How to bend a profile pipe with your own hands: technologies and equipment for bending. How to bend a profile pipe at home Make a circle from a profile pipe

Profile views pipes with a square or rectangular cross-section allow you to construct various designs, capable of withstanding increased loads. When constructing a private building, you need to have the skills and knowledge of how to bend profile pipe at home with your own hands, so as not to damage its integrity.

Main characteristics of profile pipes

The main feature of profile pipes compared to standard products is their cross-section. It is this difference that does not allow the use of standard methods bending to create the required radius of curvature.

Besides, industrial enterprises produce profile pipe products from various materials, including copper, aluminum, brass, etc. This leads to the need to use different techniques in order to ultimately bend the profile pipe.


In the process of implementing mechanical influences in order to obtain a curved product, the pipe may receive defects and then during operation the integrity of the structure will be destroyed over time. For this reason, it is advisable to study the possibility of stretching it before bending the corrugated pipe.

To achieve the required bending radius when doing the work yourself, you should do it smoothly and leisurely and control the amount of effort applied. This will significantly reduce the likelihood of damage and obtain the required shape of the product.

The choice of how to bend a square pipe at home is influenced by the wall thickness of the pipe products. With a clear idea of ​​what the end result should be, and the right approach By determining the bending method, the erected structure will be distinguished by strength, reliability, aesthetic appearance and durability.


You should know that when the thermal effect is exerted on profile products, changes occur in the internal structure of the metal from which they are made. As a result, the strength and reliability of the structure may be in question. In addition, repeated attempts to bend a profile pipe with your own hands will lead to its destruction.

Using a pipe bender

It will not be easy to bend a profile pipe without a pipe bender or other similar devices at home, especially with large wall thicknesses of metal products (read: ""). If you are planning a one-time job, then there is no point in purchasing a pipe bending machine. Special equipment in this case, it is better to rent by contacting companies that provide similar services.

If you have to bend a profile pipe with your own hands, it is most appropriate and reasonable to use a pipe bender that has a special drive wheel. By moving along one of the edges, it allows you to bend the profile product as needed by the home craftsman in a particular case.


Pipe benders are produced:

  • with manual control;
  • with electric drive.

When bending profile products is done manually, the device wheel is driven using a special handle. This method should be used in cases where the cross-section of the pipe has a small area, and the future design should not be bulky and its shape can be changed with your own hands.

For a large volume of work and the same size of pipes, you will need a pipe bender for a profile pipe, equipped with an electric drive, which is driven simply by pressing a button. Operating principle of this device is similar - the wheel moves along the edge of the pipe, but the result is more aesthetic and less labor-intensive.

Other methods of bending pipes yourself

There are several options that allow you to bend a profile pipe at home without special machines.

There are several requirements for bending metal products relative to a radius. The thickness of their walls must exceed 2 centimeters, otherwise bending can damage the integrity of the pipe. If the profile height (indicated by the letter Z) is more than 2 centimeters, a pipe bent over a length of 3.5xZ will not collapse and will not become less reliable.


An important role is played by the temperature that the product has when bending. It is known that it is much easier to give curvature to a pipe in a heated state. When carrying out work in domestic conditions, it is necessary to adhere to safety precautions.

To bend pipes with a profile height of up to 1 centimeter, it is not necessary to heat the products to give them a curved shape. But pipe products with a profile height of over 4 centimeters cannot be bent with your own hands without heating.

Using a grinder when bending profile pipes

In order for a bent profile pipe made by yourself to obtain the required bend radius, you can use a grinder.

For this:

  1. In the place where the bend is planned, you need to make several transverse cuts (usually 3 of them will be required).
  2. Then you should bend the profile pipe yourself.
  3. Finally, the cut points are welded using a welding machine.


Since profile products have a regular cross-section, the resulting product should acquire an aesthetic appearance, provided that the welded areas are carefully ground. At the same time, the strength indicators will remain the same.

Bending profile products using a spring

This option is easy to implement, for which you will need to perform the following list of works:

  1. They take a wire, preferably steel, about 2 millimeters thick, and make a spring out of it.
  2. Next it is inserted into the pipe.
  3. Heat the future bend area.
  4. At the end of the work, the product is bent, observing the required radius.

You should immediately ensure that the profile pipe products are bent correctly, since the heated product retains its elasticity for a short time.


During the manufacturing process of a spring, you need to pay attention to such important point: its segments should be 1.5–2 millimeters smaller than the parameters of the corresponding side of the section that the profile has metal product. If you stick to of this rule, there will be no problems with how to insert the spring inside the pipe.

Using sand to bend pipes

For example, to make a square or rectangular bent pipe, use sand that has been previously sifted and well dried. You will also need wooden wedges that have a comparable cut to the product, and which can be driven into the pipe.


