A profile pipe is a pipe having a square or rectangular section. Therefore, you may think that bending it is almost impossible. Though in fact, knowing how to bend profile pipe, this process will seem almost trifling to you.

However, getting started, you need to know exactly what you want to get as a result. Bending a pipe, as they say "by eye" is an extra waste of both your time and physical strength.

Carelessly applied efforts can destroy the profile pipe, even though it is made of metal.

Pipe bending machine

Since it is necessary to bend the profile pipe very carefully so that, if possible, its cross section and, of course, the properties associated with it (stiffness and strength) do not change, it is best to use a special machine for these purposes, which is called a profile bender. It is financially unprofitable to buy such a machine for one-time work, so you can simply contact a company that already has this equipment and its employees will complete your order quickly and efficiently. The cost of such work may vary, but in any case it will be much cheaper than buying a pipe bender for personal use.

When using a machine, the pipe is usually bent evenly along its entire length.

It is necessary to act gradually so that kinks do not appear and there is no flattening of the profile, which can no longer be eliminated.

At the right application efforts, you will also be able to avoid such defects as the appearance of corrugated sections. The pipe will remain smooth because the pipe bender both stretches and bends it at the same time, while the compressive force also occurs gradually and acts constantly, and not jerkily.

However, in order to achieve an increased quality of work, it is worth using the bending method using the advantages of hydrostatic pressure. To do this, the profile pipe must be completely filled with liquid, then closing both ends of it with special plugs. To bend such a pipe on a machine, you should start from its center, and not from the edge, gradually reducing the bending radius until the desired shape is reached.

Bent by hand

Another option is to use a manual pipe bender suitable for the pipe section you have chosen. Unfortunately, the use of this device requires significant physical effort, which is not "on the shoulder" for each of us, since it is quite difficult to bend a profile pipe, the walls of which are several millimeters thick.

In addition, if the profile pipe has a large cross section, then you will not be able to bend it manually, since the manual pipe bender is designed only for strictly defined pipe sizes.

home option

If you don’t have any of the above pipe benders (neither manual nor in the form of a machine), you can use another method - bend the pipe at home using a “grinder” and welding.

In this case, the process will look like this and will take quite a long time:

1. First of all, you need to calculate the bending radius of the profile pipe that you need.
2. Put marks on the pipe along which you will cut it, so that you can then bend it to the desired shape. Remember that the more often there are cuts, the smoother the final bend of the profile pipe will be.
3. With the help of a grinder, cut three sides, leaving the fourth side of the section intact all the time.
4. Gently bend the pipe to the desired shape. To facilitate the process, you can use a kind of pattern, cut out of wood, the outer edge of which will repeat desired shape bending. Attach the edge (the whole fourth side) of the profile pipe to it, fasten it and proceed to bending to the desired curvature.
5. Weld the cuts using a welding machine. The seams should be fairly neat and strong.
6. Sand the welding spots so that you end up with a flat surface.

Since you won’t be able to quickly bend the profile pipe in this way, it’s better to use a “grinder” and welding only for single works or for bending large pipes. If you need to make a fairly large number of curved profile pipes, it is better to first make a homemade pipe bender.

Do-it-yourself pipe bender

It is not very difficult to create a pipe bender with your own hands, if, of course, you know the principle of its operation and the main structural elements. You can use this video as a guide:

Pipe Bending Spring

Masters know another way how to bend a profile pipe. To do this, they use a specially made square-section spring made of steel wire 2-4 mm thick. External size springs should be 1-2 mm less than the internal section of the profile pipe.

The finished spring is placed in the pipe. Then, with the help of a blowtorch, the section of the pipe that needs to be bent is heated (not forgetting about special protective gloves and pliers), applied to a blank having the required radius, fixed and pressed until the required bend is obtained.

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How to bend a pipe: more than 10 ways to do it yourself

Hello dear readers. Today I’ll talk about how to bend a pipe without a pipe bender and with a pipe bender, and how to bend polypropylene pipe. The topic is of considerable interest, since it is difficult to build a greenhouse, gazebo or canopy over the porch without bent pipes.

