Almost every owner has a situation when it is necessary to change the bend of a metal rod to install a greenhouse or install a sewer system. So how to bend profile pipe If you do it at home quite easily with your own hands, then this work does not require the involvement of specialists.

The average homeowner rarely has special equipment available. Therefore, you need to know how to correctly bend an aluminum or steel pipe yourself for a greenhouse, canopy (canopy) and other needs without a pipe bender.

Photo - pipe bending without a pipe bender

Very convenient to produce this work with help welding inverter and a household grinder. To begin with, a drawing is developed, from which the required angle will be drawn and calculated in the future. The diagram must accurately measure the rounding.

Step-by-step instructions from an expert on how to bend pipes using a vice, grinder and welding machine:

1. If you plan to bend the corrugated pipe in a semicircle, then at the site of the intended bend, several thin cuts are made using a grinder;
2. You can do the work yourself only if you first fix the reinforcement in a clamping vice. When the cuts are made and cleared of chips, you need to carefully begin to bend the pipe;
3. After the ring is closed, you need to weld the holes that were formed as a result of bending welding machine. Some craftsmen use simple soldering irons if the communication has a small diameter;
4. In order for the bend to be neat, it will need to be additionally sanded and coated. protective agent– this will help prevent corrosion or premature failure of the connection.

You can bend the pipe evenly using a spring, which fits the size of the profile section:

1. Communication is locked in a vice;
2. A spring of the appropriate diameter is inserted into the hole. This will prevent the profile pipe from breaking or taking on an incorrect shape when bent;
3. To make the work easier, you need to heat the joint and carefully manually bend the communication to the required diameter;
4. Various metal products suitable for the slope, say, angle grinders, arches, etc., are very helpful here.

In a similar way, you can try to deform communication using sand. How to properly bend a canopy pipe without using a vice or springs:

1. You need to stop one end of the tube by closing it with a wooden wedge or any other plug;
2. The closed end of the pipe is fixed in the ground or in a vice (if possible). You can also use any other device that allows you to establish communication;
3. After this, you need to pour sand into the open end and heat it up. blowtorch;
4. A heated lamp needs to be passed over the place of the future bend, and then carefully bend the pipe into the required form. It is necessary to work quite quickly, because the metal, after it has cooled, will be unsuitable for processing.

Video training on how to bend a 20 mm pipe without a pipe bender using sand

After bending, it is necessary to leave the pipe in a fixed position for some time - this will help the material consolidate its new shape. If work is carried out in winter time, then the craftsmen expose them even in the cold.

Arch (canopy) without pipe bender

As you know, for a canopy, for example, in the shape of an arch, you need a curved profile pipe. It is important to make sure that the arcs are equally curved, otherwise the canopy will not work. Now we will look at how to do this without using a machine, pipe bender and other aids of this kind.

We will need:

• The support on which we will work, for example, a metal table;
• As a beam, you can take a pipe 80 by 60 or 50 by 50 mm, 3 meters long. But this method is universal - so it doesn’t matter what kind of support beam you end up with;
• A profile pipe 20 by 20 or 20 by 40 mm, which we will bend.

Procedure (step by step instructions):

Important note from the expert:
The whole secret of bending corrugated pipes into an arch for your canopy lies in the length of the posts. The lengths of the two posts are determined from the length of the middle post (we have 250 mm - you can take a different length, but not more than 250 mm - otherwise the pipe may break when bent). Coefficients 0.8888 and 0.5556 are valid for any length of support and central post.

Video instructions on how to bend corrugated pipes for a canopy (arch) without a pipe bender

Now let's look at how to bend a pipe using a pipe bender

There are two types of pipes:

1. Profile;
2. Round section.

Depending on your needs you need to choose specific option, but it should be remembered that working with round reinforcements is much easier than with square ones. The fact is that when bent, the corners can bend or flatten, and there is a high probability of cracks appearing.

Photo – Greenhouse made of profile pipes

To bend a profile pipe at home, you need to work with a special device - or a profile bender. Their feature is the ability to install communication into the device and fix it in a certain position. Due to the pressure that is exerted equally on both external corners, and on the internal ones, an even bend is formed without sharp changes and cracks.