The order of actions looks like this:

  1. On one side tubular product drive the wedge.
  2. Sand is poured inside the pipe.
  3. The wedge is hammered in from the second side, resulting in a kind of plug.
  4. After fixing one end, begin bending the pipe to the required size radius. If desired, the future bend area can be heated to facilitate the process.

Sand poured inside will ensure the strength and integrity of the pipe structure. After successful completion of the work, it is removed, after removing the wooden wedges.

Bending pipes using water

Bend the profile pipe on our own at home you can also use water. This option is used when pipe products are made from copper or other non-ferrous metal. One end of the product is closed with a plug and water is poured inside. The product should be placed in a place where water will freeze. After this, it will be easy to bend it yourself. To make it easier to get a square bent pipe, you need to bend it not in the middle, but closer to one of the ends.

The design of the greenhouse must not only have an aesthetic appearance, but also be functional. A greenhouse that was built with your own hands or was purchased in finished form, should generate income regardless of the time of year. If you have an idea on your own, then the question may arise about how to bend a profile for a greenhouse with your own hands without using any special devices.

You can buy a frame for a greenhouse or make it yourself. In order to bend the frame, you will need special equipment. devices - pipe bender or machine.

Eg, winter greenhouse arched type, which is heated, turns the need to bend the profile for this design into an urgent need.

The frame made of aluminum profiles is durable, lightweight, requires minimal maintenance, and can be easily fixed with your own hands.

Greenhouses that use profile designs

Greenhouse frame made of aluminum profile with a multi-pitched roof is a strong, reliable, lightweight structure.

Elements that are made from profiles are used in many types. The multi-pitched roof of an octagonal greenhouse has robust construction. The material for the frame in this case will be an aluminum profile.

The profile can be forged, shaped, rolled. It rolls up into coils. Aluminum profiles can be processed mechanically: twisted, drilled, cut out. Structures made from this type of profile can be connected with synthetic resins or secured with rivets and bolts.

The profile can be shaped, full, intended for the manufacture of greenhouses, racks, and shelving. The shaped profile can be bent, drilled, cut, so that it can be used in the manufacture of the structure.

The aluminum profile frame is lightweight, durable, requires minimal maintenance, and can be strengthened with your own hands.

The greenhouse has a long service life (20-25 years). A significant disadvantage of a greenhouse is that it is too expensive to build with your own hands.

Occupies a leading position in the market. Products made from it are durable, comfortable, and cheap.

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Greenhouses that use a bent profile

When building an arched greenhouse, the profile needs to be curved.

The profile will need to be bent during the construction of a multifunctional building. It will be necessary to bend the profile for the arch, which goes vertically upward from the base and is bent in the middle. It uses a frame, the strength of which can be ensured by the connection of posts and beams. A dome-shaped greenhouse is constructed from polygonal frames (metal or aluminum) and is difficult to assemble with your own hands. All frame material should be selected based on, as well as its size.

When building arched greenhouses, it is necessary to prepare 12 flexible rods for half-arches. Their length should be 1.5 m. For a tall greenhouse (1.8 m high), you will need to prepare 10 rods, which have a diameter of 30 mm and a length of 2.9 m.

Creating a frame begins with identifying holes for flexible rods. They are drilled out, after which the support stands are prepared. When installing the main frame with your own hands, you may need to carefully bend the metal rods in an arc.

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How can you bend a square pipe for a polycarbonate greenhouse arc?

In order to bend the pipe, you can use a homemade pipe bender.

With polycarbonate, there is a need to bend a square pipe with an arc, which has a cross-section of 20x20 mm. The diameter between their ends is 3 m.

You will need to prepare the tools in advance:

  • ruler;
  • bending machine;
  • pipes for bending (profile);
  • Bulgarian;
  • pencil;
  • welding.

The pipe can be bent on a bending machine, which is made by hand. The machine is rotated by a handle, but the work requires more effort if its wall is 1-2 mm. Without using a machine, you can bend it by hand using parallel pipes, but you will need to first fasten them together. An arc of the corresponding radius is drawn on the ground. You should attach a curved product to it and bend it so that the original fully matches the drawn drawing. The second arc bends similarly to the first.

The pipe is first divided into several equal intervals, filed with a grinder and then bent according to the existing template. The undercut areas are processed by spot welding.

The profile is light and durable, connects well to absolutely any plane, and can withstand large lateral loads.

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Profile bending using a machine

The service life of a profile greenhouse can reach 20-25 years. Therefore, care should be taken to ensure high-quality assembly of the frame.

The developer who bends the profile knows that this operation is quite complex. It can be made using a factory-made pipe bending machine or a home-made one. One of possible methods profile bending is to use a fire source - a propane cutter, an acetylene torch or a blowtorch. One part is heated, after which the lever bends it at an angle. Disadvantages of this type of work: great physical effort is required, which results in an unaesthetic appearance after processing the product.

