HD sells it in varieing lengths from 2' to 10'

Not sure about bending it but a hack saw will cut it just fine.

Whatya gonna do with it? Trellis??

Yeah! :D

I got a better deal at a small lumber company, they have a "snapping tool" in their yard, and you buy the 20 foot lengths and cut it to the size you want at the store. Much cheaper than buying shorter lengths at HD.

Carla in Sac

#4 (1/2" dia) rebar is readily available at any building supply house and can be fairly easily bent with a sturdy vise and a cheater pipe or with long ends beyond the bend, by just stepping on it and pulling.

BIG bolt cutters, metal cutting saws or circular abrasive blades are fine tools to cut it with but if you know the lengths you need, some places will cut it for you.

Larger dia. bars are much harder to bend and may have to be ordered.

Bending is really easy. Just put a pipe over the end and drop your tractor bucket on the other end. Works great. A circular saw with an abrasive blade can cut it very easily. One of the reasons I have 6 circular saws....

If you have to make small bents, use a torch to heat it red hot. It gets soft for bending into small loops.

dcarch

OK, guys, not EVERYBODY has a tractor and/or welding torch on hand, LOL. And my assumption would be that if a person hasn't worked with it before and posts a question about how to cut and bend rebar, it's a pretty safe guess they're also in the group of non-welder/non-tractor-owners!
(Not that I wouldn't love to have even a small tractor, for rebar or just plain gardening, but I just don't have the room)

Carla in Sac

I'd use my hydrolic pipe bender LOL
Really, the advise about a vise and a cheater tube would work great.
Or you could visit the sq ft gardening section and read about the trellises made from conduit and 90 degree elbow pieces you screw in place.
You just nee a couple 3' sections of rebar to pound in the ground and you slip the conduit trellis over the rebar.

kinda like mine
{{gwi:14779}}

now i want a tractor for sure!! and i've always wanted a circular saw!! my hubs thinks i'm wierd cuz i get excited over tools!! and things like that! hmmmm i'm not weird, i'm just easy to please, heck he oughta be happy!! we can share!! LOL
i think that's a great idea for a trellis!! how smart!! it won't break down easy!!

Medontdo---it's just because the thought of hormonal women loose with power tools is a bit much for the average male.

I make my hubby buy the good power tools so we can share. Now I know why guys like messing around with these things...you can get so much done in a short time.

As for bending the rebar....two people and a tree....think about it. It'll make a gentle arch.

{{gwi:24456}}

Thought I'd tease you....

Cutting is really easy with a circular saw and abrasive blade. That's a tool you have to have.

Rebar works great as tomato stakes, for me.

Easy to drive into the ground and easy to remove.

I connect the top of my stakes with a long rebar and tie them together with the wire designed for rebars and concrete work.

I cut it with a chop-saw and buy it in 20 foot lengths from a building supply store.

John

Of course you know about these, but just in case:

1. Abrasive Blade, also known as abrasive wheel.
2. Make sure the blade max RPM is not exceeded.
3. Make sure it for metal cutting.
4. Absolute eye protection required.
5. No one is nearby as your are cutting.
6. Sparks will be flying, make sure there is no gasoline vapor around, or any combustible vapor.
7. Ear plugs would be good. Very loud high-pitch noise.

dcarch

Just a suggestion. If you are wanting stakes, you might try
1/2 inch emt (electrical conduit tubing). I get it for $2.29
per 10 foot length and out of that I get 4 30" stakes.
Way easier to cut, lighter, easier to find, less expensive
and still lasts forever. After cutting, mash one end flat
with a hammer. It's pretty easy. Just a suggestion.

EMT is a very good suggestion:

1. Use a tube cutter (plumbing cutter. No sharp edges).
2. You can drill thru the conduits and screw them together to make your design.
3. Use a pipe bender, or make a pipe bender to bend the conduits.

dcarch

30" stakes? You must be growing mini-maters, LOL.

My six foot+ stakes are not long enough!
I am thinking of adding a 4 foot piece of rebar to each stake making maybe 9 feet out of the ground.

The conduit material sounds interesting BUT the smooth surface would not be as good as rebar for holding tying material. I will buy a few conduits and give em a try.

John

People who shape and cut a lot of rebar, such as artists or sculptors, typically use a tool like this (see link below), which is how you can get tight, precise curves and clean cuts with a minimum of effort.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rebar Bender/Cutter from Sears

30" is just what I use to stake down my cages.
You can cut any length you want. 15" for small
things, you can get 8 per length of EMT

Another possibility, if the stakes you need are for tying up
tomato plants, is T-posts. The original poster didn't say
what the purpose is but T-posts can be found up to 8 feet
long. For those who are unfamiliar, they are what farmers
use to string barbed wire fence. The standard length, of
course is 6 feet, for a fence 4 feet high. A good farm
supply store will have them. Yes, I know, not everybody
has access to such a store but, again, just a suggestion.
I have seen 6 ft. T-posts at Lowe's, next to the cheapo
U-bent sheet metal posts. Come to think of it, those might
not be so bad if a little short. Anyway, the last time I
bought T-posts they were about $3 each.

I am looking to buy some rebar in a large size -- 1.4 or 1.7 inches in diameter. I plan to use it for stair railings on my front porch. Any ideas where I can purchase this would be much appreciated.