How to make a manual pipe bender for bending a round pipe with your own hands? The simplest pipe benders for a round pipe do it yourself Homemade pipe bender for a round pipe manual

Pipe bender KACHOK - QUALITY OK!

Arched and domed roof structures have come into vogue with the advent of flexible roofing materials. This is the well-known polycarbonate, soft roof, various plastics with filling, flexible slate and corrugated board. It became necessary and possible to assemble lightweight and portable structures, roofs over shopping pavilions, pool roofs and awnings. What could be simpler, you bend the profile pipes into an arc on the "KACHOK" pipe bender and attach cellular or monolithic polycarbonate to them.

I would like to tell you more about the popular pipe bending machine "KACHOK" for shaped and round pipes, which is suitable for many jobs and performs almost all the necessary operations. It was developed for small businesses and blacksmiths. Note that the bender is compact and heavy. Its weight in the package is 45 kilograms. Dimensions: 450x450x540 mm. You cannot tell from the photo, it looks attractive and even beautiful. The whole body of the pipe bender is made in such a way that by installing it on the table and screwing it to the table with four bolts (not included in the kit) through the holes in the base, you can immediately start working.

What kind of work can be done on the KACHOK pipe bender? You can bend profile pipes 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50 mm and even 60x30 mm into an arc. Most often, arcs are bent, which are subsequently used for greenhouses, sheds, canopies, fences, gazebos, pergolas and other complex non-rectilinear structures.

On the pipe bender, rollers for rolling shaped pipe are located on the drive axles. The shafts are mounted on bearings. Sprockets and a chain drive are installed on the shafts. If you turn the handle, then the rotation is transmitted to all axles, so to speak "four-wheel drive". It is easier to twist and pipe slippage is practically excluded. In addition, the roller shafts have a fine notch that provides additional adhesion of the rolled tube to the rollers.

This pipe bender can be easily converted into an electromechanical one.

The pipe bender also includes rollers for a round pipe. Rollers for pipes with a diameter of 20, 25, 30 mm. A round pipe can be rolled easily and the walls remain even without dents and corrugations.

You can work with a strip of maximum 40x10 mm. The strip on these rollers rolls perfectly. When I needed 1 meter hoops from a 30x4 mm strip, I made them easily. The ribbed strip is rolled onto external rollers that come with a pipe bender. The maximum you can work with a strip of 30x4 mm.

Our tests revealed good performance of the pipe bender and high workmanship. individual elements... Simple and robust design. KACHOK - QUALITY OK!

Maintenance of the pipe bender is not difficult. The pinch roller screw and sprocket need to be lubricated periodically. Any lubricant is suitable, you can use "LITOL".

Owners of private houses, as well as many home craftsmen, need pipes bent at certain angles for the manufacture of various elements of arched structures and pipelines. To do this, they use industrial, and more often homemade, pipe benders for a round pipe. Professional factory pipe bending devices are expensive, so often such devices are made in-house, which allows you to save money.

The device and principle of operation of the pipe bender

The pipe bending procedure itself is practically not complicated, but it requires special attention. In the process of bending, it can get defects in the form of stretching of the wall and a decrease in its thickness at the point of bending, which will lead to a decrease in the strength of the pipe. Also, the bend can change the configuration of the cut and instead of a circular cross-section take the shape of an ellipse, which significantly reduces the internal throughput of the fluid passing through the pipe.

Design features

To minimize defects during bending, when choosing or making a pipe bender for work, you need to understand how it works. The manufacture of a pipe bending device consists of three stages:

Similar hand devices for bending tubular workpieces can be mechanically or hydraulically driven, both of which are great for the home workshop.

The principle of operation of almost all pipe bending devices is the same... The workpiece is fixed in special device and under a certain effort takes the required bending angle.

There are various pipe bending devices, and, naturally, each of them uses its own system of force action. For example, in devices of a crossbow or hydraulic type, a point force acts on the bendable section of the pipe.

According to another scheme, bending is performed using several rollers, between which the workpiece is rolled, a certain bending angle is obtained. Pipe benders equipped with special pipe inserts (mandrels) work according to this scheme.

What is the mandrel for?

To understand the purpose for which mandrels are used, you need to know what can happen to the pipe during its bending if you do not use the mandrel. For example, when bending a workpiece, two opposite forces act on some of its sections at the bending point:

Compression of the wall of the inner radius, at which the metal, deforming, forms a wavy surface (corrugation).
Stretching. In this case, the metal wall of the outer bending radius is stretched, due to which it becomes thinner. Naturally, this can weaken the strength of the pipe by almost 50% at the section of the bend produced.

Thin-walled copper, aluminum and other pipes made of soft material can deform especially strongly, if the mandrel is not used.

For a mandrel inserted inside the pipe before bending, steel springs are usually used, matched to the inner diameter of the bent pipes. Sometimes the surface of the springs is coated with polyurethane to provide better stabilization of the pipe walls.