The operation of bending a profile on a pipe bending machine is performed more accurately and quickly. Using a handle, the profile is pulled along the rollers of the pipe bender, while another roller presses on the pipe and deforms it. A pipe bender passes a pipe through itself and makes an arch of the required radius from it. Bending is performed at an angle of 30-180° (on hydraulically driven pipe benders). Using a manual pipe bender, you can bend pipes to winter period time or to install ventilation devices.

Tools you will need to make a pipe bender:

  • lead screw;
  • 3 rollers;
  • workpiece;
  • bracket with a clamping axis;
  • sample;
  • channel;
  • steel pipes having a diameter of 70-150 mm;
  • welding;
  • concrete solution;
  • metal table.

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The process of making a homemade pipe bender

Homemade pipe bender can be made of two pipes and two rollers.

A homemade pipe bender is made of 2 pipes. Their diameter can be from 70 to 150 mm. With help concrete mortar they must be fixed in the slab. They can also be secured by welding to the channel. The pipes are located at a distance of 600 mm from each other. A pipe is installed between the racks, after which it is bent at an angle with force.

The rollers are placed on axes. They need to be placed at the same level, and the distance between them should be approximately 50 cm. The third roller is located in the center. It must be raised to a level of 100 mm. The jack should lift the roller and adjust the bend radius of the pipe. A homemade pipe bender will bend a rolled profile to make a greenhouse or greenhouse structure. A pipe with a thin wall will need to be covered with sand at one end, and then inserted into a pipe bender. After treatment, sand should be removed. The diameter of the product should be the same along the entire length.

The profile pipe has different sections: oval, round or rectangular. A pipe bender differs from a similar machine for ordinary pipes. The product and the rollers have the same cross-section.

During production, the roller is installed on a metal table. A bracket is attached to the axle, which has a clamping axle. A roller should be installed on the axis, which copies the pipe profile. The workpiece must be fed by hand. As it passes, the product will be pressed against the roller. It is pulled several times between the rollers, resulting in the necessary bend. Ready material attached to the template.

July 24, 2016
Specialization: Capital construction work (laying a foundation, erecting walls, constructing a roof, etc.). Internal construction work (laying internal communications, rough and fine finishing). Hobby: mobile connection, high technology, computer equipment, programming.

Recently it occurred to me to make a gazebo out of rolled metal for a summer cottage, and not a simple one, but with fashionable twists and turns, in order to show off to friends and acquaintances and surprise them with something. This required bent parts, but I didn’t bring a pipe bender from the city and didn’t want to go get one (I had already taken a little cognac to get me in the mood). Therefore, I had to get out of the situation and decide how to bend a profile pipe at home.

Features of bending profile pipes

If you recently started doing something around the house with your own hands, you may not understand the importance of the problem. Really, what’s so complicated about it: bend it with a hammer in any direction and that’s it.

However, giving a profiled pipe a smooth and curved configuration while maintaining all its technical characteristics is not so easy. This is usually done using a special device under pressure using a cold or hot method.

The point is that when bending a rectangular profile, two forces simultaneously act on it:

  • compression - from the inside;
  • stretching - from the outside.

As a result, several difficulties arise, due to which mechanics come up with various tricks for bending pipes:

  1. Rolled metal during mechanical action can change its shape and also lose alignment individual parts. As a result, the edges of the part will lie in different planes, which will not allow it to be used during installation.
  2. The outer wall, which stretches during bending, may not withstand mechanical load and crack, losing the necessary strength.
  3. The inner wall, on the contrary, will contract incorrectly and form folds, in appearance reminiscent of a corrugated pipe.

In principle, I have more than once encountered cases where an incorrectly bent workpiece simply crumples, after which it can only be thrown into scrap metal. This leads to an unjustified increase in construction costs, which is like death for a zealous owner.

That is why you should not immediately rush into battle with pipe scraps, but study pipe bending technologies. And by the way, they directly depend on the technical characteristics of the rental product used. This is what I want to talk about further so that you understand the entire mechanics of the process.

Influence of material characteristics on the choice of bending method

If you don’t know yet, then I inform you that the concept of “profile pipe” includes pipes of all geometric shapes, including round. But for ease of understanding, it is customary to call only products of the following shapes:

  • square;
  • rectangular;
  • oval;
  • flat-oval.

This is due to the fact that metal round pipe used for the construction of water and gas transportation systems, so it is ideal for this and has strong walls that can withstand significant pressure well.

Pipes of other shapes are more used in construction to create various structures and design of furnishings. Further I will talk only about square pipes, since that is what I am going to use for construction.

