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All pipes, from tailpipes to tubas, are bent on a tube bender. Hand-held benders can bend pipes up to 1/2 inch in diameter in two dimensions. Computer Numerical Control (CNC) benders can twist very large pipes into complex shapes. Most custom car and motorcycle builders use hand-held benders for brake and cooling lines and stand-mounted, muscle-powered benders to create custom exhaust pipes up to 2 1/2 inches in diameter. All two-dimensional benders lock one end of a pipe in place and bend the other end around a half-moon-shaped die. More complex machines use multiple dies. The easiest bend to make is 90 degrees.
1
Draw the bends you intend to make in the pipe using a pencil and paper. Include the diameter and degrees of angle of the curves.
2
Clamp the vise block of your hand-held tube bender in a bench vise. Mount and level larger benders on a bender stand. Use a bubble level to level the bender on a stand.
3
Install the correct dies for the pipe you want to bend according to the directions for your pipe bender, if your pipe bender has interchangeable dies. All tube benders have a roll die and a bend die and, depending on your bender, these dies may be replaced to fit the diameter of the pipe more closely.
4
Make a reference mark on the tube with a machinist's awl and measure all distances from there. Measure from the reference mark and scribe a second mark at the vertex, or dead center or crown, of the curve you will bend. Measure the distance from the reference mark to the vertex of the bend with a steel ruler.
5
Make a third mark on the pipe to indicate the direction of the flow in the bent tube. Make a fourth reference the same distance from the vertex mark as the first reference mark but on the opposite side of the vertex. The vertex mark should now be in the center of the two reference marks. This method of planning your bends is called the "measure-bend method."
6
Open the tube latch according to the directions that came with your bender. Put the tube in the bend die groove with the beginning reference mark to the left of the tube latch.
7
Close but do not lock the tube latch. Align the visible gauges on the exterior of the bend die and the roll die to bend the angle you want. Typically, the zeros on both gauges will align when you make a 90-degree bend.
8
Align the vertex mark scribed on the pipe with the bend-angle mark on the gauge on the exterior of the roll die. Typically, the mark for a 90-degree bend will be the rightmost mark.
9
Lock the tube latch. Bend the tube either by pulling on the long handle or by activating the hydraulic mechanism. Unlock the tube latch and remove the bent pipe.
The article above shows some of the technique of bending a smooth pipe. Read the article above and see the benefits you can get for your working areas or businesses.
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