Since the profile pipe has a rectangular or square cross-section, it has become quite widespread in a variety of works. However, during its operation, you may encounter a problem. For many products and buildings it is necessary that this material has a curved shape. It is almost impossible to bend the pipe with your hands or other improvised means. To solve this problem, you can assemble a pipe bender for a profile pipe with your own hands.
Features of the simplest model
The most primitive pipe bender can be made from a material such as wood. Such a fixture is called a template. The peculiarity is that it will have exactly the bending radius that needs to be transferred to the pipe. There is no possibility of adjustment, and therefore the template model is considered one-time. It is very important to take into account such a parameter as dimensions. A pipe bender for a profile pipe with its own hands should be assembled from such wood or plywood, which in thickness will slightly exceed the dimensions of the pipe itself. In order to avoid disruption of the product when working with it, it is worth securing several limiters.
Work and disadvantages
Before you begin to use such a template model, it must be quite rigidly fixed on the base. The emphasis should be fixed at the side as close as possible to the template. It is necessary to fix so that subsequently it was possible to insert a profile in this gap. The inserted profile should bend smoothly and slowly. A self-assembled pipe bender for a profile pipe of this type has two drawbacks, but they are very significant.
- The first significant minus is uniqueness. The template cannot be subjected to any changes. This means that on such a model it is possible to obtain blanks with only one specific bend.
- If the cross-section of the pipe is 20x20 mm or more, then the bending of the workpiece is significantly hindered.
You can install a hand winch on the supporting surface of the template. This can slightly increase the cross-sectional range for pipes that need to be bent. During the bending process, problems such as wall deformation or tearing may occur. To avoid this, it is necessary to pour sand, for example, into the pipe, and hammer the ends with wooden wedges so that it does not wake up.
Rental Type
You can assemble your own pipe bender for a rolled profile pipe. Such equipment is more versatile and more convenient in terms of operation.
This device has three rollers. Two of them are called rolling, and one is clamping. It is important to note here that they are arranged in the shape of a triangle with respect to each other. It is between these rollers that the bent workpiece will be rolled. The bending radius depends on the location of the rollers. The closer the pinch roller will be located to the central axis, as well as the smaller the distance between the rolling rollers, the smaller the bending radius will be obtained in the end and vice versa.
What is required for assembly
In order to successfully assemble such a model with rollers for a pipe bender of a profile pipe with your own hands, you must have skills in the field of locksmith work. In order to facilitate the manufacturing process, it is strongly recommended that you draw at least one general drawing, which will show the pipe bender itself, as well as the dimensions of the rollers and their approximate location. In order to maximize the functionality of the product, you can make oblong grooves for mounting the rollers. In this case, it will be possible to move them by changing the bending radius to the desired value.
To make a pipe bender for a profile pipe with your own hands, you will need to buy sheets of steel, duralumin or plywood (thickness 12 mm). These materials will be used to create a solid foundation. To increase the rigidity of the structure, it will be possible to add stiffeners from the outside in the future.
Product Design
The work begins with the fact that it is necessary to create a housing for the device according to the given dimensions. A pipe bender for a profile pipe with your own hands will be easier to create if you use a little trick. It is necessary to print a previously created drawing in full size. After that, it is glued to the material that was selected as the main one. After that, the work boils down to the fact that you only need to cut out all the necessary details along the outline of the drawing. To do this, you can use a jigsaw with a saw for wood, if plywood is selected, or with a saw for metal, if steel or duralumin is used.
Next, you need to form the grooves for the rollers:
- To successfully make a pipe bender for a profile pipe with your own hands, it is necessary to properly arrange the grooves. To do this, you can use an electric drill, with which you need to drill holes of the desired diameter in previously marked places.
- All material that remains between the grooves must be removed with a jigsaw.
In the event that the thickness of the workpiece under the base is large enough and the power of the tool is suitable, you can immediately cut both sides of the body, pre-connecting them with clamps to each other.
Product Rollers
To successfully complete the assembly of a simple pipe bender for a profile pipe with your own hands, you must correctly select and assemble the rollers. There are two options. The first is to buy such parts of suitable diameter on the market. The second option is to make the rollers yourself, on a lathe. As a material, steel, duralumin, plywood, and durable plastic are well suited. The main requirement is that the roller must have sufficient strength. A flat groove is made in the center of the rollers. Its dimensions should be either similar, or slightly larger than the cross section of the workpieces that need to be bent. It is important to note that for most purchased models, this groove has the shape of a semicircle. This is not too good, since in this case there is a risk of wrinkles on the pipe. Therefore, at the first opportunity it should immediately be sharpened to flat.