Types and manufacture of bending devices

There are not so many ways to bend a pipe, but there are quite a few devices for performing these actions. Moreover, they can be the most different types... In order to make the correct pipe bender for a round pipe with your own hands, you can draw up the drawings yourself or freely download from the Internet.

According to the principle of influencing the billet of a round pipe in order to give it a bend at a certain angle, there are various types of pipe benders.

Crossbow model

These models of tube benders are driven by hydraulic or screw drives. In the process of processing the workpiece, the model bends in the form of a crossbow shoulder, from which the name of the bending device comes from.

The design of the crossbow pipe bender has some difficulties in manufacturing, but its power and technical capabilities are quite large. The fixture itself can be made with multiple functions, such as being used as a bending machine and a hydraulic press.

Depending on the design of the rigid metal frame, the machine can operate in a horizontal position (a jack or other power device is located horizontally) and in a vertical position.

The structure consists of a rigid frame and two rollers fixed on special posts welded to the platform. A jack is located in the center between the posts, and clamps are fixed to the axes of the rollers, which provide free fixation of the workpiece, which is laid on them.

A pipe bender punch (shoe, template) can be made from old rollers, pulleys or bent and cut pipes.

The work of the crossbow machine is done in this way:

A workpiece from a pipe is placed on the rollers and fixed with clamps.
A shoe is attached to the jack (template with a certain bending angle).
The jack presses on the center of the workpiece with a shoe and smoothly bends it at a given angle.

Using the same technique, you can make a small manual pipe bender, with which it is easy to bend strong thick-walled pipes of medium and small diameter. For this purpose, you will need to purchase hydraulic jack not large sizes, two rollers, make a punch and a strong T-shaped nozzle from metal for a jack.

The entire structure of the "crossbow" mechanism must be with a large margin of safety. Otherwise, if under the pressure of the jack, the workpiece breaks out of the fixing brackets, the operator may be injured.

Roller rolling system

Such pipe-bending models are also called rolling models. With this system it is possible to bend round or shaped pipes as well as steel reinforcement to a large radius. Ideal for making arches for sheds or greenhouses.

The main elements of this kind of device are three metal rollers, matched to the diameter of the bent pipe workpiece. The workpiece is placed on two extreme rollers and the third, located in the center, is rolled along the pipe. Under his force, the part gradually bends, acquiring a certain bending radius.

The system can be driven by a hand crank or an electric motor through a special gearbox for the pipe bender. The quality of the resulting product, processed on this device, is quite high, and the pipe itself, in contact with the metal rollers, practically does not receive damage.

The advantage of the pipe bender is its small size, so the tool takes up little space in any home workshop and can be easily mounted on a workbench or wall. And due to the fact that it is made entirely of metal, the workpiece in the process of bending can be heated with a blowtorch or gas torch to facilitate work.

The simplest device

For urgent work that requires a manual pipe bender for a round pipe to quickly bend an angle elbow, for example, for a domestic plumbing, you can make a simple bender using the tools at hand. To do this, prepare a lever from a cut of a metal round pipe with a diameter of about 32-42 mm or thick, preferably smooth reinforcement. The length of the arm should be between 1-1.5 m, depending on the workpiece to be bent.

A ring made of thick-walled pipe cutting with a width of about 30-40 mm is welded to one end of the lever. The inner diameter of the ring should be larger than the outer diameter of the workpiece prepared for bending.

Instead of a ring, two rods from a thick, smooth rod can be welded to the lever. The rods are welded perpendicular to the arm and parallel to each other. The distance between them should be greater than the outer dimension of the workpiece prepared for bending.

the folding process is performed as follows:P

The workpiece is laid on a hard, even surface, it can be asphalt, concrete floor, reinforced concrete panel or thick board.
The tubular workpiece prepared for bending is threaded into the ring of the manufactured device or inserted between its pins, after which, acting on the lever by muscular force, it is folded.

Winding machine

Pipe bending machines of this type differ from other bending devices in that the pressure roller presses the workpiece directly against the template itself, as if winding the pipe around it. This allows you to bend ring-shaped and spiral parts from blanks, which is completely impossible to do on conventional pipe bending machines.

During operation, the roller itself is in a stationary state, but the template, to which the end of the workpiece is rigidly fixed, rotates around its axis, winding the pipe over itself, which is why machines of this type are called winding machines.

The drive on such devices is most often electric, since a large force is required to twist the pipe into a ring. The mandrel for the template must be removable, otherwise it will be rather difficult to remove the workpiece curved with a spiral from it. The template can be made of wood, PCB or metal.

The advantage of the winding machine lies in its simple design, but the disadvantage is that the size of the template is somewhat limited and the need for a powerful lever.

Wooden conductor

This design can be considered a rolling device, but the difference is that there is no pinch roller. To make this device, you will need thick plywood or boards; you can use a workbench or a massive chipboard plate as a base.

A template is made from a thick board, in which one side has a rounding for a certain radius. It is rigidly fixed to the edge of the workbench in such a way that the workpiece prepared for bending can be freely wrapped around it.

