TiHabanero

Got to thinking about how fork blades are bent by DIY and pro level builders and started to question why the drop out end of the blade is fixed in the fixture and the rest of the blade is used as a lever to bend the radius.

Has anyone seen a fixture that fixes the blade starting at the top and supports the blade to the point where the radius is desired to start and then create the bend from there? My thought is that the blade can more easily be bent to spec this way.

Other than the natural advantage of using the unbent portion of the blade for leverage, is there any other reason not to fix the blade in a fixture?

Andrew R Stewart 

Generally there's a bit of straight, unable to bend, tube/blade on either side of a bending operation. Many feel that this un bent portion isn't aesthetic if at the drop out end. This is why many will cut off the last CM or two of the small end of the blade after raking and have the blade's curve "flow" into the drop out. The ability to clamp the blades' end against the bending form is critical in minimizing this unbent portion. That the beginning of the bend, the small end of the blade, is easily available to clamp tightly with no problems and that the upper section of the blade is left to use as the lever and where the bend ends (variable with amount of rake) makes clamping that small end and levering against the upper end the way to go. Andy