Rick Bennett's Oval Tubing Press

Here Ya Go guys. One hell of a neat rig. The following is from Rick Bennett. Rick is also the editor of The Great War Planes Newsletter. He's always looking for stories and photos about WWI planes. His email address is: komodo@alltel.net

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Here's the tool I used to crush the tubing for my Nieuport. The steel channel is 3" x 1" x 1/4" by 12 feet long. There are 3/8" bolts welded to the sides every 12". Nuts welded to the top channel have had the trheads drilled out. Also, the threads are ground off where the tube will ( Might )  touch the bolts when crushed. Stops could be added instead of measuring to get an even diameter. Tighten evenly one or two turns at a time. You will have to go slightly past as the tube will spring back a little. The cost was about $35.00. I did five 12' pieces and used the best ones for the lower wing spars.    

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