The end of the workpiece can be fixed with a primitive wooden stop made of a bar or by cutting the same board from which the template was made. The bending of the pipe is carried out with the help of muscular force smoothly, without sudden movements, then its damage will be insignificant, and the acquired geometric shape will turn out to be accurate and even.

To prevent the bent part from jumping off the template (punch), it is advisable to make a semicircular recess along the perimeter of its rounded part by processing the end with a round rasp.

Fixing the pipe to the template can be done in another way, by stuffing a rounded piece of plywood on top of it, which should protrude beyond its edge within 6-10 mm. True, this option is well suited if the tube has thin walls, since more powerful efforts are needed to bend parts with thick walls, and the wooden punch may simply collapse.

Before you start bending the pipe, it is recommended to fill it with dry sand and plug both ends with wooden plugs.

This will help to avoid the appearance of waves (corrugations) on the workpiece from the inner side of the curved section, and large stretching of the metal on outer wall bend.

Of all the existing pipe bending machines, the most widespread is the hand made pipe bending, the work of which is performed on the principle of a rolling device. This model of pipe bending has practically no drawbacks, it has a low weight and size, it can be freely carried and takes up little space during storage.

Owners country houses or household plots during the renovation of the pipeline or carrying out any construction robots are often faced with the need to bend a round or shaped pipe at a certain angle.

If such a process has to be carried out often, it is better to purchase special equipment. But if such a need arises rarely, then it is possible, by making simple manipulations, to make pipe benders for a round pipe with your own hands, video lessons and drawings of this design will be presented in the article below.
In this publication, we will talk about how to make a pipe bender at home from available tools for bending round and shaped pipes. However, before starting to describe the step-by-step manufacturing, in the introductory part, let's consider what this tool is and for what purposes it is used on the farm.
What is a pipe bender and what is it for
It is a structure that makes it possible to bend profile or round pipe-rolling materials at the desired angle. They are divided into:
hydraulic;

mechanical;

manual.

The first type copes with bending large sizes, mechanical models are used for medium-sized ones, and manual models are considered ideal option for diameters up to 3 cm and profile up to 4 cm.
By their design features, functionality and principle of operation, they are divided into:
crossbow;

segmental;

spring.

The technology of operation of any pipe bender consists in the ability to correctly bend the product to the required radius. If the bending does not pay special attention to the quality of the result, then homemade constructions will cope with this task 100%.

We make from a metal pipe and a nut
This type of bending device is considered to be the most basic. It is made from a piece of rigid round pipe (metal rod) with a nut attached at the base.
We make a template for the future bend from wire;
We measure the template and transfer them to the pipe;
The pipe is installed on a flat floor with a hard surface;
The pipe is inserted into the pipe bender nut, comparing its direction with the measurements on the pipe;
With your foot, resting on the pipe that is on the floor, we press it harder, and bend the second edge, slowly pulling the pipe bender handle towards you. Such manipulations allow it to bend 10˚.
Moving the pipe along the nut hole, the procedure is repeated several times, until eventually the bend takes the desired shape.

Wood pipe bender
For self-bending a round pipe, you can make a pipe bender out of wood with your own hands. From a technical point of view, such a device is the simplest; for operation, no additional parts are required, such as, for example, a hydraulic cylinder.
We start by knocking together several boards of dense wood and cutting out half a circle of the corresponding diameter. For cutting, you can use the simplest hand saw, the main thing is to ensure that the slope is observed closer to the base.
The resulting workpiece is attached to a solid base in the form of a table top or wall. An additional wooden block is also attached to the base to create an additional emphasis.
When choosing a tree, pay attention to the fact that its thickness must be greater than the diameter of the pipe, otherwise, in the process of bending the sample, it may slip and cause injury.

To easily make a wooden pipe bender for a round pipe with your own hands, you can familiarize yourself with the video lessons below. This will help you understand all the nuances of this process.
How to work with him?
We place the pipe in the groove between the wooden semicircle and the stubborn bar and carefully begin to press on it from the back side, bending it to the desired appearance.
The main thing is that she easily enter the opening. This wooden device bends aluminum and steel products well. Moreover, its production requires minimal costs.
Pipe bender made of metal hooks
To make it, you will need to carry out the following simple steps:
buy hooks made of high quality metal at any hardware store;
we fasten them on a stable base in increments of no more than 5 cm. However, the distance of one hook from the other will depend on the size of the product that needs to be bent;
as a result, we get a semicircular pattern;
an additional stop is attached to one side of the device.

The bending process will be similar to working with a wooden template, but in this case it is not worth making a new template for different diameters, it is enough just to shift the distance between the hooks.

Tube bender made of cylinder and rollers
Video 1. We make a manual hydraulic pipe bender for round pipe rolling with our own hands

Video 2. Scheme - drawing.

