.

 

[Dalboy]

The other way would be to drill holes in a flat board and and put pins in. You could also cut disc's out of plywood and screw them to the board to bend around.

View attachment 142253

Similar to what I was trying to describe but yours is a bit more fancier

 

[Sandyn]

Out of interest, where do you all get your thin (6mm, 8mm etc.) steel bar from please?

I buy mine from either Alexanders or F.H. Brundle. Metalcraft also do steel in handy packs, a bit more expensive, but a good selection in more convenient sizes

 

[MikeH]

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Richard_C]

Why round bar? If you use flat bar, say 1.5mm by 12 ish, it's easy to control the bend because it only bends in one plane unless you deliberately twist, and you can drill and rivet joints which only needs an inexpensive rivet gun. Joining round bar may need braze or weld You could even use aluminium, bit more expensive. I made a couple of garden sculptures from aluminium flat bar, about 30 wide 2 thick. I stuck a few of bits of broom handle in the holes of a workmate so you could easily move about or fine adjust by opening the jaws and used that as a former. Tip, wherever you can bend before you cut so you have a nice long lever to reduce the effort you need.

 

[disco_monkey79]

Being savvy and penny-wise (i.e. monumentally tight) I keep an eye out at boot sales etc for metal items I can re-purpose. £2 recently bought me a very odd pull-out hanging rack-thing that yielded enough rod to make all the hooks for my kitchen.