Why the right choice of bending method is important

Incorrect cold deformation of the pipe, regardless of what material it is made of, adversely affects the strength of the walls.

In the process of bending the pipe, the wall along the outer edge is strongly stretched and the material from which it is made becomes thinner. By inside pipes, with improper bending, the walls are crushed and folds are formed, which adversely affect both appearance, as well as the strength of the product.

In order for the bending of the pipe to be performed correctly, the walls must not be crushed, while the stretching of the material along outside should be done evenly.

How to achieve such a result?

Ways to deform pipes without compromising their strength

The choice of pipe bending method depends on the type of production materials. Three types of pipes are widely used: metal, metal-plastic and completely plastic.

You can bend the first two categories to the required configuration. If the question is how to bend a pipe made of polypropylene, we use industrial dryer with a special nozzle.

By installing the part on the nozzle, you can heat the plastic to a temperature close to the melting point, after which you can gently bend it. However, for working with plastic, I recommend using angle fittings with soldered or adhesive.

How to bend metal pipe

Let's take a closer look at each of the methods listed in the diagram.

The hydraulic pipe bender is used to work with thick-walled steel pipes, which require a lot of force to deform.

The instructions for using the tool are as follows:

• The deformable part is located between the metal guides and pressure rollers;
• Due to the hydraulic shifting of the pressure rollers, the radius and angle of the bend are set;
• the workpiece is rolled through the guide and pressure rollers, due to which the required shape is obtained.

The use of a hydraulic pipe bender, due to the selection of rollers of the required configuration, allows you to work with workpieces with a traditional round section and with modifications.

To improve performance hydraulic tool can be supplemented with an electric drive to the rollers. As a result, you will have to set the necessary bend parameters and monitor the work process without exerting physical effort.

The manual pipe bender is similar in design to the hydraulic modification. The main difference is that the location of the pressure rollers is set not hydraulic drive but by muscular effort.

Due to structural differences, a manual pipe bender is used to work with pipes with a small wall thickness and a small diameter. cross section. Main advantage hand tool is an affordable price and the possibility of making it yourself.

The use of external springs is relevant when working with thin-walled pipes with a round section of small diameter. To increase the efficiency of deformation, the metal walls in the stretching area can be additionally heated with a blowtorch.

• A special spring selected according to the diameter of the section is put on the surface of the pipe and pushed to the place of the bend, so that the deformation area is located approximately in the middle of the pipe;
• The area where the deformation is performed on the outside is heated with a blowtorch;
• The pipe is taken by hand from both ends and gently bent with force until the required angle and radius are obtained;
• After the metal has cooled, the spring is removed.

Why is a spring needed?

Regardless of which spring you use, external or internal, it prevents the pipe walls from deforming unevenly. That is, the walls of the pipe in the bend section will repeat the shape of the spring.

To do this, special springs are made of hard grades of stainless steel. In order for the spring to be easily removed after use, its surface is made smooth.

The use of sand filling is an opportunity to give the pipe a more or less uniform radius and bend angle without strong wall creasing.

Using sand backfill, it is possible to bend only individual sections of pipes, while at the same time it will not be possible to deform already welded structural elements of the pipeline.

The deformation instruction is as follows:

• A plug is installed on one of the ends of the pipe;
• Sand is poured from the other end without heterogeneous inclusions;
• The open end is also sealed with a cork;
• At the intended place of the bend, the metal is heated with a blowtorch to a slight reddening;
• Holding both ends, we bend the metal pipe on a round post until the desired angle and radius are obtained.

Methods suitable for working with metal-layer

Pipes made of metal-plastic differ from metal counterparts in their lower wall strength due to the smaller thickness of the metal. Therefore, to work with a metal-layer, you can apply the methods listed in the following diagram.

Let's consider these methods in more detail.

