Making a pipe bender with your own hands drawings. Making a homemade pipe bender. Homemade pipe bending devices

The desire to equip a country house and plot dictates the need for a maximum of tools. When installing water pipes, building a greenhouse, or installing arched structures, you cannot do without a good pipe bender. Its cost in stores is measured in hundreds of dollars, so it is better to make this tool yourself.

We will tell you how to make a pipe bender with your own hands. The article we presented describes in detail the designs tested in practice and provides step-by-step instructions for assembly. Taking into account our tips, you can build an excellent tool for your own household.

Pipe benders are mechanical or hydraulic structures that help bend metal pipes, angles, rods, and profiled steel without disturbing the internal structure of the product. Hand tools are mainly used to form a bend in one place, while large machines can change the shape of pipes along the entire length at once.

Based on the principle of operation, the following types of pipe benders can be distinguished:

1. Mechanical with direct manual force. They are used when working with pipes of small diameters, the deformation of which requires the strength of one person.
2. With hydraulic drive. Mostly such tools are made according to the crossbow type, and they are designed to form a local bend.
3. With ratchet mechanism. Pipe benders of this type use manual force, but allow you to record the achieved level of deformation after each press of the tool handle.
4. Electrically driven machines. The electric motor greatly facilitates the process of pipe deformation, but also significantly increases the cost of the tool.

Features of working with some types are discussed below:

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A pipe bender is a device using a mechanical or hydraulic operating principle for bending pipes, angles, rods and other metal products. It is possible to make a pipe bender for a profile pipe with your own hands, which allows you to bend most types of profiles.

There are several main types of pipe benders: volute, manual roller and jack. It’s more difficult to make hydraulic and electric models yourself, so let’s look at mechanical models.

Required Tools

To assemble a pipe bender, you need at least the following tools:

• welding inverter;
• lathe (or purchase of finished parts);
• vice;
• hammer;
• metal file;
• sandpaper;
• ruler;
• drill.

But the most important thing is the pipe bender drawings. The mechanism must be manufactured strictly according to the drawing. You can take a ready-made drawing from this material or find another one and adapt it to the required dimensions.

But it is impossible to make a pipe bender without a drawing, since precise calculations are needed to ensure the operation of the mechanical parts.

Snail pipe bender

The peculiarity of this type of pipe bender is the ability to bend a part along its entire length at the same time, and not in a specific place. This makes the tool more versatile.

Materials for volute pipe bender

When making such a pipe bender with your own hands, the dimensions of the parts must be selected to suit individual needs, since this model does not have a specific working diameter. This is also an advantage, since it allows the use of available materials.

To assemble the structure you need:

• meter channel;
• Sheet steel;
• 3 shafts;
• 2 stars;
• steel chain;
• 6 bearings;
• a two-meter pipe with a diameter of 12.7 mm for the production of knobs;
• screw for clamping;
• bushing with internal thread.

Making a volute pipe bender

The pipe bender should be assembled strictly according to the diagram. Check out the photo of a self-made pipe bender and different drawing options. Select a suitable diagram and adjust the dimensions if necessary.

• Weld the frame from channels (can be replaced with a thick steel plate or 1 channel of sufficient width).
• Mount the bearings on the shafts, which are then welded to the frame.
• Place the sprockets on the shafts and mount the chain on them.
• Cut out the guides for the clamping mechanism and weld them onto the frame.
• Mount the bearings on the clamp shaft and assemble the press mechanism. Use channels or thick steel strips as side restraints.
• Make a base for the bushing and weld it to the structure. Screw in the clamp screw.
• Weld a tubular driver to the upper end of the screw and the shaft.
• Lubricate the bearings and check the operation of the mechanism.

Manual pipe bender on a roller mechanism

Making a manual pipe bender on rollers with your own hands is somewhat easier, since there are fewer mechanical elements. The device allows you to bend pipes in certain places.

The device must have a long lever, since direct manual force is required to bend the products.