Video 3. Do it yourself

It consists of rollers and a cylinder and is already a more complex unit. But it makes it possible to bend at any angle up to 360˚. In fact, it is possible to create a pipe bender for a profile pipe with your own hands, as similar as possible, according to technical specifications, for hydraulic equipment.
The specimen is fixed with rollers, and a freely moving cylinder gently bends it to the desired angle. To make such a unit with your own hands you will need:
two plates of steel 30 cm long and no more than 10 millimeters thick;
four steel corners with 5x5 cm shelves;
of wooden boards the template gets lost, the thickness of which should not exceed 3 cm;
the steel plate is attached to the underside of the wooden template;
on the base, in order to give greater strength to the structure, it is desirable to attach the corners;
a second steel plate is attached to the top;
in the latter, a hole is made of the same diameter as the screw that will be installed there;
the bolt functions as a support for the bent pipe;
corners and rollers are attached to the upper plate, which are oriented inside the pipe bender;

This type of construction makes it possible to bend any profile product at any angle.
Video 4. Homemade hydraulic pipe bending machine. We bend with a jack

Rules for using homemade hand-held pipe benders
In order for a manufactured device to perform its work efficiently and correctly, you need to adhere to several simple rules for its operation:
If seam pipes are offered for bending, which are used when installing the pipeline, then the seam must be placed in the direction of the bend;
In the case of bending large diameters, it is recommended to work with a partner;
During the process, use protective equipment and do not forget to adhere to safety rules.

Summing up all of the above information, we can say one thing that it is possible to independently build a pipe bender. And you can bring it to life if you have a minimum amount of free time and money.

When assembling a heating or water supply system from metal pipes often it becomes necessary to bend them in order to give one or another shape. For these purposes, there is a special tool - a pipe bender, which you can either buy, although it costs quite a lot, or make it yourself. In this material, we will talk about how to make a pipe bender for a round pipe yourself, as well as what types of these products are found.

Scope of the tool

It is worth noting that pipe benders for a round pipe have a fairly wide scope, and this is far from only plumbing work. By the way, when installing plumbing, the need to modify the contour of the pipe does not always arise. Typically, swivel fittings and elbows are used to create bends in pipelines. Branches mean pipe sections bent according to standard templates at the factory.

There are some restrictions for bends:

standard set of rotation angles - 45º, 60º, 90º, 180º;
bending radii can be equal to 1 or 1.5 Du;
connection - only welded.

In some cases, it is impossible to fit an individual heating or water supply system into such a rigid framework, and it is not always acceptable to use the welding method of fastening. Then a homemade pipe bender for a round pipe will definitely come in handy.

In homesteads and summer cottages, there can be many situations when it becomes necessary to bend pipes. This is the creation of greenhouses and greenhouses with unusual shapes, and the installation of frames for grapes or weaving flowers, and the construction of a summer shower or a small fence, in a word, there are many options. All these structures are based on a frame made of round pipes or a profile, which must be given one shape or another. This is where hand benders for a round pipe come in handy.

Note that professional craftsmen do not hesitate to use such a hand tool, because it perfectly meets all the requirements and parameters of the owner. The handcrafted tool allows you to perform work with high quality, as it is very convenient to use.

Varieties of devices

In order to classify products into different categories, several signs are used:

Drive type - manual, automatic, hydraulics.
Installation method - portable or stationary.
Operating principle.

By the principle of operation, all pipe benders can be divided into several types:

Winding... The stop is located at the beginning of the bend. With special clamps, the pipe is pressed against the movable template roller. This roller begins to rotate, passing the pipe between itself and the stop. This is how the bend is made.
Running in... With this method, the pipe is fixed near a fixed template. The pinch roller starts to rotate around it and gradually bends the pipe to fit the template.
Stock or crossbow method... The pipe is fixed between two fixed rollers. The pressure on it is produced in the center using a template located on the stem. It gradually descends, bending the pipe in the center between the support legs.
Rolling (rolling)... In this case, pipe flaring assumes that the bending involves two rotating support rollers, placed in a line, and one central template. The bending radius will depend on the ratio of these elements. Typically, the pressure on the pipe is exerted by the central roller.

It is worth noting that in the first three methods of work there is one common drawback - in them, the bending radius of the pipe directly depends on the template.

Bending the pipe by winding, as a rule, is performed only on industrial equipment, since a hand-made pipe bender for a round pipe is not suitable for these purposes. Products subjected to the crossbow processing method appear weakness - where the upper part of the template acts on the steel. This area is subjected to strong pressure and becomes brittle, weak and thinner. In some cases, the pipe may even burst - if its walls are thin enough.

But the method of rolling is used for forming the configuration of pipes most often. Moreover, it is used in industrial plants for the production of bends.

In order to correctly make a tool, you need to choose its model taking into account the ratio between the bending radius and the cross section of the pipes. These data can be found in the special recommendations in the form of a table. And, although the figures given there are optimal, the bending radius can still be reduced.

However, for this purpose, a mandrel will be needed, which will significantly complicate the work. If we talk about factory conditions, then in addition to the mandrel, hot rolling is often used in production.