The use of a manual crossbow-type pipe bender allows you to set the required angle and radius of the metal-plastic pipe.

Due to the lower degree of pressure, in comparison with the hydraulic counterpart, it is possible to deform the metal-plastic product without the risk of damage to thin walls.

If you want to set a small bend radius, you need to deform the metal-plastic gradually, moving from a large radius to a small one. Despite the fact that the workpiece will have to be rolled several times, its walls will remain intact.

The use of a steel spring is similar to that used on metal pipe. But if it was possible to use a larger spring on metal than the diameter of the pipe section, then when working with a metal-plastic, the size should match.

We bend the workpiece gradually. In order to make it easier to remove the spring at the end of the bend, it is advisable to lubricate the adjacent surface of the pipe with machine oil.

The use of sand backfill is practically no different from the use of backfill when working with metal. In fact, the sand backfill acts as an internal spring that prevents the walls from collapsing.

Since the metal-plastic is more plastic than a thick-walled metal product, we take the metal-plastic pipe for bending not by the ends, but closer to the deformation area.

The use of wire is a type of pipe deformation using filler. That is, if the cross-sectional diameter is small, the pipe can be filled with wire scraps to at least 80% of the cross-sectional area. Then, holding the workpiece by the ends, carefully bend it, after throwing it on a round post.

The only drawback of the method is the impossibility of making a bend with a small radius, since then it will not be easy to pull the wire.

Work with profiled metal pipes

Finally, I'll tell you how to bend square pipe from steel, having a grinder and a disk for cutting metal.

The instruction is as follows:

• At the site of the intended fold on the inside, we mark the slots;
• We cut the pipe with a grinder so that the disk passes through the inner and two sides and from the side the cuts look like small hollow triangles;
• We bend the workpiece along the cuts.

The smaller the bend radius, the greater the angle of each cut.

Output

Now you know how to bend a HDPE pipe and how to do a similar operation with metal and metal-plastic parts. For more details, please watch the video in this article.

Do you have any questions about the text? Ask them in your comments.

July 25, 2016

If you want to express gratitude, add a clarification or objection, ask the author something - add a comment or say thanks!

Almost every owner has a situation when it is necessary to change the bend of a metal rod to install a greenhouse or sewer wiring. Since it is quite easy to bend a profile pipe at home with your own hands, this work does not require the involvement of specialists.

The average homeowner rarely has special equipment available. Therefore, you need to know how to properly bend an aluminum or steel pipe for a greenhouse, a visor (canopy) and other needs without a pipe bender.

Photo - bending pipes without a pipe bender

Very convenient to produce this work with help welding inverter and household grinders. To begin with, a drawing is being developed, according to which the required angle will be drawn and calculated in the future. In the scheme, the rounding must be accurately measured.

Step-by-step instructions from an expert on how to bend pipes with a vise, grinder and welding machine:

1. If it is planned to bend the professional pipe in a semicircle, then at the site of the intended bend, several thin cuts are made with the help of a grinder;
2. You can do the work yourself only if you first fix the reinforcement in a clamping vise. When the cuts are made and cleared of chips, you need to carefully begin to bend the pipe;
3. After the ring has closed, you need to weld the holes that were formed as a result of bending welding machine. Some masters are used simple soldering irons if the communication has a small diameter;
4. In order for the fold to be neat, it will need to be additionally sanded and coated protective agent- this will help prevent corrosion or premature failure of the connection.

It is possible to bend the pipe evenly by means of a spring, which fits the size of the profile section:

1. Communication is fixed in a vice;
2. A spring of the appropriate diameter is inserted into the hole. This will prevent the profile pipe from breaking or taking no correct form;
3. To facilitate the work, you need to heat the junction and carefully manually bend the communication to the desired diameter;
4. Various metal products suitable for the slope, for example, angle grinders, arches, etc., are very helpful here.

