tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1842136564899097734.post3687638232997988260..comments2023-12-15T02:04:08.213-08:00Comments on meat: Building a hoophouse from scratch: Initial designBruce Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10995706761794063165noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1842136564899097734.post-78079802431488340152011-11-23T21:14:28.580-08:002011-11-23T21:14:28.580-08:00I looked at hoopbenders.net and seriously consider...I looked at hoopbenders.net and seriously considered it. I ended up purchasing an air-over-hydraulic bender for about $500, mostly because I want to do gates and shelters and so on that require a 90 degree bend. I'll be working with it in the next week and will write it up as I go. <br /><br />Thanks for the link though. If I were bending top rail I'd be using that bender I think.Bruce Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10995706761794063165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1842136564899097734.post-36107235405240065422011-11-22T10:31:51.920-08:002011-11-22T10:31:51.920-08:00Another non-hydraulic bender option is http://www....Another non-hydraulic bender option is http://www.hoopbenders.net<br /><br />I have used their mini-benders for low-row cover hoops. Their 16-20-24 foot wide PRO hoop benders with a stand are about $520 including shipping to our area. <br /><br />You can easily bend 17 guage 1 3/8ths inch galvanized fence rail this way. But unless you are going to do several hoop houses it would not be worth the investment.<br /><br />Also Loy the owner is quite helpful and will walk you through procedures over the phone.<br /><br />LarryAmazedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04873494842564876147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1842136564899097734.post-73794932626366465342011-11-07T08:29:07.972-08:002011-11-07T08:29:07.972-08:00Ahh, auctions -- I love the projects that come fro...Ahh, auctions -- I love the projects that come from random auction acquisitions.<br /><br />A used hydraulic tubing roller will set you back about $4-5K. <br /><br />new ones:<br />http://www.baileighindustrial.com/benders/roll/manual-roll-benders.php<br /><br />This guy is your cheapest manual option:<br />http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=tubing+roller<br /><br />You may need someone with a lathe to turn dies for you out of the "3 piece die set" depending on your conduit diameter. <br /><br />I don't ever buy anything with a moving part from Harbor Freight, so count on spending several hours and $$ fixing the tool to make it actually work. <br /><br />There's another better manual model, i forget the brand, but it's about $1K + dies.<br /><br />Don't forget the labor to roll them. It takes a while, especially if you are using tubing thicker than EMT. When I rolled some 4' diameter half circles out of 1.5" EMT we ended up hiring two guys from Home Depot to do the job. It took all afternoon to do eight of them.<br /><br />You can also get joiner pieces to join some diameters of conduit in crosses, T's and unions. Set screws retain. I've seen them retail at Maclendon's hardware.Eightwayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05578189394559089323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1842136564899097734.post-6230952848141572712011-11-06T20:24:08.255-08:002011-11-06T20:24:08.255-08:00One of the reasons that I was looking at electrica...One of the reasons that I was looking at electrical conduit was that a big electrical contractor was auctioned off last week. I purchased a couple of thousand feet of conduit at $6-8/stick, which made it cheap enough to use for this purpose; plus I like a challenge. <br /><br />I'm not going to weld it. the swage or thread will connect the pipes together. With respect to bending, that's going to a challenge, I agree. I could buy a hydraulic tubing bender for $500, but I've got another idea that I think will work better. <br /><br />The closest thing to what I'm building is at this link: <br /><br />http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies/prod1;ft1_greenhouses_accessories-ft1_hightunnels_1;pgpb01670r4c_PB01730R4C.html<br /><br />and it costs $5600 + an estimated $700 shipping. I'm going to take that as the line in the sand -- can I do it for cheaper than that? <br /><br />The fabric barns that they carry are the direction I'd go if I were making a permanent pig barn. <br /><br />Something like one of these: <br /><br />http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies/prod1;ft1_tension_fabric_buildings-ft1_hd_truss_buildings-ft1_hd_pony_truss;pgt045p.html<br /><br />You'll note that they are $3,000 more than the equivalent high tunnel hoophouse, but arguably more useful. 45' wide is a nice span.Bruce Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10995706761794063165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1842136564899097734.post-72938357051591743832011-11-06T10:51:18.424-08:002011-11-06T10:51:18.424-08:00I'm curious why you are building from scratch....I'm curious why you are building from scratch. Rolling the EMT/Conduit will be an unpleasant task without a powered roller ($$$$, or $$$ to get someone to do it for you). EMT is already galvanized, so you won't be able to weld it without fumes/annoying grinding. Coping the tubes is also a real pain without the proper tools. Then that joint will eventually rust no matter what you do with paint. <br /><br />Seems you can't beat pre-built ones such as the many options here:<br /><br />http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies/cat1a;ft1_tension_fabric_buildings.htmlEightwayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05578189394559089323noreply@blogger.com