by Guest » Fri Apr 23, 2004 11:34 pm
The 6062-T6 tubing bends pretty well in large radiuses. The tube bending done at the Lazair factory was done using homemade benders built primarily out of wood. A form was glued up out of several layers of cabinet grade plywood, then turned to the appropriate diameter to optain the desired bend radius. The wheel was turned with a relief for the size of tubing to be bent. A second smaller wheel, made as above and mounted to steel arms from the first wheel, rolled the tubing around the larger wheel form. The steel arms extended out to form the arms to pull on to roll the small wheel around the large wheel, forming the tubing to the large wheel. A clamping device held the end of the tubing near the larger wheel. If you do a Google search, you will probably find a picture of a similar device, as they have been commonly used for many, many years.
You might get a kick out of knowing that the airfoil used on the old Quicksilver hang glider was listed as a 670-15 (IIRC). That's because the battons were bent over a 670-15 tire borrowed from a VW Beatle!
Chappy