Similarly, you can try to deform communication with the help of sand. How to bend a pipe for a canopy without the use of a vice and springs:

1. It is necessary to stop one end of the tube by closing it with a wooden wedge or any other plug;
2. The closed end of the pipe is fixed in the ground or in a vice (if possible). You can also use any other device that allows you to establish communication;
3. After that, you need to pour sand into the open end and heat it up. blowtorch;
4. With a heated lamp, you need to hold it at the place of the future bend, and then gently bend the pipe into the desired shape. It is necessary to work rather quickly, because the metal, after it cools down, will be unsuitable for processing.

Video tutorial on how to bend a 20 mm pipe without a pipe bender using sand

After bending, it is required to leave the pipe for some time in a fixed position - this will help the material to fix its new form. If work is carried out in winter time, then the masters expose them even in the cold.

Arch (canopy) without pipe bender

As you know, for a canopy, for example, in the form of an arch, a curved profile pipe is needed. It is important to make sure that the arcs are equally curved, otherwise the canopy will not work. Now we will look at how to do this without using a machine, pipe bender and other auxiliary tools of this kind.

We will need:

• The support on which we will work, for example, a metal table;
• As a beam, you can take a pipe 80 by 60 or 50 by 50 mm 3 meters long. But this method universal - so what kind of support beam you will end up with is not important;
• A profile pipe 20 by 20 or 20 by 40 mm, which we will bend.

Procedure (step by step instructions):

Important note from an expert:
In the length of the racks lies the whole secret of bending the professional pipes with an arch for your canopy. The lengths of the two racks are formed from the length of the middle rack (we have 250 mm - you can take a different length, but not more than 250 mm - otherwise the pipe may break when bent). The coefficients 0.8888 and 0.5556 are valid for any length of the support and the central post.

Video instruction on how to bend professional pipes for a canopy (arch) without a pipe bender

Now let's look at how to bend a pipe with a pipe bender

There are two types of pipes:

1. Profile;
2. Round section.

Depending on the needs, you need to choose a specific option, but it should be remembered that it is much easier to work with round reinforcement than with square ones. The fact is that when bending, the corners can bend or flatten, moreover, there is a high probability of cracks.

Photo - Greenhouse from profile pipes

To bend a profile pipe at home, you need to work with a special device - or a profile bender. Their feature is the ability to install communication in the device and fix it in a certain position. Due to the pressure exerted equally on both outside corners, and on the internal, an even fold is formed without sharp drops and cracks.

Photo - mechanical profile bender

Exists two types of roll forming equipment:

1. manual;
2. Professional automatic.

The first is a fairly simple device, which consists of working surface(table) and a number of rollers. Due to the movement of the rollers, the pipe moves along the working table and changes its angle, without distorting the desired semicircle.

Professional devices are more convenient to use, but their cost often exceeds 20,000 rubles. They apply for complex work, most often required for the production of complex decorative metal elements. The advantages of the model include the ideal radius, which will be accurate literally to a tenth. Of course, when using a machine it is more convenient to work, but at home it is practically not needed, because it is designed to process a large number of pipes per shift.

Photo - manual pipe bender

One of the most popular types of building metal is a profile, which is an oval, square or rectangular section. Wide use in the manufacture of metal structures, load-bearing structures, canopies, prefabricated frames received rectangular and square steel pipes. They are used in private housing construction (for the construction of fences, greenhouses, various gazebos and awnings).

The only drawback is the more complicated process of bending them and giving them the desired shape. Let's consider in more detail how to independently bend a profile pipe.

Bending by hand

Let's talk about how you can bend pipes manually.

Hot bending method

The most simple manually is "hot bending". This method allows you to get fairly smooth lines and the desired shape without significant changes in the geometry of the profile. To prevent flattening during bending, the pipe is stuffed with dried quartz sand. To do this, a wooden plug-wedge is hammered into one end, and after filling it with dried sand, the other end is also plugged with a similar plug. A small hole is drilled at one end of the pipe so that air can escape freely. Next, the required area is locally heated by gas welding and given the desired shape. As a substitute for gas welding for heating, you can use a blowtorch or a gas burner.