Photo – mechanical profile bender

Exists two types of roll forming equipment:

1. Manual;
2. Professional automatic.

The first are a fairly simple device, which consists of work surface(table) and a number of rollers. Due to the movement of the rollers, the pipe moves along the work table and changes its angle without distorting the desired semicircle.

Professional devices are more convenient to use, but their cost often exceeds 20,000 rubles. They are used for complex work, most often required for the production of complex decorative metal elements. The advantages of the model include the ideal radius, which will be accurate literally to the tenth. Of course, it is more convenient to work using a machine, but at home it is practically not needed, since it is designed for processing a large number of pipes per shift.

Photo - manual pipe bender

During the construction of many structures, it becomes necessary to construct a frame constructed from profile pipes. For assembly arched structures In greenhouses, greenhouses, canopies, canopies and other objects, profile pipes are pre-bent using pipe benders or profile benders. However, you can do without this expensive tool, armed with an ordinary grinder and a welding machine. Having learned more about how to bend a profile pipe without using a profile bender, you can decide whether to purchase one. Maybe, alternative ways Pipe bending will be much more difficult to complete the required amount of work. When bending profile pipes, it is important to avoid the appearance of kinks and cracks, as well as their flattening.

This video shows how simply and relatively quickly you can bend a profile pipe with a manual pipe bender. Achievement of the required radius is checked by measuring the distance between the ends of the profile pipe.

What units can make the operation easier?

Option #1 - compact manual models of pipe benders

Purchasing manual pipe benders is advisable only if you intend to bend not a large number of material. As professional tool These models cannot be used due to low productivity and the need to approximately adjust the bending radius of each product. This machine usually comes with several replaceable rollers, through the installation of which the profile pipe is bent depending on the size of its cross-section.

To achieve the desired bending angle, it is necessary to run the pipe through the machine several times. In this case, each time you have to manually tighten the central roller, lowering it lower and lower. The side rollers remain in a stationary position, so the metal profile bends under the pressure of the central roller.

One of the models manual profile benders, allowing you to bend a profile pipe on your own in several runs metal product between the side and central rollers

When working with a manual pipe bender, a person will have to use physical effort. The equipment cannot be used for bending profile pipes whose cross-section exceeds 40 mm.

Option #2 - electric pipe benders for the pros

Unlike manual pipe benders electric models provide high-precision pipe bending. The fact is that the bending radius is set with an accuracy of 1 degree mechanically or electronically. The use of this expensive, productive equipment allows us to process a large number of profile pipes per shift. Typically, owners of electromechanical pipe benders provide services to the public, which you should use if you are satisfied with their cost.

An electromechanical profile bender, installed permanently in the workshop, ensures precise bending of profile pipes of different sections along a strictly specified radius

The disadvantages of electric profile benders include their heavy weight and high cost, inaccessible to the average buyer.

Alternative methods of bending profile pipes

Method #1 - grinder + welding machine

How to bend a profile pipe under the right angle with your own hands, without using factory machines? If you have an angle grinder and a welding machine, then you can bend according to the following algorithm:

• calculate the radius of curvature according to a pre-drawn diagram;
• in the place where the pipe is supposed to bend circular saw(with a grinder) several transverse cuts are made;
• holding the pipe in a vice, they begin to bend it in the desired direction, applying a little physical force;
• then the cuts are welded with a welding machine, not forgetting to comply with safety requirements;

Welding seams are ground.

A circular saw or grinder mounted on a special sole is necessary to make several cuts at the bend of the profile pipe

Method #2 - blank and sand

You can bend the profile pipe along the required radius using another simple way. To do this, prepare sand, which must be sifted and dried, if necessary. Then one end of the profile pipe is closed by driving a wooden wedge into it. Sifted sand is poured inside the profile, clogging the entrance to the pipe on the other side. After this, the product begins to be bent around a metal blank having a suitable diameter. One end of the profile is fixed securely between the pins, and the other is pulled.

Important! To facilitate the process of bending the profile along a small radius, it is necessary to heat the deformation area gas burner. The poured sand ensures the integrity of the walls of the metal product during mechanical impact on the pipe.

Having completed the bending process, they begin to remove the clogged wedges by burning or knocking them out. Sand is also completely removed from the pipe cavity. As you can see, homemade methods cause more trouble, so they can be used in practice for one-time bending of pipes.

