Bend a profile pipe without a pipe bender for a greenhouse. How to bend a profile pipe: all possible ways

Bending a profile pipe is exactly the case when you simply cannot cope with the task without a special tool. Despite the apparent robust construction, a profile pipe (rectangular or square cross-section), even with a small wall thickness, can withstand significant loads without deformation.

That is why it is often used as a frame for various lightweight buildings. But if, out of necessity, you need to give the profile pipe a curved shape, you should know how to bend it correctly without damaging it.

Profile pipes, unlike round ones, are distinguished by their cross-sectional shape, which comes in several types:

square;
flat-oval;
rectangular;
oval.

As stated in GOST regulation R 54157-2010, the list of core products should also include round pipe. However, for the construction of greenhouses it is more often used square shape, since it is easier to attach the coating to it.

Today, pipe rolling products are produced in a wide range. It varies in cross-sectional area, configuration and wall thickness. That is, regarding pipe bending, the minimum radius of curvature is called. First, you need to determine the minimum radius of flat round deformation. Otherwise, the workpiece will not “survive” bending and will be damaged.

So, to determine the smallest permissible bending radius of a rectangular or square pipe you should know the height (h) of the profile, since:

pipes with a height above 2 cm can withstand deformation in a section of length 3.5 × h or more without loss;
pipes with a height of up to 2 cm can withstand deformation over a section of length 2.5×h or more without loss.

Based on these limits, you can begin to design the process of manufacturing shelves, racks, frames for vents, windows and doors, as well as other products from profile pipes. Also, some adjustments are made by the thickness of the walls.

If the wall thickness of a wide pipe is less than 2 mm, then bending it is not recommended at all. In this case, it is preferable to use welding.

If you decide to make a greenhouse from ordinary low-carbon and carbon steel alloys, then they tend to “spring” slightly, that is, return to their original position. Therefore, before installation work each arch will need to be rechecked and, if necessary, bent according to the template.

Bending methods

The profile pipe can be bent either manually (using a manual pipe bender) or using special machine. You can choose a method based on the following main points:

if you need to bend a small number of profile pipes (from 1 to 5), then it is easier to do it manually;
for large pipe cross-sections and significant wall thickness, you will have to use a profile bending machine;
a small radius of curvature can be done either manually or using a machine.

If you do not consider yourself a person with significant physical strength even if you use a long lever to strengthen it, then you better not consider the option of a manual pipe bender.

In addition, if you are not going to bend pipes all the time, then buying any special tool for these purposes will not be financially profitable for you. As a way out of this situation, you can:

seek help from the nearest workshop engaged in similar work;
make a machine for bending profile pipes yourself from scrap materials;
use the method of bending pipes using a grinder and welding.

Here we describe 2 bending methods: heating and cold method.

Before you begin to deform the material using heating, fill its cavity with sand. This will significantly increase the quality of processing, for example, the bend will be uniform.

Be sure to use canvas gloves for work.

So, the work process looks like this:

From wooden block make 2 pyramidal plugs. Their length should be 10 times the width of the base. As for the base area of the plug, it should be 2 times bigger hole square pipes or rectangular section.
Next, try the plugs on the pipe. It is necessary to make grooves on one of them so that gases can escape from the pipe during the heating process.
Immediately before the bending process, the workpiece should be fired.
Now you need to fill the inside of the pipe with medium-grain sand. Pebbles and gravel should be completely excluded from its composition. To do this, sift all the sand. If there are large fractions in the sand, they can contribute to the formation of an irregular bending relief. For this reason, sand should be sifted through a 0.7 mm sieve. If dusty particles remain, then when the pipe is heated, they will sinter inside.
After cleaning the sand, heat the entire mass at a temperature of 150°C.
After this, plug one end of the pipe with a plug that does not have channels for venting gases. Place a funnel on the other side of the pipe and pour sand through it in portions. Periodically tap the pipe walls so that the filler can compact well. If the sound when hitting a wooden mallet is empty, this means that the pipe is well filled.

Close the pipe with a plug.
The place to be bent must be marked with chalk.
Now clamp the pipe with the template in a vice. If the pipe has weld, then place it on the side. It is not recommended to stretch along the seam.
Heat the marked area red-hot, and then carefully give the pipe the required shape. It should be folded in one step forward movements.
When the workpiece has cooled, compare it with the template. If everything matches and there is no need to repeat the procedure, then you can burn out the plugs and pour out the sand.

There is no fuss or rush in this work. Excessive movement can bend the workpiece. Moreover, it is important to follow safety precautions, because you will have to work at high temperatures.