Materials for making a roller pipe bender

To assemble the mechanism you need:

• 2 steel rollers 10 cm and 6 cm in diameter. Inner radius – 12.7 mm, thickness – 35 mm;
• 1.5-inch thick-walled (from 3 mm) steel pipe for constructing a lever (length from 1.5 m);
• 4 steel strips 15x6 cm, about 5 mm thick. The mechanism for fastening the device in a vice. Also used for the construction of handles and lever supports;
• steel strip 6 cm wide and 3 mm thick;
• 2 bolts – 60 mm 17.78 mm and 40 mm 12.7 mm. For fixing the rollers;
• steel plate 30x30 cm (thickness from 3 mm);

Manufacturing a manual pipe bender on a roller mechanism

How to make a pipe bender with your own hands at home - step-by-step instructions:

Make 2 holes with a diameter of 12.7 mm and 17.78 mm at an interval of 80 cm (or other, based on your drawing). The frame has a 19.05 mm hole. Install the appropriate bolt into it and secure it with welding.

Weld a U-shaped part from 15x6 cm plates, a 12.7 mm bolt, a small roller and a 35x60 cm strip of steel. Pre-mount the roller using a bolt in the previously prepared holes. Weld the bolt to the plates. As a result, you will get a product that resembles a spear.

Weld a tube that acts as a handle to the base of the assembled part. Weld the pipe support strip to the base of the entire product. Between the bar and the main bolt there should be a distance equal to the radius of the main roller (which has a larger size according to your drawing) with an addition of 12.7 mm.

At the bottom of the base, weld a 15x6 cm strip, with which the structure is secured in a vice. Mount the main roller into the rod part. Place the latter on the main bolt and secure with a nut. Secure the device in a vice and test it in action.

Jack pipe bender

A simple and convenient device for bending profile pipes. For production you need the following materials:

• jack;
• 4 corners 40 cm long with equal shelves of 50 mm each;
• 2 rollers with grooves for belts. There should be through holes in the center. If they are missing, drill, measuring the middle;
• equipment for a jack in the shape of a semicircle with a recess inside;
• 2 channels 60 cm long and 10 cm wide;
• bed;
• 2 mounting bolts.

Construction of a pipe jack bender

Weld the corners vertically onto the station. Make holes in the channels for installing rollers.

Weld channels onto the corners (2 corners - 1 channel). Place the channels with the platforms facing each other. The spacing between parts should correspond to the length of the rollers. Mount the rollers in the prepared holes and secure with bolts.

Mount the equipment in the shape of a semicircle on the jack and place it in the central part of the base between the channel structures.

DIY pipe bender photo

Owners of private houses, as well as many home craftsmen, require 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 round pipes. Professional factory pipe bending devices are expensive, so often such devices are made in-house, which allows you to save money.

Design and principle of operation of a pipe bender

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

Design Features

To ensure that bending defects are minimal, when choosing or manufacturing a pipe bender for work, you need to understand how it works. The manufacture of a pipe bending device consists of three stages:

Such manual devices for bending tubular blanks can be mechanically or hydraulically driven, and these two options are perfect for a home workshop.

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

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

According to another scheme, bending is carried out using several rollers, between which the workpiece is rolled, obtaining a certain bending angle. Pipe benders equipped with special inserts for pipes (mandrels) work according to this scheme.

What is a mandrel used for?

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

1. Compression of the wall of the inner radius, in which the metal, deforming, forms a wavy surface (corrugation).
2. 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 in the area of ​​the bend by almost 50%.

If you do not use a mandrel, thin-walled copper, aluminum and other pipes made of soft materials can become especially deformed.

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

Types and production of bending devices

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

Based on the principle of influencing a round pipe workpiece to bend it at a certain angle, there are various types of pipe benders.

Crossbow type model

These models of pipe bending devices are driven by hydraulic or screw drives. During the processing of the workpiece, the model is bent in the form of a crossbow arm, from which the name of the bending device comes.

The design of a crossbow pipe bender has some difficulties in manufacturing, but its power and technical capabilities are quite large. The device itself can be made with several functions, for example, using it 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 (the jack or other power device is located horizontally) and in a vertical position.