In winter, sand can be replaced with water, which is poured into a profile pipe and the product is exposed to frost. It is clear that the ends of the profile are plugged with plugs. After the liquid freezes in the pipe, they begin to bend it according to a pre-prepared blank template.

A metal blank used by craftsmen to bend profile pipes with their own hands without the use of special equipment in the form of pipe benders

Method #3 - bending pipes with a square spring

A spring having a cross-section of the same shape, but of a smaller size, prevents the walls of the profile pipe from deforming when bent. The spring is made of steel wire, the diameter of which is selected based on the thickness of the walls. The spring should easily fit inside the pipe. The planned bend location is heated with a blowtorch or gas burner. Heated profile walls are easier to bend. To prevent burns, you must work in special protective gloves and hold the product with pliers. A blank or metal pins driven into the ground in a circle helps to achieve the desired bending radius.

Brief summary

As you can see, all the artisanal methods invented by craftsmen for bending profile pipes require time and effort. However, obtaining an even bend is not guaranteed one hundred percent. Quality metal frame directly affects the strength and beauty of the structure being erected. Therefore, you should not neglect the services of professionals who have special equipment for bending pipes. Purchase manual machine for bending profile pipes will allow you not to waste money on paying for third-party services. The purchase will quickly pay for itself if you start bending custom pipes yourself.

Independent arrangement of a private plot may sometimes require bending a profile pipe to build a greenhouse or gazebo. Some people think that without special device this cannot be done, but there are several methods that can do the job.

Nuances of pipe bending

The term “profile pipe” means hollow products of square, oval and rectangular shape. Their round analogues are also included in this definition, but they are used less frequently (more about the types of pipes -). Give the profile pipe curved configurations and at the same time preserve it specifications difficult, but doable if you do it on special device hot or cold method.

In this process, the profile is affected by two forces: c inside- tension, and from the inside - compression. To balance these efforts, several nuances are used:

• When bending a pipe, you need to watch its outer wall. When heated, it expands greatly and may not withstand the load, which leads to its crack.
• It is necessary to carry out the bending slowly, then the risk of breaking will be reduced.
• After completing the process, you need to check the edges of the pipe, and if they lie in different planes, repeat the bending process to align them.
• When choosing bending machine you need to focus on the thickness of the pipe walls and its cross-section.
• The inner wall of the pipe after the process may resemble an accordion; this is a normal phenomenon, as contraction occurs.
• Bending the pipe must begin from the end, and not from the middle, otherwise it will be more difficult to change the profile.

Before bending, you need to practice on unnecessary pipes to prevent defects.

How to bend profile pipes by welding?

You can bend the profile pipe in a semicircle using a grinder. It is used to make several cuts along the entire pipe profile. This method is as follows:

• Secure the pipe in a clamping vice.
• Make thin cuts in the places where the pipe will bend.
• Clean the cuts from shavings and carefully bend the profile along them.
• Weld the holes formed during bending using a welding machine. If the pipe diameter is small, a soldering iron can be used for this purpose.
• Clean and sand the formed areas of the profile bend and process them protective composition, it will protect them from corrosion.

Using it you can get a pipe of the desired radius. When choosing this method, you do not need to use a vice; the work progress is as follows:

• Fix one end of the pipe in the ground and close it with any plug.
• Fill the profile pipe with sand.
• Heat up the blowtorch. Move it near the intended bend.
• Bend the pipe, but this must be done quickly so that the metal does not have time to cool, otherwise you will not be able to bend it.

This “hot” method allows the use of water instead of sand.

Spring method of pipe bending

This method preserves the integrity of the walls of the profile pipe. Before using the method, preparatory work is carried out:

• Spring preparation . It is made of steel wire. The diameter of the latter depends on the thickness of the pipe walls. To wind the spring, a square blank is used, and wire is laid around it. The outer diameter of the spring must be smaller than the inner dimension of the pipe.
• Preparing the template . Pipe bending will be carried out according to a pre-made reference workpiece.

The deformation of the profile pipe is carried out by inserting a spring into it, which will protect the material from breaking. The part is heated with a blowtorch, and when hot it is deformed to the desired diameter.

