CONDUIT2

Someofthetermsusedwhenbendingracewayaredefinedasfollows: BacktoBackbend a90 bendlocatedashortdistanceawayfromabox, racewayfittingoranotherbendintheraceway Boxoffsetbend Anoffsetbendthatliftstheracewayuptotheheightofthe openingoftheboxsothattheracewayenterstheboxinastraight directioninsteadofaslightangle ChicagoBender Aratchetingbenderforlargerracewaythatusuallyison wheels Concentricbend multiple90 bendsaroundacornerrunningparallelto eachother,thatallhavethesamecenter DogLeg Amistakeinbendingwhentwobendsinaracewaydonotlineup witheachother Foot Thepartonthebenderthattheelectricianputspressurewithhisfoot tokeeptheracewayinthecurvedtrackofthebender

Gain Thedistancearacewaywillshortenwhenitbendsinacurvearounda90 cornerinsteadofgoingallthewaytothecorner.Thegaincanbecalculatedby taking43%oftheradiusofthebend Jamming Aproblemthatoccurswhenpullingwiresaroundbendsthathave beenlosttheirroundshape.Thishappenswhenthreeequalsizewiresare pulledintotheracewayandtheratioofthediameterofonewiretothe racewaysinsidediameterisbetween1.8and3.2.Thewireswilllaysideby sideinsidethebendandthengetstuckwhentheracewayreturnstoitsround shape Kick Abendintheraceway,usuallylessthana45 anglethatchangesthe directionoftherun Kink Thelocationwherearacewayfoldedratherthanbentsmoothlywhile bendingtheraceway,usuallyfrompoorfootpressure Offsetbend Twoequalbutoppositebendsinaracewaythatallowtherunto changetoanotherplane OneShotbender abenderthatmakesacompletebendinonestep(notin segments)

Rise Thedistancethataracewaywilloffsetorstubup Run Atermusedforacompletepathofracewayorcablebetweentwo points,usuallybetweenboxesand/orpanels Segmentbend Alargebendformedbyaseriesofsmallerbends. SledRunner A90 segmentbendmadewithahickeybenderthatisnot madeupofequalsmallerbends Springback Theamountaracewaywillstraightenoutafterthepressureof bendingisreleased Stubupbend A90 bendinracewaythatislocatedveryneartheendofthe raceway

IntroductiontotheBends Thefirsttypeofbendisthestubupbend Astubupbendisusedtobringaracewayfromundertheflooruptoa receptacleboxorintoapanelorwireway.Itisusuallybetween12and 24high Mostofthetimeonothertypesofbends,wecanmarktheexactdistancewe wantforabenddirectlyontheracewayandplacethebenderononeof themarksandbendit But,becausethestubupbendissoclosetotheendoftheraceway,the bendermustbeplacedonthebacksideofthemarkthatismadeonthe raceway Theelectricianwillneedtodeduct5or6fromtheheighttocompensate forbendinginthe"wrong"direction Deduct5forEMTtubing Deduct6forEMTtubing,etc.

Making 90 Stubs There are three basic methods for making 90 stub-up bends. Methods 1 and 2 will produce pin-point precision accuracy; method 3 is good enough when speed is paramount-such as when concrete is being poured at your heels on a concrete slab job Method 1: Marking The Conduit From the desired stub-up height, subtract the appropriate take-up for the bender and place a mark on the conduit at that distance from the end. The tool take-up for stubs is constant on fixed radius benders A symbol or benchmark (such as an arrow) is usually cast into the bender

Example: It will be noted that a bender has a 6 take-up. To make a 9 high stub-up using either EMT or rigid conduit, subtract 6 from 9 and mark the conduit 3 from the end. Position the bender so the arrow is opposite the 3 mark and make a 90 bend. (6 + 3 = 9). Method 1 is most commonly used but it is slower than the other two methods because of the time it takes to mark the conduit.

Method 2: Alignment With Folding Rule Lay a folding rule (or tape measure) on the floor parallel with the conduit The folding rule becomes your guide for correct positioning of the bender on the conduit so as to make whatever stub length you desire Example One: To make a 9 stub in EMT, allow 6 for the take-up in the tool. Position the rule so that the 6 digit of the rule is opposite the end of the conduit. Now locate the bender on the conduit so that its arrow is opposite the 9 digit on the rule and bend. Result: a perfect 9 stub-up

Method 3: Thumbnail and Eyeball Method This is called the thumbnail and eyeball method-no ruler!.. .no marking! Simply place your thumbnail on the conduit at the stub height distance you desire Then position the conduit in the tool so that an imaginary plumb line from the outside heel of the bender groove is in alignment with your thumbnail, and bend. For best results, bend on the floor. Your accuracy will be . As good as your ability to eye-ball that imaginary plumb line. This method is usually accurate to plus or minus inch.. .

use Method 3 when speed is paramount.

Conduittakeup AmountofTakeUp for90 BendsUsinganEMTBender

SizeandTypeofConduit TakeUp 1/2inchEMT:5inches 3/4inchEMTor1/2inchrigidsteel:6inches 1inchEMTor3/4inchrigidsteel:8inches 11/4inchEMTor1inchrigidsteel:11inches

Inthefollowingexample,youaregoingtomakea90 bendusing1/2inch EMTconduitandtheEMTbender.Youaregoingtoruntheconduitfrom thetopofapaneltotheceilingandthenhorizontallyalongtheceiling. Measurefromthetopofthepaneltotheceiling.Thiswillgiveyouthe stublengthof18inches.Measure18inchesfromtheendoftheconduit andmakeamark LookatTabletofindoutwhatthetakeupisfor1/2inchEMTconduit. Thetakeupis6inches. Measureback6inchesfromthefirstmarktowardtheendoftheconduitand makeasecondmark

Hold the bender in one hand with the lip on the floor pointed toward the stub end. Use the other hand to place the conduit in the bender. Align the bender arrow with the take-up mark. Put one foot on the footrest and hold the handle with both hands. To make the bend, apply pressure on the footrest as you pull on the handle until the handle is parallel with the floor. It is OK to go slightly beyond 90 with the bend, in fact it is preferred, because it is easy to bring it back to 90. You should now have a 90 bend with an 18-inch stub To see whether the bend will fit properly, place it next to something that has a right angle (for example, in the corner where the floor and wall meet).