The design consists of a rigid frame and two rollers mounted on special racks welded to the platform. A jack is located in the center between the racks, and clamps are attached to the axes of the rollers, providing free fixation of the workpiece that is placed on them.

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

The work of the crossbow machine is carried out in this way:

1. The pipe blank is placed on the rollers and secured with clamps.
2. A shoe (a template with a certain bending angle) is attached to the jack.
3. The jack presses on the center of the workpiece with a shoe and smoothly bends it to a given angle.

Using the same technique, you can make a small manual pipe bender, with which you can easily bend durable thick-walled pipes of medium and small diameter. For this purpose, you will need to purchase a small hydraulic jack, two rollers, make a punch and a durable T-shaped metal nozzle for the jack.

The entire design of the “crossbow” mechanism must have a large margin of safety. Otherwise, if the workpiece falls out of the fixing brackets under the pressure of the jack, the operator may be injured.

Roller system

Such pipe bending models are also called rolling models. Using this system, you can bend round or profile pipes, as well as steel reinforcement to a large radius. An ideal device for preparing arcs for canopies or greenhouses.

The main elements of this type of device are three metal rollers, matched to the diameter of the pipe workpiece being bent. The workpiece is placed on two outer rollers and the third, located in the center, is rolled along the pipe. Under its 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 a pipe bender. The quality of the resulting product processed using this device is quite high, and the pipe itself, in contact with the metal rollers, receives virtually no damage.

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

The simplest device

For urgent work that requires a manual round pipe bender to quickly bend an angled elbow, such as for a home plumbing project, a simple bending device can be made using the tools at hand. To do this, you should prepare a lever from a piece of metal round pipe with a diameter of approximately 32-42 mm or thick, preferably smooth fittings. The length of the lever should be between 1-1.5 m, depending on the workpiece being bent.

A ring of thick-walled pipe trim approximately 30-40 mm wide is welded to one end of the lever. The inner diameter of the ring must be larger than the outer diameter of the workpiece prepared for bending.

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

The bending process is carried out as follows: P

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

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 workpieces, which is completely impossible to do on conventional pipe bending machines.

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

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

The advantage of the winding machine is its simple design, but the disadvantage is some limitation in the size of the template and the need for a powerful lever.

Wooden conductor

This design can be considered a break-in device, and the difference is that there is no pressure roller. To make this device you will need thick plywood or boards; you can use a workbench or a massive chipboard slab as a base.

A template is made from a thick board, one side of which is rounded to 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 timber or by cutting the same board from which the template was made. The pipe is bent using muscular force smoothly, without sudden movements, then its damage will be insignificant, and the acquired geometric shape will be accurate and even.

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

Fixing the pipe on 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 bending parts with thick walls requires more powerful forces, and the wooden punch may simply collapse.

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

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

Of all the existing pipe bending machines, the most widely used is the self-made pipe bender, which operates on the principle of a rolling device. This model of pipe bender has virtually no disadvantages; it is light in weight and size, can be easily transported and takes up little space during storage.

To work with pipes or angles, a special machine called a pipe bender is required. This design allows you to bend metal elements at a given angle. If necessary, you can make a professional pipe bender with your own hands, which is used in a wide variety of industries. Unlike the industrial version, a homemade pipe bender is much cheaper. When carrying out the work, you can use available materials, which will greatly reduce the cost of the structure. Let's take a closer look at how to make a pipe bender with your own hands at home.

Pipe bender device

There are simply a huge number of different types of the device in question. Before creating it yourself, you should develop a drawing of a pipe bender or download it on the Internet.