It is not worth heating the pipes several times. Under the influence of temperature shock, the material simply loses its strength; worst of all, it can rupture the next time it is heated to 800°C. Therefore, everything should be done the first time. In this case, you will be able to make the necessary preparations for building a greenhouse.

It is possible to deform the pipe without resorting to heating. The cold bending process can be performed with or without filler. For example, if the material has a profile height of up to 1 cm, then filler is not needed. If the pipe is thick, then it must be filled with sand. You can also fill it with rosin.

A good alternative is a spring that is installed directly on the bend area. Due to the spring, the material in the bend areas will be protected from sudden changes in the profile section. This article discusses several techniques on how to bend profile pipe cold method.

Without pipe bender

As already mentioned, you can use a spring, as well as a blowtorch included with it. To do this, you need to prepare a steel wire Ø2 mm. You make a spring from it so that it can fit tightly inside the pipe. As an option, you can buy a ready-made spring designed for bending pipes.

So, the spring is inserted into the marked place and heated blowtorch.

By such a device we mean several types of devices that allow you to bend a pipe with different sections as for greenhouses, sheds, home conservatories and other structures where they are used metal elements frame. Pipe benders are divided into two types:

Roller. Very often it is called profile bending. It is used for bending pipes along smooth radii. Bending follows the principle of pipe rolling.
Hydraulic lever. This technique will also allow you to bend the pipe to the desired angle. Due to the special lever, pipe bending is easy.

In general, using a pipe bender has a number of advantages, here are some of them:

Involves less labor. When using an electrically driven device, the effort is reduced to zero.
No need to carry out welding work, and also use additional fittings.
Thanks to the bending technology, the pipe retains its specifications and prevents creases and flattening.
The finished products receive a perfectly accurate shape.

The most difficult thing remains to choose the right machine. The choice may depend on the pipes used, namely the material from which they are made. For example, if you need to bend a copper pipe, then it is enough to use a manual pipe bender. But if we talk about a profile pipe, then it is best to use a roller pipe bender to bend it.

A manual pipe bender is a device that allows you to bend a pipe of a certain cross-section using physical effort. A pipe bender allows you to secure the pipe to be bent to make the whole job easier, as well as select the required bending radius, focusing on the templates included in the kit.

Due to the rather high physical complexity of working on manual pipe bender it is usually used only to create single bent profile pipes.

One of the popular profile bending machines is the manual machine “PG-1” and “PG-2”. The first option is a fairly mobile device. Thanks to this, the bending process can be carried out directly on the job site. They can bend pipes measuring 40x40 mm. According to its design, the equipment has a frame and 3 rollers that are attached to it. The central one, which is the pressure roller, pulls the pipe. The comfortable handle makes the work process quite easy.

As for the other model “PG-2”, its design is different more power. This machine can bend pipes 30x60 mm. If necessary, this machine can bend the pipe into a ring.

Bending machine

A special machine that allows you to bend pipes without applying significant effort is called a profile bender. Its only drawback is high price, therefore it is usually used in work by those who are forced to bend pipes quite often.

Using the machine, you can obtain any bending radius of a profile pipe without its destruction or deformation.

Bending occurs gradually and in stages, each time at a small bending angle, which helps prevent the appearance of corrugated areas, which are almost impossible to eliminate. The absence of jerks in operation when using this type of equipment allows the surface of the pipe to remain smooth, since compression of one side and stretching of the other occurs simultaneously and very slowly.

To improve the quality of the work performed, it is recommended to additionally use the method of bending a profile pipe completely filled with liquid. The hydrostatic pressure that appears in this case prevents the pipe walls from deforming when bending. To prevent liquid from spilling out of the pipe, special plugs are put on its ends. In this case, you should be very careful to ensure that the pipe is completely filled with liquid, without air bubbles. In addition, bending such a pipe should begin strictly in the center, and not from the edges.

Grinder and welding

If you need to bend one profile pipe that has thick walls and big size sections, then you can use a “grinder” for these purposes and welding machine:

First of all, it is necessary to accurately determine the required bending radius by making a template from wood.
Then, every 5-10 centimeters along the length of the pipe, make cuts on its three sides with a grinder, always leaving the same side of the pipe intact.
After this, the pipe must be attached to the template and carefully and evenly bent to the required shape.
Next, all you have to do is use a welding machine and weld all the cuts made, again giving integrity to the pipe.
After finishing the welding work, you will have to sand the seams and coat the pipe protective layer paint to prevent rust damage.

Since bending a profile pipe using this technology will not work quickly, and besides, skills in working with an angle grinder and a welding machine are required, this method is rarely used and only for single structures.

It is quite possible to bend a pipe from a profile on your own and without the help of rather expensive machines. Therefore, if you have a need to bend a pipe, then a special article on the site will allow you to learn how to bend a profile pipe at home without a pipe bender.