However, hot rolling can also be done at home if you have a stationary metal tube bender with a fixed bed. Then a blowtorch or gas torch is used to warm up the pipes.

DIY pipe bending tools

Since make homemade device for bending pipes it is possible both from improvised and used components, the cost of such a tool will be quite low (for more details: ""). Moreover, for the manufacture of the simplest pipe benders for a round pipe with your own hands, drawings are not required. For example, consider a fairly simple construction of this device.

To bend the pipe, one of its ends is fixed between the metal elements and pressure is applied to the opposite end until it acquires the desired shape. After that, the pipe is left in this position for a while, so that it does not unbend. To do this, metal pins are also threaded at the ends of the pipe, which are welded to a temporary bridge.

Actually, this is the simplest type of pipe bender, which is not a problem to manufacture. But there are also more technological products. We will write about them below.

Manual tube bender

With this tool, bending is performed by the rolling method. It is made of wood, equipped with a manual drive.

First, according to the drawing, a wooden template is made, the shape of which will coincide with the bending radius, and the thickness should be greater than the diameter of the pipe. Profiling cut at the end of the template will simplify further work with the tool. To get the desired profile, you can take two boards, the cutting line on which is beveled inward.

The base to which the template will be attached must be fixed. On one side, a stop is screwed to the platform, after which the pipe is tried on. If the length of the lever is insufficient, a piece of reinforcement can be inserted into the pipe. There is no need to rush during bending - it is important that the pipe does not shift during operation and clearly matches the shape of the template.

Of course, such a primitive mechanism is not something intricate or technically complex. However, it is perfectly acceptable for home use, especially if thick pipes need to be bent.

Roll-in pipe bender made of steel

The most popular among homemade tools is the roll-in pipe bender. The templates in it are made from engine pulleys. Although, some people prefer to use washers with different diameters or turn the part on a lathe. It is not necessary to draw a drawing in this case, but it is desirable, for example, so that a turner can correctly turn parts for pipe benders for a round pipe.

Many zealous owners, who constantly make and improve something in their home, make such a hand-held tool of a rolling-in type. The advantage of such a pipe bender is that it can work with plumbing pipes of any standard diameter. And to make the applied force more, you can make the lever longer.

Homemade winding machine for bending pipes

According to the principle of operation, such a tool is similar to a rolling in. However, it can be used to shape the pipes into a ring, which is not possible with any other device. If you take a closer look at the drawing of the device, you will notice that the cheeks of the template pulley can be dismantled in order to remove the workpiece from it in the shape of a circle.

It should be noted that the pipe bender of this design can be made from any available materials, including wood, metal or textolite.

How to make a hydraulically driven round tube bender

When it comes to performing not just some homework renovation works, but about professional activity, then it is worth thinking about making a more complex hydraulic pipe bender. With its help, when bending pipes, it will be possible to reduce the cost of physical forces, because the load will be on the hydraulic jack.

At the stage of drawing up the drawing of the device, it is necessary to provide for what material the sidewalls will be made of. Optimally, a reinforcement rod with a cross section of 18-20 mm, as well as corners with a side of 25 mm, are suitable for this. In addition, for the sidewalls, you will need 10 mm sheet metal with drilled holes to fix the supports.

A tube of the appropriate diameter is used as a support, into which a bolt with a section of 18 mm will need to be welded. A semicircular hole will be located in the center of the support, which also needs to be reflected in the drawing. The workpiece will have to abut against this recess, which will be bent on a hydraulic hand pipe bender.

To create a punch, you need 4 mm thick sheet metal, from which you will need to cut semicircular blanks. The radius of these parts must match the planned bend radius of the pipe. At the next stage, they take a pipe with a cross section of 32 mm and cut it into two parts. One of the parts is bent over the shape of the blank plates, and then all the parts are welded. For additional strength of the punch in a hydraulic pipe bender, jumpers are welded inside it, providing stiffening ribs.

A tube is welded in the central part of the platform. Its purpose is a stop for a hydraulic drive, which serves as a jack. All this must be worked out and provided for in the drawing, according to which the hydraulic pipe bender will be assembled. In addition, such a scheme will make it possible to prepare a list of materials and components that have the required parameters. In this case, a number of elements for the tool will need to be pre-ordered from a turner.

Thus, it is not so difficult to assemble one or another type of manual pipe bender. Moreover, there are a lot of options and drawings of finished products that can be taken into service in order to make the tool necessary for the household independently.

When working on a site or in a garage, it is often required to bend several pipes along one or another circle. Or, alternatively, make the straight steel strips semicircular. For this, a device such as a pipe bender is used, but acquiring a factory model for performing a couple of operations is not a cheap pleasure. It is easier to make a simple do-it-yourself pipe bender that can bend the pipe to the required dimensions. We will get acquainted with the simplest and most popular options for this design today.

What are pipe benders used for?

