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Here is some sketches/photos of my Rail Bender and Rail Punch.

The rail bender is basically a modified design from "The Shop Wisdom Of Frank McLean" with a gear train added to the stationary rollers.  These rollers are carefully aligned to prevent any rail twist and the adjustable roller is floating on it's shaft so it is free to align with the fixed rollers.  The screw just pushes against the U block and is not attached in anyway.   It's all bolted together with 1/4" -20 screws.  One gear shaft is lengthened and squared up to fit the crank handle off my shaper.  The dimensions given are nominal. 

 
The Sideplates are 1/4" thick steel plate about 7 1/4"  square.  The big slot the U Block slides up and down in  is 3/4" wide.  The Spacer Blocks (4) are 1" by 2" by 1/2".  The rollers are turned from 2" stock and are about 1 7/8" diameter.  The fixed rollers are held on their shafts by set screws and the adjustable roller floats in the middle of the fabricated U Block.  All the shafts are 1/2" diameter, except where the big gears are which is 5/8" dia.  They are held in place by snap rings. 
The U Block is 2" by 2" by 1 1/2"  (a three piece fabrication).  It  holds the adjustable roller and rides in the sideplate slots.  The Nutblock is 2 " by 1 1/2" by 1" and the Screw is 1/2" - 20.   The Gears were spare off my Logan lathe (1/2" wide).  The big gears are keyed to the shaft and the idler gear is free on it's shaft.  The gears are spaced from the sideplate by thin washers.  The Base Angle Iron is just a base support and is 1/8" thick 1" bed frame iron. 


Here's a picture of the Punch & Die I made 
that punches two oblong holes in my rail for the 
joiner expansion joints.  It was adapted to 
fit in the heavy duty paper punch.  It does the job. 
The piece of rail has been punched. 
.


 
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 Last Updated: 10-25-04

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