So, there are also a lot of square pipes in the store. They differ from each other in cross-section and wall thickness. And these two parameters, in turn, affect the minimum angle at which square metal can be bent without damaging it.

I do not want and will not go into now engineering subtleties and features that home craftsmen don’t even need for nothing. I will only say that to determine the minimum bending radius you need to know the cross-section of the pipe.

The radius is determined as follows:

  • for thin pipes, the cross-section of which does not exceed 20 mm, the pipe must be bent over an area 2.5 times larger than the height of the profile;
  • for thick pipes, bending must be done over an area 3.5 times larger, otherwise the metal will crack outside or shrink from the inside.

For wall thickness. Personally, I do not recommend bending large cross-section pipes with too thin walls, otherwise the parts will lose alignment.
It is better to use a grinder and a welding machine.

Before bending a profile pipe, it is also useful to know that the carbon steel pipes you use tend to spring back a little, that is, return to shape after the impact stops. Therefore, in order to bend a pipe to the required radius, you need to take into account plasticity, making the bend a little larger than necessary according to the drawing or pattern.

Pipe bending methods

In general, I decided that I’ll stop loading your heads with theory (although I can’t do without it). Therefore, I will move directly to how to bend a profile pipe at home.

Quite often in my practice, I bent profile pipes while simultaneously heating the bend with a blowtorch. Heat increases the plasticity of the material and reduces the risk of damage to the part.

But if for construction you use thin rolled metal of a small cross-section, you do not need to resort to additional tricks. Square pipes will take the shape you want. Of course, if you approach this matter with the proper skill.

I cannot give you definite advice in which cases you need to use heat and in which you should not. I can only say that they are valid building regulations it is stipulated that it is necessary to heat a round (not square) pipe if its diameter exceeds 10 cm.

However, I will give my own thoughts that have developed as a result of many years of work on construction sites:

  • if the cross-section of the pipe does not exceed 1 cm, I would not even mention any heating;
  • in cases where the pipe cross-section is more than 4 cm, I would still advise using a blowtorch so as not to spoil the expensive rolled metal;
  • In the interval between the two extremes indicated above, decide for yourself.

You can try bending the pipe by holding one end in a vice. If, when you apply force, the pipe bends easily and does not wrinkle, you don’t have to heat it. If it’s hard to bend, heat it up. I’ll tell you about both methods.

Hot bending of profiled pipes

I'll start with hot bending, as it is more complex. To avoid deformation of the pipe, its cavity must be filled with sand. In this case, you will get a part appearance which will satisfy even the strictest quality control specialist (inspired from the past).

The process of hot bending of a profiled pipe occurs as follows:

  1. From suitable pieces of wood (I take two blocks) I grind out two plugs that are the right size for the existing pipe. They should fit tightly into the side holes of the part and not dangle.
  2. Then, on the side of the plugs, I select small grooves through which hot gases from the bent metal pipe will be vented out.
  3. I pre-anneal the area that will bend.
  4. Then I prepare the filler, the role of which is pure river sand(although, in principle, any fine-grained sand can be used).

Pouring sand into the pipe occurs according to the following scheme:

  • I plug one end of the pipe with a plug;
  • I preheat the sand with a blowtorch;
  • I pour sand into a workpiece installed perpendicular to the ground or at an angle;
  • while falling asleep, I tap the pipe so that the grains of sand are distributed evenly, leaving no voids;
  • After the workpiece is completely filled, I close the second end of the pipe with a stopper.

I recommend sifting the sand before use, getting rid of gravel and small stones. First you need to use a coarse sieve, and then a fine one, with a mesh size of 0.7 mm, to get rid of dust particles.
If this is not done, the sand will bake inside the pipe and pouring it out will be problematic.

  1. After filling in the filler, I move on to bending. To do this, I clamp the workpiece with one end in a vice and mark with chalk the place that will need to be bent. The part must be secured so that the weld seam of the pipe (if it is not seamless) is on the side. Otherwise it may burst.
  2. I heat it up with a blowtorch required area until dark cherry color and give the pipe the desired shape. This should be done with a quick but smooth movement, making sure that the bending is done in the same plane.

  1. After the metal has cooled, I knock out the plugs and pour sand out of the pipes. If wooden blocks I can’t knock them out, so I burn them out with a blowtorch.

I’ll warn you right away that this method is suitable if you need to bend the workpiece to a certain (not very large) radius in one place. That is, the metal will only have to be heated once.

Otherwise, constant temperature fluctuations will disrupt the strength of the rolled metal and the part may simply burst.

Cold bending

You can bend a profiled pipe without heating it with or without filler. If the cross-section of the part does not exceed 10 mm, you can do without filling the cavity. It is better to pour sand into a large pipe.

Sometimes I bent profiled pipes using a dense spring suitable size. It is placed in the cavity of the pipe, after which it is bent at the desired angle, without fear of displacement of the axes of the part.