Profile pipes with different cuts are considered today the most popular metal products and are used in the construction of greenhouses, sheds, garages, to create fences, during pipeline laying, and so on. And in the manufacture of most of these products, pipes must be bent at one angle or another, and without special equipment this cannot be done in any way.

So, a pipe bender is a special device by means of which, in most cases, pipes are bent, and the bending angle can be different (within 0-180 degrees). The drive of a modern pipe bender is often electromechanical or hydraulic.

Note! With the help of the device described in the article, you can bend products of any configuration (boiler rooms, gas and water supply; moreover, pipes can be either steel or copper, aluminum or metal-plastic).

The scope of application of the pipe bender is quite wide - it can be found on construction sites, when creating heating / water supply networks, at industrial facilities, etc. A pipe bender made with your own hands is an indispensable item in the household, which can be used for a variety of jobs. If, for example, you intend to install an air conditioner with your own hands, equip a ventilation or heating system, then it will not be easy to do without this unit.

How does a pipe bender work?

The specific design of the device depends, first of all, on its purpose, however, without fail, the pipe bender includes:

frame;
a pair of pipe stops;
hydraulic cylinder;
strips (top / bottom).

Note also that the frame can be either open or closed. As for the hydraulic cylinder, it is the main part of the device that performs the power function.

Also, in the do-it-yourself pipe bender scheme, there is an injection device, which is located on the back of the body; in the same place is the bypass valve screw, the handle. But on top of the cylinder there is a plug, through which oil is poured inside and its level is checked. The unit bar located at the bottom is screwed onto the thread on the front of the body, and then pressed with a special fixing nut. Additionally, the bar is secured with a lock and a couple of screws.

For manual reinforcement, a retractable rod is used that returns back thanks to a spring that is located in the cylinder. The bender bars are made as a welded structure. The transverse plates have holes through which the stops are installed. In the lower part of the body there are also threaded holes for adjusting bolts, adjustable in height.

Note! The stop is made in the form of a pivot, and the stops, which are located at its ends, are inserted into the holes on the strips. The bending product will rest on the stream located in the middle of the stop. The bending elements are made of precision cast steel.

Considering the pipe bender with your own hands, one cannot fail to note the fact that profile pipes with thin walls are used in last years more and more popular, moreover, they make it possible to create durable and attractive designs, as well as save on construction works... It is from such pipes that greenhouses and various sheds are made today. What is the difference between a profile pipe and an ordinary one? First of all, the cross-section, which in this case is not round, but oval, rectangular or square. This is what explains design features pipe bender for this type of pipes - the rollers must be of the same cross section as the bent products, otherwise the cross section of the latter may be deformed.

Types of pipe benders

With a manual tube bender, rings and arcs can be bent. Such a device weighs relatively little (about 65 kg), so it can be transported to the place of work with small metal structures (the same greenhouses, gates, sheds). Here are the main characteristics of materials that can be handled by a hand tool: a round pipe with a cross section of 3 centimeters, a square one - 4x4 centimeters, a rod - 1.6 centimeters, a strip - 4x1 centimeters, and finally a square - 1.6x1.6 centimeters.

Thanks to various mandrels, the range of processed products can be expanded, and the pipe bender, in turn, can be turned into a profile bender. The cost hand tool is such that it can be purchased or made with your own hands, even for minor industries.

As for electric pipe benders, they are used on an industrial scale when working with products of various sections. Such units are very productive, which is primarily due to additional functions, including the rotation of the rollers in two directions at once, the use of foot pedals, and adjustment using the control panel.

The capabilities of electric pipe benders include the bending of arcs from square (8x4 centimeters) and round (3 centimeters) pipes. In order to match the configuration of the section and the diameter of the products, the devices are equipped with special replaceable mandrels for each specific case.

A hydraulic manual pipe bender is considered more modern, the strength of which is such that it allows you to process large enough steel products. It is this option that is desirable to use for water or gas pipelines. In this pipe bender, the drive is equipped with a special hydraulic unit, which distinguishes it from a conventional device (the operator's work is much easier).

Hydraulic devices can be of several types at once and can be used for various pipes and fittings. Thus, a portable pipe bender (TPG) can be used for solid steel pipes, as well as for round rolled products (we are talking about the bulldozer method, when the pipes are not filled with sand or other fillers). There is also a manual unit (RGU), with which water and gas pipes, fittings or, again, rolled steel are bent.

Note! From the point of view of operating conditions, the pipe bender (including with your own hands) can be manual and stationary. Representatives of the first group are more suitable for domestic use, while representatives of the second group are more suitable for enterprises where bending of pipes or other products is required.

The principle of operation of the pipe bender

At first it may seem that there is nothing super complicated in bending pipes, but in reality this is not entirely true. If handled incorrectly, you may encounter all sorts of defects, among which crushing (may cause a change in diameter) or stretching of the thickness at the bend (due to this, the strength characteristics of the pipeline may suffer). For this reason, the device must be selected correctly, knowing the principle of its operation - this way you minimize possible defects.