Bending profile pipes on a manual pipe bender (video)

The video below shows how to bend profile pipes with a cross-section of 25×25 mm and 20×40 mm in order to make a frame for a greenhouse from them.

The pipes come with a wall thickness of 2 mm. Homemade pipe bender is a welded structure. It consists of a base of two small rollers sandwiched between posts. In the middle of the structure rises a carriage made of corners. On their upper part there is a square platform welded into which a screw with a nut from the jack is inserted, and a removable handle is inserted onto it. A handle is also attached to the first roller, with the help of which the pipe is fed to the machine. There is a third roller inside the carriage; the deflection arrow will pass through its center.

Pipe bending process:

• Place the pipe on the two lower rollers and stretch it to the required distance, turning the first roller.
• Lower the middle roller by turning the handle.
• Pass the entire pipe to the marked mark in one direction. After rolling it will become slightly arched.
• Execute previous action only in the other direction, lowering the middle roller lower. The pipe remains in the device and you need to return it to its original position by turning the handle on the lower roller in the opposite direction.
• Run the pipe through the pipe bender a third time. The arc of its bend will increase sharply.
• Repeat all steps for the 4th time.

As a result, you will get a rather impressive radius of deflection of the pipe, in this way you can prepare required amount profiles.

In the next video you can clearly see how you can make and use a pipe bender with your own hands:

The described methods using sand, welding and springs are used for special cases in household. If you need to bend pipes often or plan to build a large building using them, then it is better to purchase a profile bender or make it yourself. When using a pipe bender, the process goes faster, the profile is correct without unnecessary kinks.

Profile pipes are indispensable in the process of assembling frames for building structures. Greenhouses, various greenhouses, gazebos and other objects are built with their help quickly and efficiently. However, everything is not so simple.

To bend such a pipe, you have to use expensive special equipment, which is not always acceptable for home handyman. Let's talk about how to bend a profile pipe at home.

A profile pipe is considered to be one that has a different round section. It can be rectangular, oval, hexagonal or square. The pipe has increased strength, because its edges take on the role of stiffeners.

Profile products can withstand significant bending loads, making them good choice for the construction of the metal frame of buildings itself for various purposes.

The raw material for the production of profile pipes is most often high or low alloy steel. Depending on the manufacturing method, electric-welded, cold-rolled, hot-rolled, and seamless pipes are distinguished.

Products vary in wall thickness and profile height. Such pipes can be used to make various parts in the form of frames, stairs and railings. Most often, profile pipes are used in construction for the construction of arched structures and as a replacement iron beam during the construction of frames.

Skills in bending profile pipes will be useful to home craftsmen who want to independently equip a suburban area:

Image gallery

The simplest devices for cold bending

Let's look at how to make two very simple devices, which will help bend the profile pipe.

Profile mandrel

The basis for the device will be a workbench. It is important that not only work zone, but the space around her was free. To secure the mandrel, you will have to make several closely spaced holes in one edge of the workbench table top.

The actual mandrel or template is made of plywood. However, this option is only acceptable if several parts are to be completed.

The simplest pipe mandrel is made of thick plywood or board. This template is enough for several bends.

If you need to bend a large number of pipes according to this template, it is best to make the mandrel from a steel angle. In some cases, the profile product must be bent at different angles.

For such work you will need several templates, which should be prepared in advance. Before starting work, the mandrel is firmly attached to the base using clamps.

The pipe to be bent is securely fixed to its edge. After which bending is carried out. The operation is performed smoothly, without sudden jerks. The force applied to the pipe should increase gradually. During the bending process, the part takes the shape of a mandrel. This will require significant effort.

Advanced bending plate

This is a convenient multifunctional device that allows you to perform high-quality profile bending with your own hands. The device is a durable metal base plate mounted on a pedestal. The latter is fixed to the workshop floor using fastening bolts.

Set of steel mandrels for different radii

Disposable plywood blanks

Mandrel for narrow profile pipe

As an option, you can consider a similar device mounted on a workbench. After work, the bending plate can be easily dismantled and put away, or you can use it as a stand for other metalworking operations.

To make such a device you will need a thick metal plate. It is welded onto a telescopic stand. For bending stops, two holes are made on the base plate.

Stop bolts are installed in them. Nozzles of various radii are put on and fixed on them, which allows you to bend the pipes as needed. A pressure plate is cut from thick sheet steel.