The pipe should not be overheated, as this will inevitably lead to the appearance of scale and a decrease in the quality of the metal. Repeated heating also degrades the quality of the metal, so try to bend the metal the first time.

After obtaining the required shape, remove the plugs and pour out the sand (if necessary, it can be reused). Plugs are easiest to remove by heating the ends of the pipe with a torch. As it burns, the wedges easily fall out.

The use of sand for stuffing avoids cracks and incorrect deformation. With a certain skill, you can bend the profile quickly enough, so you should not even try to do this without sanding - you will simply ruin the material.

It should be remembered that galvanized pipes cannot be bent in this way, because. during heating, the zinc layer will burn out and cease to fulfill its anti-corrosion function.

Bending method using welding

An alternative way to self-manual bending at home is to use welding and a grinder. In this case, the work is done as follows:

• First you need to calculate the required radius of curvature.
• Further, to facilitate the process, using a grinder along the entire length of the bend, uniform transverse cuts are made on three sides of the profile (with outer side planned bend).
• At the next step, the profile pipe is given the required shape, the cuts are welded and the welds are ground.

Bending with pipe benders

A pipe bender is a fixture or machine designed to change the shape of a pipe. The equipment allows bending in accordance with the required shape and size. Its correct use allows you to maintain the strength characteristics of the material, while avoiding flattening and creases.

Depending on the type of drive, pipe benders are:

• Manual.
• Electromechanical.
• Hydraulic.

The main advantage of a hand tool is its simplicity and relative cheapness. But working with them requires significant physical effort, so using them for large amounts of work is quite tiring.

Hydraulic and electromechanical equipment does not require significant effort during operation, which allows you to bend pipes quickly and accurately.

Choosing the optimal bending method

If the amount of work is one-time and small, then the use of “hot bending” or manual machine. Alternatively, you can not purchase a manual pipe bender for one-time work, but rent it.

If you constantly need to bend profile pipes, then it makes sense to purchase equipment or make it yourself.

You can also find a company that has specialized equipment - profile bending machines, which allow you to quickly and efficiently perform any amount of work and give pipes a complex and intricate shape. If the price of services suits you, then this option is most preferable for a large amount of work.

By choosing best way and by doing the job carefully, you will get more attractive and easy-to-use pipes (compared to round ones), which will be widely used in the process of landscaping your home.

Video

We bring to your attention a plot that shows the work of a homemade pipe bender.

Profile types of pipes with a square or rectangular cross section allow you to build various designs capable of withstanding high loads. When erecting a private structure, you need to have the skills and knowledge of how to bend a profile pipe at home with your own hands, so as not to damage its integrity.

The main characteristics of profile pipes

The main feature of profile pipes in comparison with standard products is their cross section. It is this difference that does not in all cases allow the use of standard bending methods to create the required radius of curvature.

Besides, industrial enterprises produce profile pipe products from a variety of materials, including copper, aluminum, brass, etc. This leads to the need to use different techniques in order to eventually bend the profile pipe.

In the process of carrying out mechanical actions in order to obtain a bent product, the pipe may receive defects and then, during operation, the integrity of the structure will collapse over time. For this reason, it is desirable to study the possibility of stretching it before bending the pipe.

To achieve the desired bending radius when doing the work yourself, you should do it smoothly and slowly and control the amount of effort applied. This will significantly reduce the likelihood of damage and obtain the desired shape of the product.

The choice of the option of how to bend a square pipe at home is influenced by the wall thickness of the pipe products. With a clear idea of ​​​​what the final result should be, and the right approach to determining the method of bending, the erected structure will be distinguished by strength, reliability, aesthetic appearance and durability.

You should be aware that during the thermal impact exerted on profile products, changes occur in the internal structure of the metal from which they are made. As a result, the strength and reliability of the structure may be a big question. In addition, repeated attempts to bend the profile pipe with your own hands will lead to its destruction.