The very principle of operation is as follows. First, the required size of a semicircle is drawn on folded boards or pieces of chipboard, after which they are cut along the line and fixed with nails on the floor, wall or fence. It should be remembered that this shield should be somewhat thicker than the bendable product (about two to three centimeters). A stop is fixed from the edge of the board in the side part. The pipe edge is inserted between the latter and the template, and then, in accordance with this template, a smooth bending is performed (for this you need to grasp the other end of the product with your hands).

Important information! If we are talking about a short pipe or a small bar, then the second end is extended by cutting a pipe that is suitable in its diameter.

We also note that there are quite complex solutions to the problem of bending large-diameter pipes, however, they require locksmith skills and the use of professional equipment. It is not only difficult to make such a pipe bender yourself, but also expensive - it is much easier to purchase a manual unit already in use.

Video - DIY pipe bender for profile pipes

A simple pipe bender for ordinary pipes with your own hands

To assemble a simple pipe bender with your own hands, you only need what can be found on any summer cottage... More specifically, you will need:

wooden shield;
two small bars;
large hooks;
several sturdy boards.

Draw a semicircle on the finished shield, according to which the pipe will bend. If the unit will be used several times, draw a couple of semicircles at once. Next, nail the bars or boards vertically from below (they can help with the establishment of the pipe and fixing its ends). Then attach the large hooks along the semicircle. This unit is quite convenient, but its disadvantage is that the hooks will have to be outweighed each time in order to obtain different bending angles.

Making a pipe bender designed to work with profile pipes with your own hands

For this kind of pipes, the design described above will no longer work. For this reason, you will need a special do-it-yourself roller pipe bender. If you look at the drawings and step by step instructions, you can easily make such a machine with your own hands.

From the materials you will need:

a pre-made frame from a steel profile;
rollers;
jack;
three rollers.

After preparing everything you need, you can proceed directly to the manufacturing process.

Step one... Craft metal carcass... At the bottom, you can additionally weld fasteners to fix it on the table top. After that place a couple of vertical supports: on the side and in the center. On the opposite side (where there is no support), the profile will rise, and therefore it must be bolted. This part will be lifted with a jack.

Step two... Weld the shafts to the finished frame. Two are on the sides, while under the third, supports must be prepared in advance. The shaft will be attached to the latter.

Step three... Weld the handle made of steel tube to the center shaft. With this handle, the product will be bent.

Step four... Fix between the shafts on the sides and the central one by two shafts, as well as a roller, so that the bendable product does not move. The fact is that this way the pipe will not move much, and therefore the work will be done with maximum accuracy.

Step five... Finally, place a jack under the movable part of the profile (the one with the roller). The jack, by the way, can be either a simple rack and pinion jack or a bottle jack. If necessary, fix it to the structure.

Note! Make careful measurements before starting work. Draw a diagram, check how well the parts are welded together. In addition, we advise you to check out the video below.

Video - Making a simple pipe bender on your own

Making a compact pipe bender-snail

To make a pipe bender with your own hands, you can use ready-made construction drawings. Familiarize yourself with several options, measure their complexity and your capabilities, the availability of the required skills and equipment. So you will be able to choose the most optimal design. So, check out several more options for pipe benders that you can easily assemble with your own hands.

To begin with, for the correct bending of shaped pipes, it is necessary to clearly understand what the physics of this process is. As a rule, in hand-held devices, a so-called circular bend is used, due to which the risks of damage to the product, the appearance of cracks or creases are minimized. To bend the pipe in such a unit, it is necessary to fix the pipe in it, and then push the lever. The product will bend as it rolls over the roller, which in turn pushes it against the main wheel.

As for necessary equipment and materials, then you will need:

sheet of metal 6 mm thick;
ruler / tape measure;
working wheel;
hammer;
pressure roller;
corners made of steel with dimensions of 5x5x0.25 centimeters;
welding machine (and skills to work with it, of course);
a piece of thick pipe with a diameter of 2.5 centimeters;
bulgarian;
axis of rotation;
washers, nuts;
a piece of a metal rod with a square section (2x2x4 centimeters).

Note! When constructing a pipe bender with your own hands, be sure to follow the safety requirements! This applies especially to welding and cutting metal!

How to calculate the structure. Drawing

Before you start making a pipe bender with your own hands, determine under what radius you will need to bend pipes most often. The dimensions of the impeller will depend on this (they should be the same as the inner radius of the finished bend).

The drawing above was created for shaped pipes with a diameter less than one inch. With the help of this unit, it will be possible to obtain a bend radius of up to 12.5 centimeters (this is 1/2 of the impeller diameter). But if you require other bending parameters, apply the appropriate calculation methodology.

So, the main size of the fork is the distance between the axes of the roller and the impeller (here a \u003d 200 millimeters). This gap is chosen in this case, taking into account that the limiting diameter of the profile pipe will be 25 millimeters, but we recommend adding a few more "reserve" millimeters.