It is advisable to equip the bending plate with a pressure plate made of durable metal. This will help maintain alignment profile part during bending process

Its use is mandatory so that the alignment of the part being bent is not disturbed, since bending a profile pipe without a pipe bender can accidentally deform it in two different directions. The plate is secured above the nozzles with stop bolts.

The simplest way to bend a profile pipe:

There are quite a few ways to manually bend profiled pipes. And they all have a common drawback: a very large force is required to bend them. A physically unprepared master may not be able to cope with such work. Bending parts using specialized devices much simpler, more accurate and does not require much physical effort.

The problem is that the cost of such equipment is quite high. Therefore, buying a device just to perform a one-time job is certainly unprofitable. The best option– rental of specialized equipment, which will allow you to obtain profile products bent exactly according to the template for a small fee.

One of the popular types of construction metal products is a profile, which is oval, square or rectangular section. Widely used in the manufacture of metal structures, load-bearing structures, canopies, prefabricated frames received rectangular and square steel pipes. They are used in private housing construction (for the construction of fences, greenhouses, various gazebos and canopies).

The only drawback is more difficult process bending them and giving them the desired shape. Let's take a closer look at how to bend a profile pipe yourself.

Manual bending

Let's talk about how you can bend pipes manually.

Hot bending method

The simplest manually is “hot bending”. This method allows you to obtain fairly smooth lines and the required shape without significant changes in the profile geometry. To prevent flattening during bending, the pipe is filled with dried quartz sand. To do this, a wooden wedge plug is hammered into one end and, after filling it with dried sand, the other end is also plugged with a similar plug. The pipe is drilled at one end small hole so that air can escape freely. Next, the required area is locally heated using gas welding and given the desired shape. As a replacement for gas welding, you can use a blowtorch or gas torch for heating.

The pipe should not be overheated, as this will inevitably lead to the appearance of scale and a decrease in the quality of the metal. Repeated heating also degrades the quality of the metal, so try to bend the metal the first time.

After obtaining the required shape, remove the plugs and pour out the sand (it can be reused if necessary). The easiest way to remove plugs is to heat the ends of the pipe with a torch. As they burn, the wedges fall out easily.

Using sand for packing avoids breaks and improper deformation. With a certain skill, you can bend the profile quickly enough, so you shouldn’t even try to do it without filling it with sand - you’ll just ruin the material.

It should be remembered that galvanized pipes cannot be bent in this way, because during heating, the zinc layer will burn and cease to perform its anti-corrosion function.

Bending method using welding

An alternative way to do manual bending at home is to use welding and a grinder. In this case, the work is done as follows:

• First you need to calculate the required radius of curvature.
• Next, to facilitate the process, using a grinder, uniform transverse cuts are made along the entire length of the bend on three sides of the profile (with outside planned bend).
• At the next step, the profile pipe is given the required shape, the cuts are welded and the weld seams are ground.

Bending using pipe benders

A pipe bender is a device or machine designed to change the shape of a pipe. The equipment allows you to perform bending in accordance with the required shape and size. Its correct use allows you to maintain the strength characteristics of the material, while avoiding flattening and creases.

Depending on the type of drive, pipe benders are:

• Manual.
• Electromechanical.
• Hydraulic.

Main advantage hand tools is simplicity and relative cheapness. But working with them requires significant physical effort, so using them for large volumes of work is quite tiring.

Hydraulic and electromechanical equipment does not require significant effort during operation, which allows you to bend pipes quickly and accurately.

Choosing the optimal bending method

If the amount of work is one-time and small, then it would be optimal to use “hot bending” or a manual machine. As an option, you can not purchase a manual pipe bender for one-time work, but rent it.

If you constantly need to bend profile pipes, then it makes sense to purchase equipment or make it yourself.

You can also find a company that has specialized equipment - profile benders, which allow you to quickly and efficiently complete any amount of work and give pipes a complex and intricate shape. If the price of the services suits you, then this option is most preferable for a large volume of work.

By selecting the best way and by doing the work carefully, you will get more attractive and easy-to-use pipes (compared to round ones) that will find wide application in the process of improving the area of ​​your home.

Video

We bring to your attention a story that shows the work of a homemade pipe bender.