You can make a pipe bender for a round pipe with your own hands, taking into account the following features of its design:

1. Run-in. This type of pipe bending machine is characterized by the fact that one end of the workpiece is fixed, and a stationary template is used for bending. Running in is carried out using pressure rollers. This manual pipe bender design has been used for many years.
2. Winding. A special pipe bender for aluminum pipes is characterized by the fact that the workpiece is pressed against a movable template, which is used as a roller. The broaching is carried out between the roller in motion and a special stop. As a rule, the drive is electric, since the required force is quite high.
3. Crossbow design. This scheme is represented by a combination of two fixed rollers, as well as a movable template. The force is transmitted to the workpiece through a movable template, which is located between two rollers. By controlling the movement of the moving element, the most suitable bending angle is selected. It is worth considering that the pipe bender punch, which acts as a template, can have a different shape.
4. Rolling or rolling. In this case, the scheme is represented by a device with three rollers, two of which are supporting and one is movable. The bending radius is adjusted by changing the position of the central roller. It is worth considering that such a device is considered universal, since the bending radius can be adjusted over a fairly large range. The dimensions of this type of pipe bender are relatively small; a homemade design can be compact.

When choosing the most suitable design for home-made production, it should be borne in mind that the version that works on the knurling principle is often produced industrially due to the high complexity of the main mechanisms. The crossbow bending method is used extremely rarely today, as it has one significant drawback: the pressure is concentrated on the upper part of the template. When using a crossbow machine, there is a possibility of a significant reduction in the thickness of the pipe wall, as well as its rupture. It is not recommended to use such a device for bending thin-walled workpieces.

The most widespread design is one that operates on the rolling principle. It is practically devoid of all the above disadvantages, has a relatively small size, can be portable, and has the ability to adjust the bending angle.

A homemade machine can have a very different design. When choosing a type, attention is paid to what radius should be obtained. The most important parameters of the workpiece, which can influence the choice of a suitable design, are the thickness of the pipe walls and its diametrical size.

Types of pipe benders

The design under consideration can be classified according to a fairly large number of characteristics. There are universal versions on sale, as well as for narrowly targeted applications. The device differs in the following ways:

1. By drive type. An important design element is the drive, which can be hydraulic, electric, manual or electro-hydraulic. Recently, the electric drive has become more widespread, as it is compact and very efficient. Hydraulic is more efficient, but it is difficult to operate, takes up a lot of free space and requires periodic maintenance. A manual pipe bender is distinguished by the presence of a mechanism that significantly increases the applied force. If we consider homemade options, then they make a manual pipe bender with their own hands. In addition, you can create an electric pipe bender with your own hands. But it’s almost impossible to make a hydraulic version yourself.
2. Classification is also carried out according to the degree of mobility. There are stationary and portable design options. In most cases, a universal manual pipe bender is designed as a portable structure. A homemade pipe bender for a round pipe can be attached to the base in various ways. It is worth considering that during the execution of work, part of the resulting stress is transferred precisely to the base. Therefore, when creating a homemade version, you need to ensure reliable fixation of the device.
3. According to the method of influence on the workpiece - the main sign of classification. For example, a crossbow-type pipe bender has its own special design, which is suitable for bending metal or metal-plastic pipes. In addition, there is a design that works on the principle of running, winding or rolling.

A homemade pipe bender for metal-plastic pipes can be of various types, but most often they create a mechanical type, when, due to a special design, the transmitted force increases several times.

Instructions for making a pipe bender

Recently, the question of how to make a pipe bender with your own hands has become quite widespread. Such equipment is required when setting up production activities of various types. The simplest do-it-yourself pipe bender has a template type of design. This is due to the fact that it is quite difficult to make rollers for a pipe bender with your own hands.

Considering the template pipe benders for round pipes, we note the following points:

1. In the manufacture of structures, solid wood is often used. This greatly simplifies work and reduces costs. However, it is worth considering that the low strength and rigidity of wood determines the use of such a machine only for bending aluminum, which has high ductility.
2. The wooden block used must have dimensions that are larger than the diameter of the workpiece being processed.
3. The template must have a radius that matches the bending radius. In order to simplify the process, a small groove is created in the central part of the surface that is in contact with the workpiece.
4. For ease of operation, two handles are created, which have a metal fastening.
5. Having created a pipe bender at home, it should be attached to a solid base, and a stop should be installed on the reverse side.