Ifthebendismorethan90,youcanstandontherunningendandpushout onthestubend,alittleatatime,untilitis90. Ifthestubistooshortoriftheconduitistoolongtopushback,placethe handleofthebenderovertheendofthestuband,withonefootonthe conduitonthefloor,springthestubback(rightanglebendsshouldalways bemadewiththeconduitandthebenderonthefloor).

ACCURATESTUBS Subtracttakeupfromdesiredstubheight.Thisgivesdistanceatwhichto placeBonbenderfromtheendofthetube.Tomake11",90 bendwith 1/2"tube,allowfor5"fortakeupasshownondiagram.With3/4"tube, allow6With1"tube,allow8"

Thenexttypeofbendisthebacktobackbend. Abacktobackbendisanybendthatneedsa90 bendlocateda predetermineddistanceaway. Thisisprobablythemostcommontypeofbend. Amarkismadeontheracewayattheexactdistancethatisneededforthe 90 bend.

Thebacktobackbend
Thisisactuallytwoadjacent90 bendsmadeinthesamepieceofconduit. Makethefirst90 bendwithacertainamountofstubasdescribed previously Todeterminewheretoplacethebenderforthesecondbend,youmustfirst haveanoutsidetooutsidemeasurement Thismeasurementisthedistancefromthebackofthefirstbendtowhere youwantthebackofthesecondbend Youmustthentransferthismeasurementtotheconduitandmakeamark Theeasiestwaytomakeabacktobackbendistoturnthebender around,lineupthestarofthebenderwithyouroutsidetooutside measurement,andpullthebendintheoppositedirection

Although back-to-back is a term accepted by the electrical trade, it is really a misnomer. Actually, it means the distance from a fixed point on the conduit to the back of a 90 bend. Determining the distance from a point on the conduit to the back of a ninety (the distance between A and B) probably is required more than any other bend on the job Some benders have built-in symbols on both sides of the bending groove as an aid to making perfect back-to-back bends. For purposes of clarity in this class the star-point symbol is used With the bender positioned in any given spot, the starpoint predicts where the back of the ninety degree bend will Lay.

Thus, if the back of the ninety is to end up 50 inches from a fixed point on the conduit, the 50 in. are measured off and marked, the star-point is then aligned with the 50 in. mark and the bend is made. On surface conduit runs, the backs of two nineties frequently must be made to fit snugly against both a ceiling and a wall Here again, if the starpoint is used for both bends, they will fit perfectly against both wall and ceiling as though they were molded in place

Thethirdtypeofbendistheoffsetbend.Thisbendismadeupoftwoequal degreebendsthatarebentinoppositedirections Thisbendcanbeusedwhentherunofracewayischangingelevations Bothmarksareplacedontheracewaybeforeanybendingtakesplace Aboxoffsetisasmalloffsetbend(usuallytwo10 bends)thatisusedtolift aracewayfromthesurfaceuptotheheightoftheknockoutoftheboxit isentering.Thisallowstheconnectortoentertheboxonastraightangle

Lineuparrowoneitherside ofhookwithguidelineand make45 bendintube. Reversetubeinbenderand adjustsothatXislinedup withinchmarkonbender correspondingtodepthof offsetdesired.Lineupguideline withoppositearrowand makesecond45 bend.Atrueoffset,inthesame plane,willresultbetweenXandY.

Anoffsetbendistwoequalbendsinoppositedirections.Itisusedtoavoid contactingapartofthestructureortobringtheconduitoutfromthe structuretomatchaknockoutinaboxorpanel. Figure38showsanoffsetintoautilitybox. Theangleofthebendsinanoffsetdependsonseveralthings:theamountof offsetthatisneeded,theamountofroomthereiswheretheoffsetis goingtobeplaced,andthetypeofobstacleyouareavoiding. Theoffsetshownisusuallyabout1/2inchdeep,andthebendsareabout8 angles. Often,thesebendswillneedtobemadeonbothendsoftheconduittoenter twoboxes.

Speed is important on any jobbut speed coupled with on pays a triple dividend ,saves time, saves waste, makes for a quality job. Conduit bends should fit right the first time. Bad bends double the cost.. . Twice the labor, twice the conduit. By following these simple rules you will wipe out waste. The technique works for any fixed radius bender.. .hand type, mechanical ratchet type, hydraulic or electrically powered benders What is the best angle of bend to use for various offset depths? For shallow offset depths (3 or 4), 30 bends are best Its easier to pull wire through gentle 30 bends and it is easier to calculate the needed distance between bends because the multiplier for 30 bends is simply TWO For offsets 5 deep or more 45 bends are best. The multiplier for 45 bends is 1.4(offset depth x 1.4 = distance between bends) 45 bends for depths of 5 or more will look neater and trimmer. They take up less room because they are more closely coupled.

Figuring distance between bends

Knowing the depth of offset needed, and having established the angle of bend to use, and the distance between bends, you then need to know: Where to start the first bend This is easy! The shrink per inch for offset depth is shown in Column 3 table B. If stringing pipe into (towards) an obstruction place the first mark Y beyond the edge of obstruction, the amount of shrink calculated from Table B. If offsetting away from an obstruction ignore the shrink.