By request, here is a quick straightener I made today to assist when fabbing up all the hard lines for my car. I was going to buy something but it seemed I could put that money to better use. In order to do both the 3/16" and 3/8" SS lines would have required I buy two sized units or an adjustable one...both paths would have cost over $200 to my door. Forget that! I don't mind buying tools, hell, it's my favorite past time but I just didn't see me needing this often enough to warrant it. Anyway.....
I had some 1" square tubing laying around along with some 1/4" plate so I made my unit out of what was on hand. I did have to get some metal rollers and some hardware but I think my total spend was under $35.
Not too much detail as I hadn't planned on sharing here, sorry. The rollers are 1 1/4" diameter with a 1/4" hole in the center. I spaced them at 1.75" on center. Both upper and lower. The bottom "rail" has the roller axles (1/4-20 bolts) thread into the rear plate for a fixed mount. The upper rail "floats" above the lower rail guided by the two vertical posts on either end which are 3/8 -16 size. The bolts are long enough that the threads don't start until AFTER passing through the lower rail. This makes a tight fit through the two rails which keeps everything in line. This is why I have so many washers on the bottom to fill the void until the threads begin.
The spring between the two rails is not very heavy. Just enough to hold the upper rail up. By tightening the two vertical posts (bolts) the gap between the rollers is adjusted so I can do anything from 3/16" to 3/8".
I used 5 rollers on the bottom and 4 on the top simply because SS tubing is very hard to bend compared to typical brake line. The extra long pass helps to smooth things out very nicely. If you were using softer line you could get by with one less roller top and bottom.
The backing plate extends lower so it can be clamped in a vise or, as I did here, bolted to my welding table which makes it easier to position to run through longer lengths.
The pic shows me testing it out on some 3/8" SS fuel line I just received. Works great! Be plumbing the ride this week.
I had some 1" square tubing laying around along with some 1/4" plate so I made my unit out of what was on hand. I did have to get some metal rollers and some hardware but I think my total spend was under $35.
Not too much detail as I hadn't planned on sharing here, sorry. The rollers are 1 1/4" diameter with a 1/4" hole in the center. I spaced them at 1.75" on center. Both upper and lower. The bottom "rail" has the roller axles (1/4-20 bolts) thread into the rear plate for a fixed mount. The upper rail "floats" above the lower rail guided by the two vertical posts on either end which are 3/8 -16 size. The bolts are long enough that the threads don't start until AFTER passing through the lower rail. This makes a tight fit through the two rails which keeps everything in line. This is why I have so many washers on the bottom to fill the void until the threads begin.
The spring between the two rails is not very heavy. Just enough to hold the upper rail up. By tightening the two vertical posts (bolts) the gap between the rollers is adjusted so I can do anything from 3/16" to 3/8".
I used 5 rollers on the bottom and 4 on the top simply because SS tubing is very hard to bend compared to typical brake line. The extra long pass helps to smooth things out very nicely. If you were using softer line you could get by with one less roller top and bottom.
The backing plate extends lower so it can be clamped in a vise or, as I did here, bolted to my welding table which makes it easier to position to run through longer lengths.
The pic shows me testing it out on some 3/8" SS fuel line I just received. Works great! Be plumbing the ride this week.
