How to Shape Aluminum Tubing

Shape your own aluminum tubes with a slip roll.

If you have a project where you need specific sizes of aluminum tubing or you plan on repeatedly shaping many aluminum tubes, you may wish to shape your own aluminum tubing instead of purchasing it. Aluminum tubing can be shaped out of aluminum sheets with a slip roll. Slip rolls are made for shaping metal tubing from metal sheets and are available in hand-operated and electrically driven versions. Refer to the directions included with your slip roll to learn how to bend the tubes themselves into a variety of shapes as well.

Things You'll Need

• Slip roll
• Aluminum sheet
• Aluminum shears
• Tape measure

Instructions

1. Measure the sheet metal and the slip roll to see if the metal is wider than the roll. If it is, measure the width of slip roll and cut the metal to this size so that it will fit in the machine when shaping your tube.

2. Press the sheet of aluminum up against the pinch roll. Attach the metal to the bottom pinch roll by rotating the anterior knobs until the rolls attach to the metals.

3. Twist the pinch roll knobs counterclockwise. You will see the metal being fed into the slip roll. Keep rotating the pinch rolls until the aluminum is in, facing the bending roll.

4. Examine the bending roll to see if it is higher then the aluminum sheet. If it is not, twist the bending roll adjusting knobs until it is higher.

5. Turn the main crank so that the aluminum runs over the bending roll.

6. Turn the aluminum sheet over, raise the bending roll. Repeat Steps 2 through 5 to tighten the tube.

References

• American Machine Tools: Plate Bending Rolls and Slip Roll Machines
• Enco: Slip Roll Manual