In this case, it is important to choose right size springs. It should fit tightly into the pipe, but move freely. Otherwise, you may not be able to get this part later.

If you need to bend a pipe to the desired radius, but you don’t have a blowtorch at hand, I suggest using another method, which I also had to resort to. To implement it you will need a grinding machine with a disk for cutting metal and welding machine.

The work flow is as follows:

  1. It is necessary to calculate in advance the bend radius of the pipe and the segment that will bend.
  2. You need to make cuts along the length of this section on one side, leaving one edge of the pipe intact. The number of these cuts depends on how small the bend radius should be.
  3. After this, thanks to the resulting cuts, you can easily bend the part by holding one end of it in a vice.
  4. The next stage is welding the damaged areas using an electric or gas welding machine.
  5. Once the seams have cooled, they can be cleaned and welded.

Use of special equipment

All the methods described above can be used if there is a small amount of work to be done. However, when you give a smooth bend to a large number of parts, you will have to use specialized equipment. You can make it yourself, buy it or rent it.

I’ll tell you about this in a little more detail, since I receive quite a lot of questions of this kind, so I consider the topic to be relevant.

The simplest manual pipe benders

At one time I had to bend a considerable amount of rolled metal, so even offhand I can give many examples simple devices for bending. As I already said, the specific mechanism depends on the cross-section of the pipe, the thickness of the walls and the required bending radius.

For home craftsmen who are planning to build an arched structure from profiled pipes, I offer the following options:

  1. Thin profiled pipes can be bent using a horizontal steel plate with drilled holes. Pins are inserted into them, which act as stops when giving the workpiece the desired shape.

You need to place the pipe between the stops and bend it at the desired angle. You need to start from the middle of the part and move towards the edges. As a result, you can bend the pipe, but you will not achieve the ideal shape, and you will have to apply a lot of force.

  1. I recommend bending medium-thick pipes using rollers connected to each other like a Volnov machine. In this case, the part must be secured in a vice, and then the workpiece must be bent using special rollers.
    The quality of the bend is better than using the technology described in the first paragraph. However, given the thickness and cross-section of the workpiece, you need to be a strong athlete to bend the parts. Especially if there are a lot of them.

  1. To bend parts under a small radius (for example, arches for a gazebo), you can use homemade patterns with a groove at the end and a clamp to which the pipe hooks.

As in all previous cases, considerable physical effort must be made to bend. But the part takes on an ideal shape, determined by the configuration of the sample.

Bending plate

If you like to make things with your own hands and often use profile pipes, I recommend taking the time to make a stationary bending plate that will help you bend any square and rectangular pipes at the desired angle.

It can take the form of a mobile panel, which is attached to the working surface with clamps for operation. The slab can also be welded to a channel or rail concreted into the workshop floor.

The manufacturing scheme for a universal bending plate is as follows:

  1. The basis for the device will be a thick metal plate. It is better to take thicker metal so that the device does not deform when bending thick pipes of large cross-section.
  2. It is necessary to cut or drill several holes in the slab into which to insert bolts that will serve as stops for bending the pipes at the desired angle.
  3. The bending radius of the pipe during operation can be adjusted with nozzles of suitable diameter, which are placed on the bolts.
  4. To maintain the alignment of the workpieces being processed while working on them, you can install another plate that prevents the part from bending in a different plane.

Pipe bending mandrel

This metalworking device is used for processing pipes whose cross-section does not exceed 2.5 cm. To make it, you will need a workbench and a large free space Around him. On one edge of the working surface of the workbench, you need to drill many holes in different places, which are necessary to secure the support bolts.

In addition, you will need a pattern made of thick plywood, along which the workpiece will be bent. The shape of the part after processing will exactly correspond to the diameter along which the plywood was cut.

The disadvantage of this solution is that you need to change the pattern every time there is a need to bend the pipe to a different radius.

The scheme of working with such a mandrel is as simple as possible:

  1. The end of the pipe is secured between the bolt and the mandrel (pattern), which, in turn, is tightly attached to the workbench using several clamps.
  2. After this, you just need to bend the pipe, resting it on the pattern.
  3. If the workpiece is short, you can put a pipe of a larger cross-section (or diameter) on its end, which will act as a lever.

Manual bending machine

If you are planning to open your own manufacturing business arched structures made of profile pipes, all manual devices will not suit you. After several days of work, your hands will simply fall off, so it is better to immediately mechanize the entire process.

To bend pipes in this case, it is better to use a homemade or purchased bending machine, consisting of two fixed rollers and one movable roller. By adjusting the position of the latter, you can change the bending radius of a square or rectangular pipe. Although the price of the machine is rather high, it will save you a huge amount of effort and time.