Bending a pipe using a grinder

In order to bend the profile pipe you will need to use a grinder and a welding machine. Below we describe the details of such a process.

Before you start this work, the pipe should be fixed (using a vice). This procedure is necessary to find the product in the same plane. If there is a weld seam on the pipe, then place it with outside bend. This must be done, otherwise the metal will separate.
It is necessary to determine the calculation of the radius of the future bend and clean the place of this bend. To do this, you need to use a grinder and make several cuts along the length of the marks. After carrying out this work, you can easily bend the pipe.
The resulting cracks should be welded and then cleaned. This work must be done slowly and with extreme care. Thanks to this, you will not spoil the product, and the resulting result will please you.

Bending a pipe using a spring and a blowtorch

In this article we talk about how to bend a profile pipe. Here we present the methods that can be used if there is no special device designed for this purpose. So, in order to bend a profile pipe in the following way, you will need steel wire 2 mm thick. It needs to be shaped like a spring in order to pass deep into the pipe. It is worth saying that such a spring should not dangle inside the profile pipe.

In order to bend the pipe, you can buy a spring from finished form, which will be designed for bending pipes. Then you will need to place it in the pipe and mark the bend. Next, we heat the product with a blowtorch. After this procedure, you can easily bend the pipe using a grinder. If the result does not please you, then you can correct it by redoing your work again, but with more accuracy.

Bending a pipe using sand and a gas torch

If you don’t have a pipe bender at home, and you need to bend the profile pipe urgently, then use the means at hand. In this part of the article it is worth talking about how to bend a profile pipe without a pipe bender using a gas torch and sand. It must be said that this method will give the pipe the desired bend without cracks or deformations appearing on it.

To carry out this work you will need sand (preferably quartz), and gas-burner, drill and wooden plugs in the amount of 2 pieces. Next, we perform the following actions in the established order:
If quartz sand If you don’t have it, you can use the usual one after first carrying out the cleaning procedure. The sand should be sifted and dried by heating it with a burner or fire. Heating must be done after the smoke has completely stopped. Ready sand you need to cool and pour into a clean container.
One edge of the pipe must be closed with a wooden plug. Next, we pour sand into the pipe, and also seal its second edge with a second plug. Remember that such a filler will help avoid various deformations and the appearance of cracks. If the pipe is empty, it will deteriorate.
It is necessary to make a small hole in one of the plugs so that air can escape from it during the heating process.
Now you should make a mark of the place where the pipe will be bent and heat it with a burner.
Next, we give the product the shape we need.

When carrying out this work, it is necessary to ensure that the metal does not overheat. This may cause scale to appear, and this material will lose its original quality. When the pipe reaches its the desired shape, the wooden plugs should be removed from the holes and the sand should be poured out. To remove plugs more easily, you need to slightly heat the ends of the pipe.

Additional pipe bending methods

There are a large number of methods for bending profile pipes without a pipe bender. consisting of special materials, which you can apply. Let's list them below for our readers.

So, in order to bend a copper (or brass) pipe, you need to use water and exposure to low temperatures.

One end of the pipe should be sealed with a plug.
Then you should fill the product with water and close the other edge of the pipe.
You can fill it with either rosin or lead.
Now you should place the pipe in a cold place or in the frost so that ice can form.
After this, the pipe will take the required shape.

In order to bend a pipe made of metal-plastic, you need to take regular table salt.

Before starting work, the salt should be heated in a frying pan. This procedure must be carried out until the salt crystals begin to explode.
Then pour salt into the pipe. As soon as it gets inside, our product will take the desired shape and bend with ease.

Finally

Now you have learned how to bend a profile pipe with your own hands. In general, remember that various methods bending pipes can allow this work to be done at home, without using expensive equipment and without the services of those people who do this professionally. We hope that our tips will help you bend a profile pipe using handy tools. So watch the process of your work and try to do it carefully and without haste. And the result will definitely please you.

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Making metal structures with your own hands at home or in production often cannot be done without the use of curved elements. The rounded shape of pipe frames is found everywhere in private construction: sheds, hangars, greenhouses, garden arches, benches, swings and much more. All this looks aesthetically pleasing and lightweight. The most popular material for such structures is profile pipe; it is durable, lightweight, easy to install, and resistant to breakage and bending. Then the question arises: how to bend a profile pipe?

Bending a profile pipe: how to do it correctly?

The process of bending a profile pipe and a round one is not always carried out in the same ways; as a result, you can get a result different from the expected one. The square (rectangular) cross-section is difficult to bend, folds, cracks, breaks, flattening, axial twisting and other defects occur. To avoid this, let’s consider all the subtleties of the question: how to bend a profile pipe at home?

