EMT bend

[mstrlucky74]

At was size can you no longer (practically) bend with hand bender?

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[Coppersmith]

I've bent 1.25". It's a bear but doable. Wouldn't want to do 1.5" although I was told a hand bender exists.

 

[LarryFine]

Me? 1"

The Hulk? 6"

 

[LarryFine]

Wouldn't want to do 1.5" although I was told a hand bender exists.

Sure; just use a 1-1/4" rigid bender.

 

[jaggedben]

1.5"

I don't think they make hand benders for larger than 1.25" Personally I can't really even use those by myself, I'm just not a big enough guy. With a helper I can do it but I'm more likely to buy premade elbows.

 

[sameguy]

1-1/2" if you can find one, I'm 6'1" 225lbs. it wasn't much harder than 1-1/4" heavy foot pressure needed. There is a thread about this.

 

[infinity]

For practical purposes 1". I've bent 1.25" with a hand bender but the elbows look kind of terrible. If you need to make a few bends on 1.25" then you can use a hand bender just buy the type with the moveable foot pedal.

 

[K8MHZ]

I did 1.25" with a hand bender on a job once and would quit the trade if I had to do it again. :lol:

Up to that, no problem. But if there is lots of 1", I do own a couple Chicago benders......

 

[kwired]

For practical purposes 1". I've bent 1.25" with a hand bender but the elbows look kind of terrible. If you need to make a few bends on 1.25" then you can use a hand bender just buy the type with the moveable foot pedal.

I have a 1.25 EMT bender. I've used it more for 1" RMC/IMC then ever for EMT. I've bent many full 90 elbows on RMC without much troubles. I do normally purchase EMT elbows though and mostly only use the bender for offsets and other tweaks when running 1.25 EMT, full 90 degree bends don't always come out so great on EMT.

 

[macmikeman]

I have witnessed a 2" emt hand bender. It took up the space of a pickup truck bed. You need two strong people. I only saw it once but it was legit. Don't have a clue of the brand name. Best part- A woman electrician bet me on it. I was so sure such a monster did not exist. The bet was a hundred for me if I was right. Her - She wanted me to take her to dinner if she won. So I did. And I brought my 8 month pregnant wife at the time along............ 2".

 

[sameguy]

You have to stand and balance on the foot "heavy foot pressure " then start your bend.
You will be mounting the bender from the side (perpendicular) not the normal inline; your weight is over your foot then start to bend.

 

[electrofelon]

I don't really mind bending 1.25 emt. It's slow for sure but my 90's come out pretty good. The radius/deduct is consistently larger, but once you have that correction factor you just account for it. Bending some 1/2 rmc right now, and it comes out 3/8 over every time.

 

[charlie k.]

If you have a lot of 11/4" EMT to run invest in a Greenlee 1818 mechanical bender or a 555.
The amount of labor saved will pay for them and less chance of an injury.

 

[al hildenbrand]

Back in the early '80s I picked up a Republic Steel 1-1/4" EMT ratchet bender. Used it until it finally wore out just a few years ago.

It was a main 1-1/4" shoe with a pipe grip on either end. The grips would pull the pipe into the shoe, a little bit at a time as the "bender handle" was waved back and forth advancing the pulling gear train a tooth at a time. As a result of the gearing the handle was only a short 3 foot 3/4" pipe, unlike the 6 foot 1" pipe of the pure hand bender.

The cast aluminum clevis on the ratchet handle eventually broke in two, and, to my chagrin, I have never been able to source a replacement. I really liked that ratchet bender.

 

[mstrlucky74]

Ty!! How about RGS? Same thing ?

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[infinity]

Ty!! How about RGS? Same thing ?

1.25" RMC? Need a mechanical bender. I've bent 1.25" with a hickey on a deck where it was going into the pour so it didn't matter what it looked like. Won't do that again.

 

[MAC702]

I did 1-1/4" a couple times and it didn't matter that it wasn't perfect. I had to bounce a lot on it, and it had the extra foot, but I only weighed 135# back then. I've been 150# for most of the last decade so it might be easier now. Doesn't matter. I'm not doing jobs that big anymore and I rarely even need to use my 1" bender.

 

[jmellc]

Largest hand bender I've seen and used was 1 1/4 EMT, same bender for 1 inch rigid. I managed a few bends with it but I would ask for a Chicago bender if I had much bending to do. This is too large, awkward and too much strain to mess with. I have torn rotator cuffs in my shoulders and trigger finger in both hands. This kind of bending is torture and should be rare.

I have bent a lot of 1 inch EMT and 3/4 rigid by hand and it is doable.

I'd like to see the 1 1/2 and 2 inch that were mentioned here. Never say something doesn't exist. Someone will prove you wrong. A lot of stuff has been made over the years. Some became standard issue, others became obsolete. I would never attempt to use either one but would like to see them.

 

[peter d]

I bend 4" RMC by hand.

 

[sameguy]

I bend 4" RMC by hand.

Me too just a press of a button!