Conclusion

Now, I hope you understand how to bend a profile pipe without a pipe bender and using special equipment. As you can see, if you know some secrets and technologies, there is nothing complicated in this process. You can safely get to work.

And if you have your own technologies for bending square or rectangular pipes, I will be very grateful if you share them in the comments.

Learn more creative ideas regarding the construction of houses and the arrangement of suburban land plots, you can watch the video in this article.

July 24, 2016

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When conducting construction work Bent profile pipes are increasingly being used. The design and manufacturing methods of these materials give them excellent characteristics.

Therefore, many are interested in how to bend a profile pipe at home. After all, such a need arises often.

It should be noted right away that profile pipe products have a more aesthetic appearance than their round “brothers”. And bending can be done:

  1. In a specialized workshop.
  2. On your own, at home.

If preference is given to the second option, then you should know that for these actions you will have to have certain knowledge. Watch the video on our website and you will succeed.

Features of profile bending

The fact is that the corrugated pipe, when the configuration changes, is affected by two forces:

  • compression, which exerts an effect from the inside;
  • tension acting from outside.

When a corrugated pipe is bent incorrectly, it changes its shape and loses the coaxial arrangement of some sections. Also, a stretching wall may simply not withstand mechanical stress and become unusable. In addition to these problems, improper contraction and wrinkling may occur on the inner wall of the bent workpiece.

It often happens that it is easy to bend a pipe from a profile along a radius, but the workpiece ends up crumpled. After this, it is only suitable for scrap metal.

The combination of these factors influences unjustified increases in expenses, which a serious owner will never allow. Therefore, despite the fact that this pipe range is quite flexible, there is no need to rush to process it, and before bending a corrugated pipe along a radius at home, it is important to study the technology in detail. This will be discussed further.

Technology should not be neglected. Only a master armed with knowledge will not create the question of how to bend a profile at home. big problems. All recommendations on how to bend profiled metal correctly were given by professional craftsmen who have studied this problem in practice for a long time.

Influence of technical characteristics of the material on the choice of bending method

First, you need to know that the concept of “corrugated pipe” includes a range of any geometric configuration. But to make it easier to understand, it is customary to call profile assortment following form:

  • square;
  • rectangular;
  • oval, etc.

This is due to the fact that round types are placed in pipeline structures for supplying liquid or gas, where significant pressure is provided. A profile of a different shape is found in various household structures and structures.

Square rolled metal products are distinguished by their cross-sectional index and wall dimensions. Both of these factors indicate the minimum angle for bending rolled metal, at which it will not become unusable.

There are a lot of engineering nuances in the question of how to bend a product without a pipe bender. But you don’t need to know them all to work at home. But it is important to know the following.

  1. Thin products with a cross-section of up to 20 mm without a pipe bender must be bent in an area that is 2.5 times longer than the height of the pipe itself.
  2. Thick rolled metal can be bent without a pipe bender in a zone that is three times longer than the section. If this point is ignored, the metal will crack from the outside or deform from the inside.
  3. Bending a profile pipe is dangerous in one respect: the occurrence of a fracture at the site of the operation, as a result of which the part is sent for final scrap or for reworking for products of a smaller size.
  4. The limiting condition is the following ratio - the minimum radius should not be less than two and a half sizes along the bend cross-section. For example, for a profile with a thickness of 40 mm, the minimum internal radius will be 40 x 2.5 = 100 mm.

Before bending a steel profile pipe at home, you should remember one more rule.

After exposure, the pipe strives to return to its original shape. For this reason, if you bend it yourself, without a profile bender, then it is better to bend it a little more than is necessary according to the diagram. If you bend the workpiece a little more, then in the end the rounding will turn out as required by the diagram.

All these conventions must be taken into account before bending this or that rolled metal product, otherwise it is useless to focus on a high-quality end result.

Methods used for bending

Do-it-yourself bending of a profile pipe at home is done in the following ways:

  • Bending using special technical devices. People call them pipe benders.
  • Using various available means.
  • Using physical force. But, this is only relevant for small diameters.

If you make a bend at home, you need to consider:

  • The amount of bend.
  • Manufacturing materials.
  • The size of the wall thickness.
  • Section.

IMPORTANT! Measures to deform profile pipe products are carried out in acceptable standards, adjusted to the section and wall thickness. During work it is necessary to control that cross section it did not flatten and there were no internal fractures.

Watch how to bend corrugated pipes and common mistakes, and below is a video of the process.

How to bend along a mandrel

In home workshops, rolled metal with a wall thickness of no more than 3 mm can be bent using a mandrel. The best option To solve the problem, if you need to bend a corrugated pipe by 20 with your own hands, use a profile bending machine, on the top of which there is enough space for finishing equipment. Such devices also cope excellently with products with a diameter of 40 mm.

