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| Subject - Conduit hand bender to EMT | |
| nino | I have a gardner bender with level in it ;but don't have a degree scale in it to make a bending in the air, only can use it in the floor to make 90 degree bend or back to back bend. How I can use my bender sight down to make a perfect angle in the air? I need Know which is the best hand conduit bender to work with EMT. Thank you in advance. |
| iwire | I like a bender that the handle is straight up at 30 degrees of bend. If you really want accurate bends any bender will do but get yourself some pipe bending levels. http://www.no-dog.com/6inch/ |
| JimmyDee | I don't think anyone makes a better bender than the Bendfield bender. All the degree marks and notches for 3 bend saddles are part of the bender. I never used the degree way of bending until I had to teach conduit bending to my students. I always held a wooden fold ruler up to the side of the bender and did my bends by sighting down the conduit for the size of the off set. I found my bends were accurate and fast. Jim |
| nino | Dear jimmyDee, can you explain me any example of how you use the wooden fold ruler up to make conduit bends? Please, give any example about you method of bend conduits. Thank you in advance. |
| JimmyDee | I'll try. Make a bend of any number of degrees. Turn the bend over and put in bender as if to bend an off set. Place the ruler's end on the top of the bender radius and run the ruler along the handle. Now sight down the top of the conduit that you just bent and move it in the bender until the top of the conduit is in the same plane as the number of inches of off set you need, then bend the conduit until it is an good off set. You will be within an 1/8" or so depending on how good your eye is. If you don't understand this, just give it a try at work and see if you can figure it out from there. I have another way by finding the center of the bends and using a straight edge but that is for another day when I have time to write up something on it. Jim |
| lctrc789 | I have learned the old fashioned way with the wooden ruler and it does work well, I think if you learn the multpliers for bending that is another way to bend conduit in a good manner. The bender should be marked 22 1/2 and 30 and 4 & 60 etc. As an example an offset at 10 inches at a 30 degree bend the multiplier is 2 therefore you would bend your conduit at 20 inches apart on a 30 degree bend and have a 10 inch offset. All I can say is that bending conduit is a learning process and it takes time and every one does it different. |
| luckyshadow | A good book on bending conduit is : "benfield conduit bending manual" It was written by Jack Benfield and published through Electrical Construction and Maintenance. Explains everything you will ever need to know about bending EMT I bought mine 20 some years ago and still have it,I let my apprentices read over it but they can not keep it. |
| luckyshadow | Hey what do you know. I just entered the benfield conduit bending manual into Google and it is still available. You can but it online at www.constructionbook.com for 19.95 |
| Ryan_J | I'm with Bob. A 30 degree offset is going to be used for probably 75% of your offsets, so I like a bender that is level at 30 degrees. I prefer Ideal over anything else. Perhaps I'll post some pictures of the benders my wife's Grandfather left me in his will. Pretty neat old stuff. |
| Pierre Belarge | Bending pipe is an art, not box sets and 90's, but real bending. Different people prefer different benders, but what you really need to get for good bending is TIME&PRACTICE. It is very expensive, cannot be bought at any store (brick or dot.com) and once achieved is invaluable. Needless to say, I have not acheived this art. 90's and box sets are my level - maybe a lucky saddle once and awhile  Pierre |
| Scott Vickrey | I also prefer the Ideal bender. I do about 70% of my bending in the air(Bender on it's handle). I like being able to look down the conduit when it's still in the shoe. Only bending 90's and kicking 90's on the ground. I even prefer to start the 90 in the air then flip it over and finish it on the ground. Just keep some pressure on the bend while fliping it over. The only time I will measure an offset is if I have to run two or more the same or am working with 1" or larger emt. The time it takes me to easily make a minor adjustment is shorter than the time it takes to measure it and the result is the same. After bending alot of conduit for a day or two you get really good at guessing offsets and only use your tape for 90's and kicks. I used to hate running conduit, but after getting really good at it I love to run the stuff. Don't you just hate it when you kick the 2" 90 the wrong way?
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| JimmyDee | quote: Thats why most jobs have a scrap pile.  Jim |
| iwire | quote: No that never happens We use a Greenlee smart bender and you can use it to back some bends out if you have to. RMC is more tolerant than EMT when 'un' bending. 
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| nino | Thank you to all, it is a excellent forum.I think buy the book "benfield conduit bending manual" thank you luckyshadow. Is interesting the technique of jimmy,and thank you bob for the information about bending levels.Thank you. |