Using a pipe bender

It will not be easy to bend a profile pipe without a pipe bender or other similar devices at home, especially with a large wall thickness of metal products (read: ""). If one-time work is planned, then it makes no sense to purchase a pipe bending machine. In this case, it is better to rent special equipment by contacting companies that provide such services.

If you have to bend a profile pipe with your own hands, it is most expedient and reasonable to use a pipe bender with a special drive wheel. It, moving along one of the faces, allows you to bend the profile product in the way that the home craftsman needs in a particular case.

Pipe benders produce:

• from manual control;
• with electric drive.

When the profile products are bent manually, the fixture wheel is driven by a special handle. Apply this way follows in the case when the pipe section has a small area, and the future design should not be cumbersome and its shape can be changed by hand.

With a large amount of work and the same size of pipes, you will need a pipe bender for a profile pipe, equipped with an electric drive, which is set in motion simply by pressing a button. Operating principle this device similar - the wheel moves along the edge of the pipe, but the result is more aesthetic and less labor-intensive.

Other ways to bend pipes yourself

There are several options for bending a profile pipe in living conditions without special machines.

To perform bending of metal products relative to the radius, there are several requirements. The thickness of their walls must exceed 2 centimeters, otherwise the bend can violate the integrity of the pipe. With a profile height (indicated by the letter Z) of more than 2 centimeters, the pipe, bent on a segment with a length of 3.5xZ, will not collapse and will not become less reliable.

An important role is played by the temperature that the product has during bending. It is known that a pipe that is in a heated state is much easier to bend. When carrying out work in a domestic environment, it is necessary to adhere to safety precautions.

To bend pipes with a profile height of up to 1 centimeter, it is not necessary to heat the products to give them a curvilinear shape. But pipe products with a profile height of more than 4 centimeters cannot be bent with your own hands without heating.

Using a grinder when bending profile pipes

In order for a bent profile pipe made by one's own hands to obtain the required bend radius, you can use a grinder.

For this:

1. In the place where the bend is planned, several transverse cuts must be made (as a rule, 3 will be required).
2. Then you should bend the profile pipe with your own hands.
3. At the end, the places of cuts are welded with a welding machine.

Since the cross section of profile products has the correct shape, the resulting product must acquire aesthetic appearance provided that the welded areas are carefully ground. At the same time, the strength indicators will remain the same.

Bending of profile products using a spring

This option is simple to execute, for which you will need to perform the following list of works:

1. They take a wire, preferably steel, about 2 mm thick, and make a spring out of it.
2. Then it is inserted into the pipe.
3. Heat the place of the future bend.
4. At the end of the work, the product is bent, observing the required radius.

You should immediately monitor the correct bending of the profile pipe products, since the heated product retains its elasticity for a short time.

In the process of making a spring, you need to pay attention to such important point: its segments should be 1.5–2 mm less than the parameters of the corresponding side of the section that the profile has metal product. If you follow this rule, there will be no problems with how to insert the spring into the pipe.

Application of sand for pipe bending

For example, to get a square or rectangular bent pipe, use sand, pre-sifted and well dried. You will also need wooden wedges that have a comparable cut of the product, and which can be driven into the pipe.

The order of actions looks like this:

1. A wedge is hammered on one side of the tubular product.
2. Sand is poured inside the pipe.
3. The wedge is hammered from the second side, resulting in a kind of plug.
4. After fixing one end, they begin to bend the pipe to the desired radius. If desired, the place of the future bend can be heated to facilitate the process.

Due to the sand poured inside, the strength and integrity of the pipe structure will be ensured. After the successful completion of the work, it is removed, after removing the wooden wedges.

Bending pipes with water

You can also bend a profile pipe on your own at home with the help of water. This option is used when pipe products are made of copper or other non-ferrous metal. One end of the product is closed with a plug and poured inside its water. The product should be placed in a place where the water will freeze. After that, it will be easy to bend it yourself. To make it easier to get a square bent pipe, you need to bend it not in the middle, but closer to one of the ends.