When changing the shape of the assortment to 20 and 40 mm, select on the workbench optimal space to install the element for fixation. To make work easier, there are holes on one side of the machine that are located close to each other.

The problem of how to bend a profile pipe at home without a mandrel pipe bender is not difficult to solve. The required radius during deformation is obtained by installing a special template. Thick plywood is used to make it. But, if work on bending profile pipes needs to be done frequently, then you can make a template from metal corner.

Bending with internal countermeasures

There are many different ways, how to bend a pipe without a pipe bender along a radius at home. Here are some of them.

These methods refer to work using improvised means.

Any greenhouse, gazebo, and other home extension cannot do without the use of bent corrugated pipe. And practice shows that the question of how to bend profile pipe does not create any difficulties.

The most important thing when deforming a professional pipe without special hand tool at home - this is the safety of the pipe product itself. And home craftsmen solve the problem of how to bend a profile in the following ways:

  • finishing with a grinder or welding;
  • use of a spring;
  • filling rolled metal with sand;
  • bend with water.

Every way to bend a corrugated pipe yourself without a pipe bender that can be used House master, has its advantages and disadvantages. You need to familiarize yourself with them in order to choose the most optimal option for your conditions.
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Bending without a pipe bender - cutting with a grinder and welding

To bend a product with your own hands without a pipe bender, make cross cuts at the site of the intended bend. Only three sides of the pipe are sawed, and the fourth is left untouched.

To determine the number of cuts and sizes, a simple calculation should be made. Let's look at how to do this using an example. So, you need to bend a pipe 30 x 50 mm at an angle of 180 degrees (full turn) with a radius of 100 mm along a 30 mm wall.

Calculation:

  1. The length of the semicircle of the outer radius is determined from the relationship:
    L = 2: 2, where – Pi = 3.14; r – outer rounding radius equal to 150 mm; L is the length of the semicircle.
  1. In the same way, the length of the semicircle of the internal bend radius Lin is determined.
  2. The difference between the outer and inner radii will be the required value of the total length of the slots on the inner radius.

Lout = L – Lin.

  1. After spending necessary calculations we get a result of 157 mm.
  2. Based on the cutting width of a grinder of 5 mm, we find that 157: 5 = 31 slots need to be made at 315 millimeters along the fold plane.

After this, the resulting part is simply bent by hand until the ends of the cutouts touch. The slots must be welded and cleaned welds Bulgarian The cracks that remain after such manipulations are welded, and the welding areas are cleaned.

IMPORTANT! If the work is not performed correctly, or the bend radius is not observed, then the bent pipe may ultimately be damaged. And it is no longer possible to fix everything. We must act slowly. This is the main rule that should not be violated.

Grinder cutting and welding is the formation of an angle through a cut in which one surface of the pipe workpiece remains untouched.

Since the metal in this case is subject to thermal influence, it is necessary at the end bent profile handle anti-corrosion protection.

Using a spring and a blowtorch

The second method - a spring, which makes it possible to obtain curved metal products, is also a type of method of using internal countermeasures.

This is also a common way to bend without a pipe bender. To work, a spring is made from steel wire with a two-millimeter diameter square shape.

It is made so that it fits into the pipe. It should pass freely, and there should be a gap of at least one millimeter. Next, the bend area is heated with a blowtorch. Then, using the prepared blank, the product is bent to the desired parameter.

If something doesn’t work out, the result can be corrected. But it’s better to do it all at once. With repeated processing, the metal becomes brittle.

Using sand to bend a corrugated pipe

You can deform communications at home without a pipe bender using ordinary sand poured into the workpiece.


One side of the pipe is closed with a stopper or any available item. This closed end is fixed in a vice.

The workpiece is filled with sand and heated with a blowtorch in the place where the bend is planned. Then the product is bent required sizes.

After the procedure is completed, it is left to cool. This is how the material fixes the acquired dimensions.

Professional craftsmen warn that there is one important nuance: in order to bend the product with your own hands, you need to take clean and pre-calcined sand.

Wooden plugs used to seal a sand-filled pipe can be easily removed with self-tapping screws. This way you can bend the workpiece very quickly.

Exposure to water

In winter, you can bend the profile pipe yourself using the following original method.

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The workpiece is filled with water, and the outer parts are sealed with wooden plugs. Then it is taken outside so that the filled liquid hardens.

This pipe can be bent in accordance with the template and without much physical effort. Its cross section is preserved during this procedure. After obtaining the desired result, the plugs are removed and the liquid is poured out.

There is another simple option, but it can only be used to bend duralumin and brass assortments. Before starting work, you should prepare a template. The tube is filled with water, as in the previous case.

Watch the video

But then it moves to a place with low temperature. When the water freezes, rounding is done using a blank. It should be noted that this method allows you to obtain an ideal rounding shape, and in this case, great forces from the hand of the master are not required to bend.

