tips on bending awkard angles on steel conduit.

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Superspark23

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conduit.jpg

I have to bend some steel conduit as shown in the picture about how would you get the angles spot on? The picture isnt really accurate as i belive the 2 sets will be similar. doing it another way isnt an option as thats how the client wants it too look like. the black opject is a wall support. and the yellow squares are light fittings .

I haven't done much steel conduit work in the past. The guy i asked to help struggled doing this too and gave up lol. W'ere going to try again tomorrow.
 
Superspark23 said:
View attachment 9204

I have to bend some steel conduit as shown in the picture about how would you get the angles spot on? The picture isnt really accurate as i belive the 2 sets will be similar. doing it another way isnt an option as thats how the client wants it too look like. the black opject is a wall support. and the yellow squares are light fittings .

I haven't done much steel conduit work in the past. The guy i asked to help struggled doing this too and gave up lol. W'ere going to try again tomorrow.
Click to expand...

everyone has their own tips and tricks,what i was taught is measure up what you need then draw the setup on the floor in chalk then you have an easy template to work at, under bend what you think is needed then back to the bender to tweak,if the bends work on the floor then its one visit up the steps to fix
 
Cheers thats a good way of doing things, but how do you ensure the bend is in the right place. Say i want the step 13cm. I will place an allread stepped piece of conduit against a wall and measure out 13cm and mark that, but how do i know where to place that mark on the machine?
 
also practice makes perfect,even old hand sparks have been know to get the bend wrong,then its scrap,order a few extra lengths to practice with you'll be ok just take your time with it..check and double check before you bend
 
2 tips for stuff like this;Know exactly what the vice is doing, and make a dummy 90 deg bend. When you make this bend, mark exactly where the tube lines up with the back of the former, and also where it was in relation to the stop block. Make the bend, and before you remove the tube, see where the marks are, they will have pulled through slightly. Another thing for tubes with multiple sets all in the same direction, is to give yourself a datum to work to. Before you even start the complicated stuff, put a 90 bend of about 12" at the end of the tube. Leave some room from this bend to the next part of the finished job, but whenever forming a set ensure this bend is horizontally level with a spirit level. The bend will sit either side of the vice depending which part of the set you are forming, but always use the level. Once the masterpiece is done, the 90 deg bend gets cut off. It also helps when doing this to sit the vice on a flat level area.
 
Another thing to remember, is Don't over complicate your conduit run. From your sketch, that top arrangement after the box is a good example of how not to do it!! lol!!!
 
Is this for wall lights?If so it look a right mess. Just take the least amount of angles as possible and enter the fitting from the rear. You can loose alot of bends at the hidden through and stop end boxes.
 
just practice if your rusty, every spark has his own way you will find yours,a well used machine will have a few hacksaw marks on the formers,probably done by a few different sparks who use their own method..as e54 says dont make it complicated depending on the site that first bend could be just one bend instead of 2 two
 
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You will undoubtadly have to sacrifice a few bits of conduit to get your marks on the former.
Dont be surprised if you cock it up a few times. Just keep practising and you'll get it.
bumcrack has explained pretty well what to do.
 
Could you not manage it this way?

conduit.jpg

Ill openly admit im also not the best at steel conduit, plastic im fine, but steel has always ****ed me off, so i always try look for the easiest possible option
 
alarm man said:
also practice makes perfect,even old hand sparks have been know to get the bend wrong,then its scrap,order a few extra lengths to practice with you'll be ok just take your time with it..check and double check before you bend
Click to expand...


...thats a good one....similar saying for chippies.... measure twice cut once!
 
I would prefer to enter in to the top of the fitting and bend down as i think that will look better, how ever the spark im working with wants it done this way, as "apparently" thats the way the engineers who's odering the work wants it done.

I'm trying to work out in my head how puting a 90 degree bend and check its completly level horizontal will show its straight, i just cant see it. i guess you may have a different vice to me. But none the less i'll try it tomorrow and see what happens
 
Superspark23 said:
I would prefer to enter in to the top of the fitting and bend down as i think that will look better, how ever the spark im working with wants it done this way, as "apparently" thats the way the engineers who's odering the work wants it done.

I'm trying to work out in my head how puting a 90 degree bend and check its completly level horizontal will show its straight, i just cant see it. i guess you may have a different vice to me. But none the less i'll try it tomorrow and see what happens
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do the floor trick,then bend a bit at a time,you'll be ok dont worry about it,it might take 2 or 3 goes but you'll do it..
 
I'll try that. this is the 1st piece of steel conduit i've done since college! Crazy. I rember the college benders had some lines to match up with but our work one don't and not sure where i should draw then on the vice.
 
The idea of the level ensures that any bend or set you form will always be at a true 90 to that level, assuming you set the level on the horizontal plane. What it will avoid is a twist halfway through your double set, which is a pain to get out, and throws the whole thing off a straight line.
 