Here is the formula for calculating the distance between the axes:

d + r1 + r2 + 2 \u003d a, in which:

d is the exact diameter of the product;
r1-2 is the radius of the roller / impeller.

Note! If the design of the future unit provides for the presence of a kind of ridge pulley, then measure, starting exclusively from the lowest point of this element.

To determine the size of the fork, take 10 millimeters as the gap between the base and the roller, then add another 30 "spare" millimeters. But to determine the internal clearance, add one to two millimeters to the wheel thickness.

Important information! For a more versatile design, punch a few holes in the sides of the fork. When rearranging the roller axis, you will change the distance between the surfaces of the rotating elements.

How to make such a pipe bender - a detailed guide

As you can see from the above diagram, the structure consists of:

thick iron plate (base);
forks;
impeller;
and, finally, a video.

To make a pipe bender with your own hands, follow the sequence below.

Step one... First, make a roller and impeller. If you have lathe, this is very good, but in the absence of such equipment, these elements can also be manufactured without any difficulties. For a reasonable fee, a specialist will quickly grind you pulleys.

Note! Don't skimp on creating movable parts! They must have a groove for a pipe with a limiting diameter, in addition, the roller must have a seat for a rolling bearing.

If necessary, you can make adjustments to the design of the knee surface; the groove of the roller / wheel is shaped. When the roller rolls, it will leave a mark on the outside of the knee, while the wheel will leave it on the inside. To facilitate the work and reduce the cost of the total cost of the structure, you can install two ball bearings of the required dimensions instead of a roller.

Step two... Using the same machine, it is necessary to make an axis for the roller and impeller. It is important that the thickness of the elements matches the inner diameter of the bearing you are using. As for the axle length, it should be the same as the outer width of the fork. The length of the axis of rotation of the wheel will be slightly larger, since the thickness of the base plate of the unit will also be taken into account. If you refuse to install bearings, you can thereby significantly reduce the cost of the process, and in this case, long bolts with nuts will act as axes. Be that as it may, remember that working on such a device will be much more difficult.

Step three... After that, take a sheet of metal, cut out the back wall and side surfaces of the fork from it; it also requires a piece of thick-walled pipe to act as a lever.

Step four... Drill the holes for the roller / wheel according to the diagram.

Step five... Weld the fork elements. At the same time, make sure that the right angles of this product are especially high quality.

Note! It is best not to attach the arm end-to-end to the fork, as this type of attachment will be unreliable due to the large applied forces. The best option - drill a hole in the back wall, where the end of the pipe will subsequently enter. If scald such a connection using welding machine, you will get an extremely strong joint as a result.

Step six... We continue to assemble the pipe bender with our own hands. So, now arm yourself with a grinder and cut the frame with it. Then drill a hole in it of the appropriate size for the stationary wheel axle.

Step seven... If necessary, press a bearing into the roller.

Step eight... Place the roller in the fork and then secure with nuts or a welding machine.

Step nine... Install the assembled fork on the base, fixing the wheel axle in the same way as when installing the roller.

Step ten... Weld a piece square section - this will be a kind of fixation of the workpiece.

Finally, make holes in the corners of the base to mount the unit to the workbench. Do not forget to clean up the welds so that the structure looks more attractive in the end. Also paint the bender with enamel to prevent rusting.

Another design of the bending machine

Here, as you can see, the roller is pressed by means of a threaded gear. In this example, a hydraulic jack and a manual drive will be used, in which the elements of the gas distribution mechanism will be present (we are talking about those in car engines). And one more thing: don't forget about your personal safety! Always use personal protective equipment when working!

Now - directly to the process of making a pipe bender with your own hands

Step one... First, make a pressure shaft and support shafts. If you do not know how to work with a lathe, you will need the help of a professional. In this case, it is important that the rollers have the shanks necessary for mounting the sprockets.

Note! The chain, as well as the sprockets, can be any.

Step two... Attach the bearing supports to the shafts, fasten the gears to the keys.

Step three... Weld the frame of the future pipe bender. First of all, make a square frame, on which there are support legs, and then install a structure on it, through which the plate with a roller will move.

Step four... The plate in this case will be a channel (H- or U-shaped). To install the pressure shaft, make holes in the edges of the plate taking into account the dimensions of the bearings.

Step five... Hang a piece of channel with a roller on four springs from above the frame (in the corners, pre-weld the nuts, which will serve you as mounting loops). Then finally install the hydraulic jack.

Step six... Fix the drive shafts to the lower frame.

Step seven... Put the chain on the sprockets, push it down below in order to determine the place where the tensioner will be located. Install the latter on the frame of the structure.

Step eight... Install the handle to rotate the shafts of the structure. We recommend using a handle with a rotating tube for easier handling and no blisters on your hands.

Step nine... You can process the finished pipe bender with your own hands with a special rust converter, and then paint it.

In the end, it remains only to check the resulting structure for performance. That's all, we hope that you will definitely get the desired result by following our instructions! And at the end - one more thematic video.

Good luck with your work!