I did not make this bead roller. It was purchased from KMS Tools (on sale, and by gift cards), and is the same as Woodward Fab, Eastwood, Harbor Freight, and Princess Auto, among others.
I added 1/4″x2-1/2″ braces, with a 2×2″ post to strengthen the spine. If that is the right word.
Also fabricated a wheel instead of a crank, for more precise control.
Turned out I really needed a “Tipping Wheel,” which did not come with this roller. So….. I made one. I used a 7/8″ ID sprocket hub, and the largest sprocket Princess Auto had, but then machined the teeth off. A tipping wheel is useful for forming flanges on sheet metal, and particularly good at curved flanges, which a sheet metal brake cannot do. As I understand it (and I am no pro at this), a tipping wheel works best with a soft wheel below it (I used a wheel from my street luge).
A stand was made using some large pipe I found on my property (holding up a basketball hoop), and an unused 16″ rim. I also switched the roller top-to-bottom so that the work is fed forward with a downward (more natural) pull on the wheel.
