Bending and connecting tubes

We bend a wide range of profiles including oval, flat-sided oval, D-shaped, radiused square, and round tube. Our fixed radius and ring rolling tooling covers our most popular sizes, but we can also develop bespoke tooling for profiles not listed in our standard range.

Fixed radius bending produces precise bends at defined positions with a consistent radius — ideal for tight, controlled angles. Ring rolling produces smooth, flowing curves with larger radii and no limit on tube length, making it suited to continuous handrail sections, full rings, and sweeping architectural curves.

This depends on the tube profile, wall thickness, and material. As a general rule, we can custom-make fixed radius tooling where the required centreline radius (CLR) is 2.5× or greater than the tube diameter in the plane being bent. For tighter radii below this threshold, mandrel bending may be more appropriate.

Yes. We design and manufacture tooling and jigs in-house, so we can develop new tooling or modify existing machine settings for profiles and radii not listed in our standard charts. Early consultation during the design stage helps optimise bend radii, tooling, and fabrication efficiency. Bend orientation can affect achievable radii, tooling requirements, tolerances and overall fabrication efficiency, so this is another consideration.

We primarily work with stainless steel (316L and 304 grades), but also bend and form aluminium and other metals depending on the application. Contact our technical team to discuss your material requirements.

We ask for drawings showing your required bends, including dimensions and the radius or radii. Hand-drawn sketches will usually suffice if formal drawings are not available. For ring rolling work, we also ask clients to supply 1:1 printed templates.

Yes. Flat-sided oval tube can be bent in what we refer to as the A Plane and B Plane, although the behaviour of the profile changes significantly depending on the orientation of the bend. A Plane bending curves the tube across its narrow dimension and is often referred to as the “easy way” bend because the section offers less resistance in this direction, allowing tighter radii and lower forming forces. B Plane bending curves the tube across its wider face and is mechanically more demanding due to the increased stiffness of the profile. This typically requires greater forming pressure and additional compensation for springback after bending. Despite this, B Plane bends are often preferred in architectural and engineering applications where the wider face of the profile needs to remain visible for aesthetic, ergonomic or structural reasons.

Timeless Tube has developed specialist tooling for both bend orientations and continues to expand its bending capability for flat-sided oval tube as demand for the profile increases across architecture, marine, transport and industrial applications. Ring rolling and fixed-radius bending can both be carried out in either plane on selected profiles, enabling everything from continuous curved handrails to complex marine fabrications and transport components.