Bending Questions

[ishred]

today I went to home depot to pick up some stuff to bend. I picked up some 3/16th and 1/4" steel bars. Then I took a look at the nails and saw that they were all pretty short (3-4"). Maybe they had different nails somewhere else, but are these the nails that you guys use?? they look pretty hard being that they were short and thick.

So now the bar bending. I cut a few 7" pieces out of the 3/16th and had no problems at all. Then i cut a 7" piece out of the 1/4". I've managed to make a small bend in it. I didn't think it would be this rough.

Are these the same bars that you guys refer to as "red" and such? If so, the red is 5/8th's if i'm correct? How the hell are you guys bending these things.

[David Ostlund]

Reds are 5/16" thick. No one is bending 5/8" steel unbraced below 8" in length. Bend twice a week for a few weeks and you'll be amazed at how much initial progress you'll make. The 1/4" stock won't feel so bad in awhile.

[ishred]

thanks for the reply dave. My mistake, i just thought 5/8th for some reason without thinking it through.

Do you think it would be a good idea to cut the 3/16th to shorter lengths? Once I get it almost looking like a U, I can finish it off with one hand at 7".