Bending Jig #1

written By Albin Drzewianowski March / April 2007 Hammer & Tong

This jig (Fig.1) goes back about 18 years. It was one of the very first that I got and used (and still use often). It was made by my father-in-law, a machinist at Spaulding Sporting Goods in Massachusetts. I thought that the concept had come from one of the very first BGCM Newsletters, but I looked and could not find the reference. Maybe someone brought one for “show and tell” at one of those very first Guild meetings.

The tricky part in making this jig is getting the slot that runs down the middle of the base. I believe my father-in-law used a milling machine to do that part. I suspect an alternate method would be to weld together 2 long pieces of 1” square with short spacers at each end to create the long slot. The rest of the jig is some basic welding and tap/die work.

Because there are 4 different sized mandrels and with the slot running down the middle of the base (Fig.2), this is a very versatile bending jig. Sometimes I will bolt in two of the mandrels to get certain compound curves (Fig.3).

Anyone who has taken the BS-101 class will recognize it, as we use it to bend the loop for the drip can handles. The 3 inch mandrel is a perfect fit for bending a loop to fit around a soup can.

-- RebStaup - 30 Jan 2008