An important point is that the design in question is applicable to a greater extent for large-diameter bending. In addition, a shoe for a pipe bender of this type is not required; the load is distributed evenly, which allows processing of thin-walled workpieces.

You can make a pipe bender with your own hands according to other drawings. Before choosing the most suitable design, you should consider how often the work will be carried out, for what type of workpiece the machine is made, and how mass production will be. The template-type design is characterized by rather large dimensions, however, to manufacture it, it is enough to carry out carpentry work; the materials used are low cost.

The most complex design is considered to be a homemade roller-type pipe bender. In this case, a pressure roller is used to transmit force. When making a structure, metal and wood can be used, it all depends on how mobile it should be and what force it is designed for.

The features of this design include the following points:

1. For pipes made from soft materials, wood is more suitable as the main material. It can be used to make a roller. For steel pipes, you will have to use metal, since the magnitude of the transmitted force will be significant. If desired, rollers can be purchased or made with your own hands at home.
2. Design features determine the presence of a movable and stationary roller. In this case, a U-shaped holder is located in the central part.
3. The bending radius largely depends on the size of the rollers used. That is why the movable roller must, if necessary, be quickly dismantled to install an option with a different diameter.
4. The holder you install must also be able to rotate.
5. A handle is attached to the installed holder; when rotated, force will be transmitted. It is worth considering that the handle acts as a lever. That is why the force that can be transmitted depends on its length.

Such a machine is suitable for production in large quantities, since it is quite difficult to make rollers for pipe benders with your own hands. The device is suitable for working with round pipes.

A common question is how difficult it is to manufacture such a mechanism. When using this type of bending machine, the following points should be taken into account:

1. First, you should study in detail the drawing or photographs of the equipment in question. Only by understanding the principle of its operation can you create effective equipment with a wide range of applications.
2. This design has a relatively small number of main elements. An example is two pulleys, which can be made of wood or steel, a frame with a lever and a pressure roller. It is quite important to create a reliable foundation that will accept part of the effort.

The principle of operation is quite simple:

1. The workpiece is placed in the groove of a stationary roller.
2. The pipe is fixed in the desired position using a clamp.
3. Using a lever, the workpiece is wrapped around a template, which also uses a roller of a certain diameter.

In order to significantly increase the efficiency of the design, an electric drive can be used. However, it is worth considering that with an electric drive it is quite difficult to control the rounding diameter indicator. In addition, the installed electric motor must transmit rotation through a reduction drive, since the rotation speed of the roller is low. To do this, install a gearbox or V-belt drive.

Crossbow pipe benders

A crossbow-type machine has a rather unusual design. It got its name due to its similarities with medieval weapons. The crossbow pipe bender has the following features:

1. The basis of the structure is represented by a frame, which can be made using angles and channels. The connection of all elements is carried out using welding; detachable methods are not recommended, since the resulting structure must have high rigidity.
2. After creating the frame, two rollers are attached.
3. A homemade version can be characterized by the fact that the force is transmitted directly through a mechanical jack. For a pipe of small diameter, the pressure created should be quite sufficient. The force is transmitted through a shoe made of durable metal with a low ductility index.

A crossbow-type pipe bender is more suitable for round workpieces. This is due to the fact that a product with a different cross-section can be greatly deformed under pressure.

Hydraulic pipe bender

When making a pipe bending machine with your own hands, you should decide what type of drive it will be. In most cases, homemade versions are manually driven, since it is easy to manufacture and inexpensive. However, such a design cannot work with workpieces that are made using hard metals. A hydraulic pipe bender allows you to work with workpieces of large diameter and with significant wall thickness, however, the design is quite complex in design and has many features.

When making a machine for a round pipe with a hydraulic drive, the following points should be taken into account:

1. The force is transmitted through a working fluid, which is oil or water. All lines must have a high degree of tightness and also be designed for a certain pressure.
2. A compressor can be used to create pressure.
3. Pressure is transmitted to the working element through a hydraulic cylinder.

