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elecrtical metal conduit bender

brownbagg | Posted in Construction Techniques on December 18, 2006 06:36am

How do you operate one of these. I been bending conduit for years and screwing up most of it. I wish somebody tell me how it works. Where 4lorn when you need him.

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Replies

  1. USAnigel | Dec 18, 2006 06:50am | #1

    what type of bender"

  2. pm22 | Dec 18, 2006 07:36am | #2

    You line up the arrow on your mark, step on the pedal and pull on the handle until you get the angle you want.

    Exactly what problem are you having? 4Lorn is mainly residential; I am in commercial. So maybe I could help you more.

    There is a website devoted to conduit bending so I'll try to find it an post.

    ~Peter

    Try this:

    http://www.porcupinepress.com/_bending/ConduitBending.htm



    Edited 12/17/2006 11:41 pm ET by pm22

  3. User avater
    maddog3 | Dec 18, 2006 01:12pm | #3

    constant foot pressure and really good marks on the pipe

    The biggest problem is NOT using enough foot pressure to keep the conduit inside the shoe while bending, which causes the pipe to kink, and will cause "fit" problems with bends that are less than 90º

    if you are bending offsets, you WILL need to use the multipliers that are..hopefully ....cast into the shoe or at least on the tag that is wrapped around the handle.

    if they are not available,
    30º bends are the easiest to make since the mult. = 2.
    and the bender handle is vertical when you are at the 30º mark

    i.e.a 5" offset would require you make your marks 10" apart...

    bending threepoint saddles is much more difficult to explain, and I have to get ready for work

    Ok I just dug this up, from the man who did ALL the hard calculating and put it in a little book andput his name on the best benders...IMHO
    http://www.benfielddirect.com/

    .
    .
    .
    .Wer ist jetzt der Idiot
    ?

    Edited 12/18/2006 5:14 am by maddog3



    Edited 12/18/2006 5:17 am by maddog3

  4. LeeLamb | Dec 18, 2006 02:39pm | #4

    go here:  http://www.tpub.com/ceb/68.htm

    One-shots, hickies, even non-metalic.

    The hows, the whys of measuring.  Good site

     

     

  5. renosteinke | Dec 19, 2006 01:37am | #5

    This thread has me a bit at a loss; every bender I've purchased has come with a little pamphlet that explains what the different marks are for.

    Moreover, even though I am about as coordinated as a drunken octopus, pipe bending didn't take very long to get the 'hang' of.

    Bends in the wrong places and directions? While I suppose it is a help to be able to think in three dimensions, I have always had but one eye, and am not able to "see 3-D" as do most folks.

    Perhaps the biggest mistake I see people make is trying to make things hard than they need to be. Here are some ideas:
    -Limit the number of bends in one piece of pipe. If the run has many bends, going off in different directions, make it from several short pieces with simple bends, rather than trying to get them all in one stick.
    -When the location of a ben is critical in a run - such as a saddle - make it in the middle of a longer piece of pipe, then set the pipe over the obstruction; now use the existing pipe to mark just where to trim your ends to fit.
    -Have some big references nearby. For example, door jambs make good places to check a pipe for straightness, measure the size of your offsets, and to see if the bend is truly square.
    -When measuring off the bent end of a pipe, set the pipe against the wall, and measure from the wall (rather than trying to imagine where the "end" is).
    -Measure, measure, and measure again. Measure for length, for level, for plumb. For parallel to other pipes. Use guides, spacers, etc., to help you remaining consistent.

    1. User avater
      maddog3 | Dec 19, 2006 02:22am | #6

      BB probably did what all guys do......he threw the book away..darn if this ain't hard to explain with mere woids, I could show him way faster than trying to explain something I've only been doing for what seems like an eternity.....
      .
      .
      .Wer ist jetzt der Idiot
      ?

      Edited 12/18/2006 6:31 pm by maddog3

      1. brownbagg | Dec 19, 2006 03:30am | #7

        I never got a book.

        1. User avater
          maddog3 | Dec 19, 2006 03:35am | #8

          Ok, what is your specific problem.

          .

          .

          .Wer ist jetzt der Idiot

          ?

          1. brownbagg | Dec 19, 2006 04:27am | #9

            I,m stupid

          2. User avater
            maddog3 | Dec 19, 2006 12:54pm | #10

            welcome to the club......!you only have to outsmart the bender by 2%.

            .

            .

            .Wer ist jetzt der Idiot

            ?

          3. brownbagg | Dec 19, 2006 03:03pm | #11

            that will be difficult

          4. User avater
            maddog3 | Dec 20, 2006 03:27am | #12

            with what are you having a problem trying to bend ?.

            .

            .

            .Wer ist jetzt der Idiot

            ?

          5. CAGIV | Dec 20, 2006 03:30am | #13

            lmao....

            only the truly brilliant can admit that though.

             

        2. johng45 | Dec 20, 2006 04:07am | #14

          I never got a book.

          Don't feel bad, this is not uncommon.

          The usual way HD and Lowes presents conduit benders for sale is in a tall, skinny box with the business end of the bender sticking out and the handle hidden from view. The instruction booklet is usually weakly fastened to the handle somewhere along its length. Unsuspecting customers who pull the bender out of the box inadvertently slide the instruction booklet off without realizing it. After inspection, if they return the bender to the box, they are leaving behind a tool without its set of instructions. This is probably what happened to you.

          If you return to the store where you purchased the bender and look in the bottom of the box, I'll bet you will find a few sets of instructions - one of which will be yours!

          JohnG

          1. brownbagg | Dec 20, 2006 04:38am | #15

            mine did not come in a box, it did not come from the box store. it came from a " Here you want this" store.

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