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Last Revised Version: January 2010
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Building the Hoop
Tip:
It is advised to buy at least one 10 foot length of cheap ½ inch thinwall steel electrical
conduit and make some practice bends with this before attempting the bends on the aluminum.
This will give you a good feel for it and decrease the odds of a mistake by a large margin.
All tubing mentioned in this section is round aluminum, 0.058” wall unless otherwise noted.
Lower Cage Section (2 Pieces)
1)
Start with a 6 foot piece of 0.875 tube. At one end, make the 50 degree reference bend Note:
On “lower hoop reference bend” drawing, forget the measurements on that drawing, they
mean nothing.
2)
Insert the 21 inch chromoly tube into the end near the bend and place the tubes on the layout
surface with the top of the chromoly tube on the straight line below the hoop circle.
3)
Slide this whole assembly side ways as needed until the 0.875 tube meets the inside hoop
diameter line on your layout surface. You may need to tweak the reference bend if this does
not work out due to the radius of your specific bender.
4)
Form the remaining 0.875 tube with a series of VERY small bends with the conduit bender to
shape the tube to match the inside hoop diameter line on the layout surface until it points
straight upwards at the 3 or 9 o’clock line on the surface.
5)
Cut the 0.875 tube off 3 inches above the 3 or 9 o’clock line. The remaining tubing will make
one top radial tube.
Now you can hold the tube in place (use 2” x 4” blocks screwed down) on the surface and mark
it at the outside of edge of diagonal brace line on the layout surface
BE SURE THERE IS ENOUGH STRAIGHT TUBE LEFT BELOW THE BEND TO PLUG THE CHROMOLY
BOTTOM TUBE IN,
6)
Remove the chromoly tube and cut the 0.875 tube off at the outside edge of diagonal brace
mark on your work surface.
7)
Repeat this process for the other lower hoop tube.