A do-it-yourself pipe bender for metal-plastic pipes with a hydraulic drive can have a wide variety of designs. An important element in this case is the drive, which allows you to automate the bending process and increase the scope of application of the device.

Pipe bender from a jack

Most often, when making a homemade pipe bender, a jack is used as the main element. It comes in several types. The jack itself is initially made in order to increase and concentrate the applied force, due to which the structure can lift heavy mechanisms, for example, cars.

A homemade pipe bender made from a jack, as a rule, has a fairly simple design:

1. The workpiece is clamped between two stationary rollers.
2. The force is transmitted to the gap between the rollers.
3. The distance between the fixed rollers largely determines the bending radius and the amount of force required to obtain a certain angle.

As previously noted, when using a jack, you can make a crossbow-type pipe bender.

In conclusion, we note that almost any device is a relatively simple machine, which, due to the distribution of the applied force, bends pipes and other workpieces of a similar type. They are often used for bending products made using non-ferrous alloys and steel. The industrial version of the design outperforms the home-made one, as a rule, in terms of the degree of automation of the process. However, the cost of industrial pipe benders can exceed several tens of times the costs associated with the production of a home-made version. That is why a homemade pipe bender is more suitable for household use or small-scale production.

The construction of greenhouses and sheds, the laying of utilities - all this requires a bent metal profile. But buying pipes bent to order is expensive, and purchasing a ready-made pipe bender is also not a cheap pleasure. So modern craftsmen use devices and self-made mechanisms to create metal arcs of the required radius.

In this article we will consider the following questions:

• Types of homemade pipe benders and their features.
• The design of the simplest device for bending square pipes.
• Design of a three-roll machine for bending round and square pipes.
• Technology for bending pipes using a three-roll homemade pipe bender.

Types of pipe bending devices and mechanisms

Nowadays, you can find examples of pipe bending equipment that have different designs: from relatively simple devices for manual bending to homemade machines with manual or electric drive.

According to their purpose, pipe benders are divided into two types.

The first type is angular (they allow you to give the desired radius to a certain area of ​​the workpiece).

The second type is three-roll pipe benders - machines and devices that allow you to form a given bending radius along the entire length of the workpiece.

Depending on the method of adjusting the radius, pipe benders are mechanical.

And hydraulic.

The support shaft drive can be either manual or electric.

A simple device for bending metal pipes

The design of a homemade pipe bender depends on the volume and complexity of the work that is planned to be performed with its help. If the device is needed for one-time use (for example, for building a home greenhouse), then there is no need to create a complex three-roll mechanism with hydraulic adjustment of the bend radius.

belor44 User FORUMHOUSE

We urgently need to install a greenhouse. I want an arched one, but neither one based on metals nor my friends have a pipe bender. Build a pipe bender on shafts and rollers? There is neither time nor need for this. I think that a device for manual bending is suitable for one construction.

Yes, indeed, the simpler the pipe bender, the less hassle there is in its manufacture. The main thing is to correctly determine the dimensions of the device, which will directly depend on the bending radius.

Introducing a user-made device moning. It is designed to work exclusively with thin-walled pipes, because bending pipes by hand is hard physical labor.

Moning User FORUMHOUSE

I made this thing for a 30*30 square pipe. The radius that was obtained was approximately 1 meter. You can weld something like spacers or legs on the sides of the device so that it doesn’t throw from side to side when you press on the pipe. Regarding the jumpers at the bottom of the pipe bender: first, the pipe is placed under the top jumper (for the initial bend), then the pipe is placed under the next jumper (for further advancement).

Consistent bending is necessary so that if there is a sharp bend, the pipe does not break.

Calculating the dimensions of the device is very simple: to do this, it is enough to know the bending radius that needs to be obtained on the finished part. The strip (40 mm wide), which serves as a mandrel for the workpiece to be bent, initially has a curvature that provides a given bending radius (R).

Taking into account the presence of elastic deformations, the radius of the mandrel should be slightly smaller than the required bending radius of the workpiece.

Knowing how to use welding, a grinder and auxiliary tools, this device can be made in less than 1 day.

