So I bought one of the cheapo HF bead rollers today , as I need to roll some beads and raise a panel for an old sprint car I'm working on. What I want is a set of dies for a 3/4" bead. Does anybody make extra dies that would fit the HB rollers? Cheers, Stewart.
try to google hooser pattern. also go to metal meet.com and do a search for harbor freight bead rollers or dies. their are several venders in their classified section who make the dies you need. you can always cut your own out of hardwood. just go easy. tom
Most people just make their own. If you don't have a lathe, find someone that does; they would be easy to make. What material are you forming?
Hey, I don't boleve that theold Pexto dies will fit the Chi-Com beadrollers! Pexto shaft is much larger! I don't think the ones Low bucks or Tinman sells will either. In a pinch ,I've turned 'um from oak, maple and plastic. In a big pinch you could braze fender washers together, and sandwich them between wood for a low run project! good luck, Swankey Devils C.C. " Spending a nation into generational debt is not an act of compassion!''
Double check the shaft size, then check here http://www.lowbucktools.com/beadroller.html and/or here http://www.mittlerbros.com/bead_roller_rolls.htm I don't think Hoosier pattern is making them? seems to me they cut back on some products to focus on better selling items. I make my own with a 12"Atlas and a dumont broach set, like the others have said they can be wood, hdpe, uhmw, or steel. Harden steel will last, the others tend to wear quick and loose detail. Take care! tt
The bore size on a Harbor Freight bead roller is 22mm, 7/8" is a kinda sloppy fit. The shafts are about 1". The dies are about 2"in diameter (probably 50mm, but 2" works for me). Of course, the male part of the bead will be proportionally larger. The male die would be easiest to do with a form cutting tool. For the female side, the Mittler style groove is a whole bunch easier to do than making another form tool for cutting a round bottom groove. I'm digging pimpin's suggestion of a stackable die. Then you could just inserts for the male part (instead of a complete die in any custom size you need) and then just add the outer sections - sandwich style. The upper could be done in a similar manner by sandwiching spacers to get the right width. Might be tough to keep track of all the pieces and put them together every time, but it would make the actual making of the dies a lot easier. Someone else mentioned a similar idea a few years back, and I dreamed up a cool solution, but I'm just too damn cheap to pay the bucks for a 1 1/8"-16 tap and die. Tim D.