From the material presented, it is clear that bending a profile pipe with your own hands is not a task of great complexity. If you approach the process competently and study the materials in detail, you can save a large number of money, time and energy. Also, do not forget the safety rules.

All the methods described are very effective, but only if you follow certain rules.

Watch the video

Watch the video tutorials, drawings and photos presented on the site and you will be able to do everything correctly yourself.

Bending equipment

Skilled people, not spoiled in life by unobtrusive service, come up with ways to simplify the performance of rather complex operations, including bending profiles.

One of these devices is the simplest lever with a template,

Using such a simple device, you can quite accurately produce arched elements for a greenhouse or hotbed, support posts for gazebos and other details for the countryside exterior.

Advanced site owners, showing ingenuity and resourcefulness, use scrap materials to create more complex devices that allow them to perform work with increased precision. Usually these are kinematic copies of 3-roll bending devices.

Such devices use manual drives, but if you develop the design further, it could well be the starting point for developing your own business.

While studying flexible profiles at home, you need to take into account a number of circumstances:

  • When purchasing profiles, make sure that they are all the same size and steel grade and belong to the same delivery batch;
  • when using welded profiles, orient the side with the seam towards the inner radius, otherwise it may rupture;
  • When working with an angle grinder, do not forget to use protective equipment in the form of glasses or a mask;
  • It should be taken into account that the end sections cannot always be bent to the required size, therefore, when calculating the length of the workpiece, you need to take into account their length and cut off such pieces after completing the formation of the part;
  • After installing the products in place, it is necessary to carry out anti-corrosion treatment of the metal and then do it regularly in the future.

Bending services

Such a service could not help but become a separate area of ​​business development, since it involves industrial version using quite complex technological equipment.

Video - how to bend a profile pipe

Profile pipe bending services are also present on the market and involve both radius and arch bending. The separation occurs in this way because specific equipment is used for each of these operations. In the first case, it is a pipe bender, in the second, a three-roll rolling machine.

It must be admitted that the price indicators for performing such operations are very acceptable, as follows:

  • the cost of one corner bend is 30 rubles;
  • one linear meter arched span will also cost 30 rubles.

Compared to the cost of metal and delivery of material in the Moscow region, this is really practically nothing.

Special devices for bending

Speaking about how to bend a profile pipe at home using a pipe bender, you should carefully watch the video below.

After watching the video clip, it immediately becomes clear that the device used to bend pipe products with a round cross-section is not suitable in this situation.

If you bend a pipe using rollers and round shoes, cracks will appear on it, or it will simply become deformed.

Bending machines for this process are used that are designed specifically for products of a certain type. You can purchase a bending machine, or you can make it yourself at home.

Making a bending machine with your own hands

To create a bending machine, the best option is manual view devices. The design of the structure depends on the diameters with which it is to interact.

For pipe materials with a diameter of up to 20 mm, a simple device can be made consisting of steel pins placed in concrete slab. The pipe inserted between the pins is bent to the required dimensions.

But, when the diameter exceeds 20 mm, then for the construction it is necessary to develop more complex drawings of a bending machine for a profile pipe.

A pair of rollers with a round side section on the edges is mounted on a stable, powerful base. The radius of this roller edge must coincide with the diameter of the pipe product that needs to be bent.

The workpiece is inserted between the rollers and its end is fixed. The other end is attached to the winch and it is activated. When the angle on the pipe reaches the required parameter, the winch is stopped.

ADVICE. The network provides many drawings of pipe benders prepared by craftsmen. The main thing you should pay attention to is whether everything is in the diagram exact dimensions. Otherwise, the work of the bending machine may not be of high quality.

Watch the video

The entire process of creating a pipe bender with your own hands must be divided into the following stages.

  1. Making shafts and attaching gears and bearings to them. The gears are secured through a key. It is recommended to purchase bearings complete with supports.
  2. Gears and chain fit any machine. Parts from foreign cars are of higher quality.
  3. Using a welding machine, the base is welded and the clamp shaft is screwed to it.
  4. Next, the spring nuts and the platform for them are welded.
  5. Screw the support shafts at the bottom.
  6. A tension chain is being constructed.
  7. At the final stage, the handle is attached to the shaft. It is recommended to use a handle that rotates to make it easier to bend.

Such a device quickly performs deformation by passing a pipe product through it.

The creation of such a bending machine is quite inexpensive. And such a device comes in handy in a private home very often, and in some cases it turns out to be simply irreplaceable.

These are the most simple pipe benders, by watching video materials and studying the drawings, you can learn how to bend and select correctly best option designs.

It’s not difficult to cope with such a task as making a bending machine, but it will save money. This savings can be about 20 - 30 thousand rubles.

See drawings of profile benders.




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