To make the rollers glide as well as possible, they can be equipped with bearings. A metal threaded rod will perfectly cope with the role of the axis if you pass it through elongated grooves. To reduce the risk of jamming, washers can be mounted on the axle.
Fixture installation
The assembly of a pipe bender for a profile pipe with your own hands, the photo of which will be presented, does not end with the manufacture of the model itself. After the main assembly of the product has been designed, it is necessary to fix it. It is necessary to fix it on a reliable foundation and perpendicular to it. As fixation, you can use steel corners or welding. Next, you need to install another plate. It should be located above the pinch roller. The nut must be fixed on this plate.
Bender adjustment
Manual pipe benders for a profile pipe, assembled with your own hands, need certain adjustment work. This procedure is necessary to expose the pressure roller of the device. To carry out this operation, it is necessary to make a part that in profile will be similar to the letter "P". In this element you need to drill 3 holes. Two of them should be located at the base of the part. They serve in order to be able to fix the U-shaped part on the basis of a pipe bender. The upper hole, which is made in the horizontal bar, must be aligned with the nut, which was previously mounted on a special plate. A tension bolt is attached to this hole and connected to the nut. By tightening the bolt, the degree of clamping of the upper roller will be adjusted. As a result, the bending radius of the workpiece will change.
It should be added that, for example, a transverse handle can be attached to the bolt so that it is more convenient to turn it.
Product Setup
To make a pipe bender for a profile pipe with your own hands is not all. A few additional work is needed.
The rolling process itself on such a machine can be carried out either manually or using a handle that is attached to one of the rollers. It is very important to note here that, depending on the installation location of this handle, the way of fixing the rollers themselves will significantly change, and the amount of effort that will have to be spent on rolling the profile pipe will also change.
If the handle is mounted on a pressure roller, then its axis must be rigidly fixed. In this case, the rolling rollers should rotate freely. Naturally, if the handle is mounted on one of the rolling elements, then everything should be the other way around. It is also worth paying attention to the fact that sometimes it is quite difficult to rotate the handle. To reduce the amount of effort required for rotation, sprockets and a chain drive can be mounted.
Application of the electrical model
In addition to manual models, there are also electric pipe benders for a profile pipe. It’s also possible to make them yourself, but it’s already much more difficult. In addition, it is rational to assemble such devices only if it is necessary to obtain high-quality workpieces, as well as perform complex tasks. The electric pipe bender is more powerful. Because of these qualities, most often such devices are used only in factories. But if necessary, it can be exploited at home.
A feature of electrical equipment is that it does not require a large use of human forces. All physical work is performed by a hydraulic installation. It is due to this that the opportunity arises to perform more complex tasks. Another significant difference is that manual machines have only one specific connector for bending radius, very rarely two. Electric ones, in turn, belong to universal pipe benders.
As for the principle of operation, it is the same as the manual one. The only difference is that here it is not mechanical rotation that is used, but a hydraulic rod. The shafts of this element do not work from a chain drive, as in the case of a manual product, but from an electric drive that transmits torque to these rods.
Design Features
On a flat base, which plays the role of a bed, you need to install the feed shaft. From the end of this element you need to install a pulley. It will be used to fasten the belt drive from the motor rotor. On the same pulley from the second end you need to install another sprocket, which will serve to mount the chain drive. She will be the leader. After that, you need to step back a bit and install the second pulley. At its end, you also need to install an asterisk in order to connect the chain gear. It should be noted here that this pulley will be driven.
Recommendations for use
The use of each type of pipe bender is advisable in a particular case.
If the cross section of the profile pipes does not exceed 3 cm, it is best to use hand-held devices. Their plus is that they are quite small, and therefore light. This allows you to freely move them during operation. As for hydraulic products, they can be used for bending pipes with a variety of parameters. Since the power of such devices is much higher than that of manual devices, the performance is much higher. It is worth paying attention to the fact that they can also be portable or stationary. The use of stationary models is effective only if the workpieces will have a cross section of more than 10 cm. Otherwise, portable installations can be used. Their dimensions are small, which makes it easy to transport them, but at the same time they weigh quite a lot - about 60 kg.
The difference between electric models
As for electrical models, their significant advantage lies in a higher level of accuracy. That is, they much better comply with the bending angle. The error for such equipment is a maximum of 1 degree. Another significant difference is that the bending is carried out by winding on the block. The radius of this element is equal to that which needs to be received as a result for preparation. This method is necessary in order to maintain the original strength of the pipe.