Each metal pipe has its own elastic limit, therefore, the bending radius cannot be reduced below certain values. Permissible minimum radii can be taken from the corresponding tables.

We present an example of a table of permissible radii for round pipes.

Manufacturing of electromechanical pipe bender

In the design of an electromechanical pipe bender, three main working parts can be distinguished: one pressure and two support (drive) shafts. Hence the name of the machine – three-roll rolling pipe bender.

Such a device has a rather complex design, so if you were unable to get the drawings of a homemade pipe bender, we recommend that you first draw each of its elements on paper (at least as a sketch). And we will tell you step by step what dimensions and characteristics the main components of the future product should have.

So, the main function of a pipe bender is to bend parts to a given bending radius. The bending radius depends on the distance between the support rollers (shafts) and is adjusted by the pressure roller. The distance between the support rollers is a constant value. This is what should be taken into account when starting to design a machine.

Alli58ru User FORUMHOUSE

The distance between the lower rollers depends on the minimum bending radius. When determining it, keep in mind that the smaller the distance between the rollers, the harder it is to lower the pressure roller and the harder it is to pass the workpiece between the shafts. And vice versa: the greater the distance, the easier it is to twist. For me, if memory serves, the distance is about 35-40 cm. The shafts rotate quite easily: I bent a minimum radius of about 50 cm, but less is possible.

The bend radius (arc radius) is calculated using a simple geometric formula.

Guided by it in relation to your equipment, you can quickly adjust the machine to the specified parameters.

Manufacturing of rollers

To make rollers, you should look for reliable materials that have already passed the strength test. Some use rotors from electric motors of old washing machines or kingpins from a KamAZ vehicle, others use carbon steel circles. In fact, there are many options, the main thing is not to forget that the chosen material must be strong enough. User Dva11, for example, used wheel hubs from an old sprinkler installation.

Dva11 User FORUMHOUSE

Hub diameter – 75 mm, length – 110 mm, bearings were selected according to the hub (205 fit). I had to buy 5 bearings and 1 pulley, and made the rest of the parts from scrap metal.

Smooth cylindrical shafts are a universal option. They are used to bend pipes of various sections. If the profile of the shafts is brought into line with the profile of the pipes being bent, the quality of bending will noticeably improve.

You can also use blanks designed for different profiles of bent workpieces.

Ideally, removable nozzles or ring clamps (limiters) are installed on the shafts, with the help of which the profile of the rollers is adjusted to the width of the pipe.

rusi45 User FORUMHOUSE

I made some improvements to the design of the rollers: I made attachments for the pipe on the outer shafts, where the stops are located. Tests were carried out on a 1 inch pipe. The attachments are easy to replace. To do this, I made one side of the bearings sliding. The nozzle is made of steel 65G (plus hardening). There is virtually no wear, and the file does not take hardness.

The internal radius of the roller or nozzle for a round pipe should be made with a margin: the radius of the pipe plus 1-2 mm. For example, if the pipe diameter is 24 mm, then the internal radius of the roller will be 13-14 mm. Only in this case the pipe will not jam during rolling.

This is the size we are talking about.

If a pressure roller designed for bending rectangular pipes has a slight convexity in the middle, this will help maintain the geometry of the profile being bent. The roller will press the upper wall of the pipe inward, preventing the workpiece from spreading out to the sides.

Frame design

Having decided on the center distance and the design of the rollers, you can mark the blank parts for the frame. Based on the experience of FORUMHOUSE users, it should be concluded that the strongest frames are made from steel channels (at least 80 mm wide). This material is easy to get, so you can safely take note of it.

The photo shows the machine at the manufacturing stage. And here is the drawing that is taken as a basis.

Human User FORUMHOUSE

During the work, some changes were made to the original drawings.

The presented drawing is not a mandatory guide to action, but provides an objective understanding of how a rolling pipe bending machine works.

Clamping mechanism

Many craftsmen make a clamp from a regular car jack (mechanical or hydraulic). The forces that it is capable of creating are quite sufficient to give the metal workpiece the desired configuration.