Greenlee 854dx offsets are off

[jeremyp]

The company I work for just purchased a 854dx. When I took it out of the crate next to my Milwaukee tool chest it was like Christmas. Messed around with a few stub 90s on rigid and emt and was absolutely jazzed. Did a few offsets using 30 degrees (which are like 31 degrees on the hand held controller for spring back) and was still fairly pumped. Then I tried a 8"5/8 offset using 60 degrees (62 on hand held controller) and Bam, off by 3/4". This happened repeatedly. My marks were 9"15/16 apart. So I broke out in sweat, quietly hid the pile of conduit I was practicing on under a pile of cardboard and made myself scarce.

Any advice on measuring offsets on a 854dx?

 

[packersparky]

The company I work for just purchased a 854dx. When I took it out of the crate next to my Milwaukee tool chest it was like Christmas. Messed around with a few stub 90s on rigid and emt and was absolutely jazzed. Did a few offsets using 30 degrees (which are like 31 degrees on the hand held controller for spring back) and was still fairly pumped. Then I tried a 8"5/8 offset using 60 degrees (62 on hand held controller) and Bam, off by 3/4". This happened repeatedly. My marks were 9"15/16 apart. So I broke out in sweat, quietly hid the pile of conduit I was practicing on under a pile of cardboard and made myself scarce.

Any advice on measuring offsets on a 854dx?

The multiplier for 60 degrees is 1.2. 8.625 x 1.2= 10.35 inches. Your marks should have been 10.35 inches apart.

 

[jeremyp]

The offset was 3/4" large. When I used the multiplier it was even more off. I think I remember reading years ago that using multipliers will give inaccurate offsets over larger distances, so I have been dividing the offset distance by the sin of whatever bend I'm using for the distance between marks.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

 

[kwired]

The offset was 3/4" large. When I used the multiplier it was even more off. I think I remember reading years ago that using multipliers will give inaccurate offsets over larger distances, so I have been dividing the offset distance by the sin of whatever bend I'm using for the distance between marks.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

If you have the correct multiplier the only other thing you can do wrong is make the wrong amount of bend or not place conduit in bender in same manner for both bends. That multiplier is a result of trigonometric calculation and is the hypotenuse of a triangle with the angle it was calculated from. That doesn't change no matter what you used to make bends as long as bends are the correct angle and placed in same manner in whatever was used to bend with.

If you would make one bend then turn the conduit the other direction in the bender when making the other bend - you won't be accurate unless your marks are at the center of the bend.

The more the offset the more likely you can be off just by being a little off with the actual angle of the bend.

 

[Strathead]

If you have the correct multiplier the only other thing you can do wrong is make the wrong amount of bend or not place conduit in bender in same manner for both bends. That multiplier is a result of trigonometric calculation and is the hypotenuse of a triangle with the angle it was calculated from. That doesn't change no matter what you used to make bends as long as bends are the correct angle and placed in same manner in whatever was used to bend with.

If you would make one bend then turn the conduit the other direction in the bender when making the other bend - you won't be accurate unless your marks are at the center of the bend.

The more the offset the more likely you can be off just by being a little off with the actual angle of the bend.

I concur with kwired. Check your bends with a protractor. Regardless of the digital readout, I don't bend without one. Like this: ​Actually I use two.

 

[kwired]

I concur with kwired. Check your bends with a protractor. Regardless of the digital readout, I don't bend without one. Like this: ​Actually I use two.
View attachment 20274

Probably 60-70% of my bending is never on a perfectly level surface - not that it won't work, but need to be more careful if using such a protractor to make sure you "zero" it before each bend, especially if not always bending in the same location and facing same direction.

 

[Strathead]

Probably 60-70% of my bending is never on a perfectly level surface - not that it won't work, but need to be more careful if using such a protractor to make sure you "zero" it before each bend, especially if not always bending in the same location and facing same direction.

That is why I use two one on the "level" pipe and one on the bend. Then you are seeing say 2 degrees left on the level pipe you need to see the same 2 degrees left on the angle pipe Not idiot proof, but close.

 

[jeremysterling]

Is there a minimum offset stated on the bender for the angle and size pipe you were bending? That is a small offset (at 60°) even for 1/2" rigid pipe.

I always use a protractor for accuracy on precision bends.

 

[ZZDoug]

On any type of bender you have to work out the multiplier and the exact point on the bender that work together. Do a trial bend going to 62 or 63 and then you can figure the multiplier according to how it turns out. Or vice versa. It aint rocket science.

 

[kwired]

On any type of bender you have to work out the multiplier and the exact point on the bender that work together. Do a trial bend going to 62 or 63 and then you can figure the multiplier according to how it turns out. Or vice versa. It aint rocket science.

Exact point on bender doesn't matter for offsets - just make sure you use same point on the bender for both bends - finding the right multiplier and making sure to bend the correct angle is what matters.

 

[Strathead]

Exact point on bender doesn't matter for offsets - just make sure you use same point on the bender for both bends - finding the right multiplier and making sure to bend the correct angle is what matters.

Agreed again. It is simple math. 2 plus 2 always equals 4. Well as long as 1 plus 1 equals 2 anyway.