pic: Rob (0121)

[Rob]

Ancient...that hurts Maybe it is time for a new picture...

We use a tubing bender. To do a radius that small you have to use a real bender with dies for the correct tube size. Note that the tight radius at the ends is actually achieved with 2 pieces welded in the middle where it is tightest, so the actual bends are not that tight.

To check out the bending in action, take a look at these linked episodes of American Robot from last year:

http://americanrobot.rhodewarrior.or...nRobotS2E3.wmv
http://americanrobot.rhodewarrior.or...nRobotS2E5.wmv

It can be tough to do, but there are people with experience around. The guy who did it for us made custom metal fixtures for yachts and roll cages for race cars. You might be able to find people at auto body shops who can do this.

Good Luck!

RAZ