S & T6 stands

[kmd]

Hi all
Can any body help me, I am looking at making a stand for my T6.
My first stumbling block is finding" D" section tubing, Is there a manufacturer of this, or does  someone my have the know how to create this out of round tubing.
Thanks KMD

[eddie]

Hi KMD,
            Some years ago I needed to repair my S6 stand and found that a very close copy of the correct section tube could be made by re-rolling some 3/4" dia x 16g tube. I used a sheet metal workers swager (some refer to them as 'jenny's'). I used one half round wheel/former, and one flat wheel and then gradually produced the flat by running the tube through about 10 times. If you get too ambitious, the tube collapses into a heart shape. If this happens, it may be neccessary to make a bar to go inside so that it supports the centre of the flat while you are rolling it. With care, you should be able to produce separate pieces long enough to make the legs and cross brace without too much of a twist or bend in them. When you have the correct section, fashion up some wooden bungs for the ends, then pack the tubes with DRY sand (builders sand will do) - you will then be able to bend the tube to the required curve for the legs without it collapsing. This can easily be done freehand in the vice if you have facilities to heat the tube to just a dull red before trying to bend it.
                        Hope this is of some help,
                                         Regards,
                                                Eddie.

[Doug]

I did much the same but used a press and a die instead of rollers. The die was nothing more than a bit of 1.25" square bar with a half round cut of the appropriate radius, and to the depth of the D-shape tube. Standard tubing (7/8" outer diameter if I recollect correctly) was squashed down into this. I was making shorter lengths suitable for the thirties era center stands.

To prevent the centre of the flat face collapsing into the tube, a very real problem as mentioned by Eddie, I stuffed the tube with a hard wood birch dowel. At the very ends I still had the tube collapse slightly as the supporting wood would tend to extrude out the ends a little rather than provide the proper support. But made my blank an inch longer at each end and trimmed off the malformed portion. To get the wood out of the tube, I just left the tubes in the woodstove overnight and they burned enough that the remaining charcoal would just push right out.

I should have some of the bits and pieces about of the tooling, will try to sort out a photo or two.

-Doug

[Doug]

I meant to get a picture uploaded sooner. But here is an off-cut of manufacture d-tube using the method described above, still with the birch dowel inside to stop the flat from collapsing inward.



-Doug