The idea of the level ensures that any bend or set you form will always be at a true 90 to that level, assuming you set the level on the horizontal plane. What it will avoid is a twist halfway through your double set, which is a pain to get out, and throws the whole thing off a straight line. The last paragraph on guide 3 by Lenny shows what I mean.Double post for some reason!
 
alarm man said:
everyone has their own tips and tricks,what i was taught is measure up what you need then draw the setup on the floor in chalk then you have an easy template to work at, under bend what you think is needed then back to the bender to tweak,if the bends work on the floor then its one visit up the steps to fix
Click to expand...
underbending is all very well but when i used to work in fabrications (using guillotines brakepresses and ironworkers n stuff)....we used to just take it over a touch......as the material stretches on the outside of the bend and shrinks on the inside.....so it will always want to pull back if you go too far.....just a touch mind..no more or you will never get it back without warming it up with the bottles......can save time going back n forth from bender/former to job......if it goes over than a few good raps with a copper faced hammer on the outside of the bend should bring it back.......used to have to do this when using pressbrakes as what you would find was that the material at the ends of the bed would..lets say be at 90.....but in the centre would be well over....that was 1/4 plate of course over 4 meters in width but the same applies here....if it goes over dont try to pull it back by hand as all you will do is put a radius on the straight...no good see as it will look bowed....like i say...if it goes too far a few good raps with the copper hammer on the OUTSIDE edge of the bend will bring it back......
 
GLENNSPARK said:
underbending is all very well but when i used to work in fabrications (using guillotines brakepresses and ironworkers n stuff)....we used to just take it over a touch......as the material stretches on the outside of the bend and shrinks on the inside.....so it will always want to pull back if you go too far.....just a touch mind..no more or you will never get it back without warming it up with the bottles......can save time going back n forth from bender/former to job......if it goes over than a few good raps with a copper faced hammer on the outside of the bend should bring it back.......used to have to do this when using pressbrakes as what you would find was that the material at the ends of the bed would..lets say be at 90.....but in the centre would be well over....that was 1/4 plate of course over 4 meters in width but the same applies here....if it goes over dont try to pull it back by hand as all you will do is put a radius on the straight...no good see as it will look bowed....like i say...if it goes too far a few good raps with the copper hammer on the OUTSIDE edge of the bend will bring it back......
Click to expand...

if i went over id just stand on one end and push it back with my hands,still prefer the under method and back in the bender for a touch more..
 
alarm man said:
if i went over id just stand on one end and push it back with my hands,still prefer the under method and back in the bender for a touch more..
Click to expand...
well its whatever works for you isn`t it .....but having worked with various sheet, profile and box/tube materials in the past i can safely say that the method i have described in 21 will work without introducing distortion into straight edges etc....which standing on one end and trying to push it back with your hands will do......see when you rap it with the copper hammer you arn`t necesarily bending it with the hammer blows....what you are really doing is compounding the surface of the material on the outer edge of the bend.....and the steel will want to pull back gradually with repeated blows.....as if by magic....and you dont have to whack it hard either......its more coaxing it.....
 
I always over bend slightly and use the stop on the bender to alter. Scaffold also works well.
When on a power station, I did a lot of 32mm conduit. Scaffolding is definately a must for that! Strapping / bolting the bender down is also a good tip with bigger stuff!
 
and as alarm has said n all....get it drawn out on the floor...like a pattern of sorts.....a standard fabrication practice...........another one would be to use a piece of cardboard set at the angle you need.....then offer it up to the work piece....and use a line to drop a vertical on it....then trim to that.....theres your bending template see.....just a basic transfer of angles without all the problems of using angle gauges etc.....which can give a "creeping" inaccuracy........if not set perfectly.....
 
I'm self taught on pipe bending. Must have been down the boozer when it was done at college.
The first spark I worked with couldnt teach me to bend pipe either because " cant use one of them new fangled bending machines, I'll stick with me block ta very much and I aint got the patience to teach you with a block".
Oh yes boys, proper old school. He used a big block of timber with a worn hole in the middle, anyone on here used or can use a bending block????
 
Big n Daft said:
I'm self taught on pipe bending. Must have been down the boozer when it was done at college.
The first spark I worked with couldnt teach me to bend pipe either because " cant use one of them new fangled bending machines, I'll stick with me block ta very much and I aint got the patience to teach you with a block".
Oh yes boys, proper old school. He used a big block of timber with a worn hole in the middle, anyone on here used or can use a bending block????
Click to expand...
well we used to use machinery to generate bends and radii in whatever we were working.....but the principle behind a bending block such as the one you describe will be firstly that its wood and thus will be more forgiving on the conduit and also the fact that the material being worked will be supported around its o/d.....preventing it from popping or ribbing..etc......i should think.....
 
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Tony said:
Hey not a bad idea! Nicely polished it would make a great architectural feature! Better than running a separate CPC as well.

Hang on some ones come up with this before, I think it’s call Pyrotenax. Bugger foiled again!
Click to expand...


120mm MI singles I had to work with once. Never again.
 
Back to subject... what size conduit is/was it?

I was taught a useful trick that seems to work very well with 20mm only...

...about with the conduit in the bender, measuring from the former (?) (the bit where the conduit bends around) end with one of those tiny tape measures. It tends to get the bends just about right - give or take 5mm.

Sorry, probably not a very good description.
 
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