On 3/23/2011 12:30 AM, Tom Gardner wrote:
I have an application that I will need to put a 30deg. and 75deg. bends on the same
plane on a 30" length of 1/2" EMT. This will be a production part. Is there a
machine to do this? Has anybody seen internal or external plastic caps for conduit?
This will be a handle for a cleaning tool.

I could do it on a punch press but that sounds just plain frightening. Or, are there
off-shelf dies I could use on my 50-ton hydraulic press? (seems like overkill and it's
slow)



How precise does it have to be? An experienced electrician can use a
hand bender to make pretty consistent bends repeatedly. There are
hydraulic conduit benders, but I never needed one for stuff 1" and
smaller.

Gardner Bender manual conduit benders come with an instruction book.
Follow the book and your pieces fit pretty well. I can make bends
pretty darn fast, and if I had to do say 10 pieces the same, I would
just mark them all then bend them all.

1/2 EMT is pretty soft though. I use it for hanging hooks in the shop
for cords and rolls of conduit and smurf, but that is about the heaviest
use I would put to it.

IMC might be a better choice for a tool handle (do they even make IMC in
1/2"?) unless you are 100% certain nobody will ever put much force on it.

If I had to do a lot of IMC I would either get a benchtop compact bender
or get a hydraulic bender.

I guess the first question should have been, "How tight do you need the
radius of bend? A compact bender might be the only choice if a conduit
bender radius is to large.