Bending box section

[wookie]

If you can put something slightly compressible between the tank and the ply, it'll take up any slight imperfections, might just save you a cracked tank.

I've an AquaOne 980 tank that I've got sat on a home made wooden stand, it's very sturdy (everything is 2" thick solid wood) with some thin expanded polystyrene to allow for any discrepances between the tank and the wood top. Had it like this for years without any problems.

As it's a bow fronted tank I'm currently making myself some plywood doors that follow the curve, rather than the flat ones I originally had, they only bow 3/8" over 18" but they look so much better than flat

 

[steviec_lj]

You don't need to roll it. Box section up to 25 mm can be bent round a plywood template.

Cold? This seems like black magic to be honest. Worth a shot though I suppose...

 

[Wallace]

Is the floor capable of taking the weight of where this will stand?

 

[Fazerruss]

Cold? This seems like black magic to be honest. Worth a shot though I suppose...

My brother uses this method when making arch top gates.
Start with box securely fixed to front edge of bench with the ply fixed to bench where the arch starts. Then just go to other end and push. The longer the box the easier it is but you could extend to create the leverage. The box will follow the ply with no kinks and all this is done with cold steel. His bench is in the middle of the floor so he just walks round with the end of the box.
PS he has powered rollers as well so this method is not a "make do with the tools you have"

 

[mo_bhaiyat]

Yep it's a juwel trigon 190.

@ wookie -The top off the existing cabinet is in good shape and so will probably just reuse that. I was gonna make a wooden stand but due to the curve figured steel might be better. Plus I wanna do some welding again. How are you doing the plywood doors??

@ Wallace- it's going on the ground floor with no cellar so no worries there, I've had a 2foot cube tank there before with no problems.

I've seen the bend it by hand method on afew YouTube clips but if I can avoid it and it's not too expensive to get it done Id rather do that.

 

[DanielW]

Jack a car up with a bus jack,place two breeze blocks either side of wheels,put box section on breeze blocks....lower car down gently till required curve.

 

[wookie]

@ wookie - How are you doing the plywood doors??

I'm using 3 layers of the thinnest ply I could get from the local builders merchants (think it's 3/16", end up with a door 1/2" thick), cut it over size with the middle layer at right angles to the other. Put bottom layer on the template and liberally coat with pva glue, add next layer with grain at right angles to first piece and again plaster with glue and then add top layer with grain same as bottom layer. Place sturdy lengths of wood across the top and clamp into position.

Very important ---> Leave to set for at-least 24 hours (or whatever your glue recommends)

The hard bits are clamping it all together as it tends to slide about on the glue until you have a couple of clamps nice and tight, and making the former as you need to support the ply every 8-10" on the inside of the curve or it tends to flatten.

I'll post a picture tomorrow night as I'll have the next door all clamped up.

 

[baconbarm]

If all else fails, ive got a section roller at the workshop.

Il even roll it for free, its only a 30 second job.

St Helens based, so a 30 minute trek down the M6 for you.

 

[wookie]

Picture of showing how I'm making a bent plywood door to match the curve of my fish tank, I couldn't get clamps on the middle so the easiest way was to pile a load of weight to compress it.

You can see the glue oozing out from between the layers of plywood. I'll post a picture of the completed door if anyone is interested.

 

[mo_bhaiyat]

Well I didn't manage to get down to the steel fab place today, have had a emergency situation arise so had to attend to that. This postpones getting it bent till next Friday now.

@baconbarm - thanks for the offer, I travel to Chester Monday to Thursday so I go past you twice a day. Might have to take you up on the offer. Very kind.

@ wookie - will defo be interested to see the finished door. I was thinking laminate was the best method. It's not that much of a curve your putting in really. Nicely done.

 

[DanielW]

Picture of showing how I'm making a bent plywood door to match the curve of my fish tank, I couldn't get clamps on the middle so the easiest way was to pile a load of weight to compress it.

You can see the glue oozing out from between the layers of plywood. I'll post a picture of the completed door if anyone is interested.

oh! I thought you was going to say its a bit of art you've knocked up.

 

[DanielW]

Picture of showing how I'm making a bent plywood door to match the curve of my fish tank, I couldn't get clamps on the middle so the easiest way was to pile a load of weight to compress it.

You can see the glue oozing out from between the layers of plywood. I'll post a picture of the completed door if anyone is interested.

You know thats a bit of time consuming what you have done there,I'm just wondering if a couple of bicycle rims would have done the job? ie clamp both ends to the rims to form the curve.

 

[baconbarm]

Well I didn't manage to get down to the steel fab place today, have had a emergency situation arise so had to attend to that. This postpones getting it bent till next Friday now.

@baconbarm - thanks for the offer, I travel to Chester Monday to Thursday so I go past you twice a day. Might have to take you up on the offer. Very kind.

@ wookie - will defo be interested to see the finished door. I was thinking laminate was the best method. It's not that much of a curve your putting in really. Nicely done.

Ok, send me a pm with your phone no. etc if you decide to go ahead.

 

[wookie]

You know thats a bit of time consuming what you have done there,I'm just wondering if a couple of bicycle rims would have done the job? ie clamp both ends to the rims to form the curve.

If I needed more curve that would work but I only need about 3/8" at the mid point and it's not a simple curve, it gets tighter at one end. I jigsawed my templates and then cleaned them up with the belt sander, I'll post more pics tomorrow when I un-clamp.

 

[wookie]

Finally got around to fitting my doors on the fish tank stand, a couple of pics before staining as the shape shows up better.

Another showing the curve off a bit better, it's not much of a curve but I feel it looks so much better than a straight door would...

mo_bhaiyat did you make your stand from box or what ? We need pictures

 

[mo_bhaiyat]

Ahhhh nice job. I've not got round to it, every weekend something comes up, this Friday my lad had his operation, Saturday played at man city's training ground and the airport run today. I'm gonna PM my number to baconbarm and hopefully with his help I can get a move on with it.

 

[mo_bhaiyat]

I am loving the curve you've put on the doors.

 

[mo_bhaiyat]

Time for abit of an update. It's taken a lot longer than expected but I finally got some box section profiled by a local firm on their ring rollers.



And here it is in action

 

[Maker]

I like the brick workbench.

 

[mo_bhaiyat]

It's an old stone building which has curved steel beams and old skool wood stairs. Very quirky place. And about the only place that said they could bend 40mm box for me besides baconbarm on here but I couldn't get hold him unfortunately.