Before you begin bending, you should measure the internal height and wall thickness of the profile pipe. Due to the fact that the permissible bending radius of this range of products is not regulated, a value equal to the height of the inner wall of the profile minus twice the wall thickness is taken. These measurements are also necessary to determine the minimum permissible length bendable pipe section:

If the profile height (A) is up to 20 mm, the minimum bending area should be 2.5*A mm;
If the profile height (A) is more than 20 mm, the minimum bending area should be 3.5 * A mm.

Bending of a profile pipe along a radius is carried out taking into account the characteristics of the material and wall thickness. It is not recommended to bend tubular products with a large clearance and a wall thickness of up to 2 mm; flattening, creases, seam rupture and other deformations cannot be avoided. At home, it is better to use welding to form a bend.

When bending a square (rectangular) pipe with your own hands, the seam of the product must be placed on the side or on the convex side (not the concave side), so that the compression force does not directly act on the seam.

Ways to bend a profile pipe with your own hands

Owners most often cope with the arrangement of the territory around a private house on their own, building greenhouses, fences, gazebos, canopies, installing frames and structures from profile pipes. Such structures may consist of large quantity curved parts. The service for forming the required bending of parts can be ordered at the enterprise, where, using a special pipe bender (profile bender), everything will be done quickly and efficiently. However, many people bending a profile pipe with their own hands turns out to be of no less quality and even without a pipe bender, which is expensive and will not be needed in the future. There are several ways to do this at home.

How to bend a profile pipe using welding

Tubular products with a square or rectangular cross-section, the wall height of which is 30 - 40 mm or more, are difficult to bend, especially with small radii. To form a beautiful 90-degree bend from such material with your own hands, you cannot do without a grinder and a welding machine.

Procedure:

Make a bending template, which makes it easier to make several identical parts;
Use a grinder to make notches along the pipe along the three walls, leaving one intact. The more notches, the rounder the bend will be;
Fix one end of the profile securely;
Using force, grasping the second end, gradually bend the pipe according to the template so that the cuts form the concave part of the bend. The bending plane should not be disturbed; you can use a mallet;
Weld the cuts and grind the welding areas.

How to bend a profile pipe using fillers

The filler is used to obtain uniform bends without flattening and folds (corrugations on the concave part), filling inner space it distributes compression and tension forces over the entire surface of the bent section of the profile. The most tested filler is fine, dry, well-sifted sand.

This method may be accompanied by heating the pipe with a blowtorch or glowing charcoal, when heated, the metal will acquire plasticity, which makes bending easier. Tubular products with a wall height of 30 mm or more are hot bent.

Pipe products with a wall height of up to 20 mm bend without heating, and with a bending radius of less than 50 mm, no filler can be used.

Procedure for the hot method:

Anneal the bend section of the prepared pipe;
Make wooden plugs in the form of pyramids 10 bases long, which are 2 times larger than the clearance, make 4 on one longitudinal groove to remove gas during heating;
Plug one end of the pipe, gradually fill in sifted and calcined sand to the brim, compacting it by tapping. Cap the second end with a chopper with grooves;
Mark the heating area with chalk, clamp the profile, placing the seam not on the concave side relative to the template;
Heat the pipe until red hot, bend it with translational movements in one approach (re-heating is not advisable), observing the bend plane according to the template. Follow safety precautions;
After cooling, knock out or burn out the plugs.

With a wall height of up to 10mm, we can safely bend a profile pipe with our own hands without heating or filler. In other cases, instead of sand, you can use a steel spring with dense square or rectangular coils. It should be slightly smaller in size internal dimensions pipes so that they fit tightly to the bend. The spring will also prevent unwanted deformations from forming during cold bending. They pull it out by the wire attached to the end turns, which goes out.

How to bend a profile pipe at home on a bending plate

This is another option for how to bend a profile pipe without a pipe bender, using devices you make yourself. These include horizontal metal or concrete slab with holes, stationary flat template with fixing element, workbench with mandrel. These designs are good for cold bending of thin tubular products. The principle of operation is simple: one end of the profile is clamped, and the other is pressed under force, bending around the prepared shape. Manual bending requires considerable effort and does not guarantee accuracy.

It should be remembered that rolled steel pipes have plastic moment resistance (spring effect), so the bend has to be adjusted several times to the template.

How to bend a profile pipe with your own hands and bring it back to its original shape is a difficult task. For everything to work out as planned on the first try, you can’t do without a special machine.

Pipe bender for products with square and rectangular sections

A roll forming machine is a device with shafts, one of which, with free movement under pressure, uniformly bends a pipe of the desired shape along its entire length. The shafts are machined to a specific cross-section. The pressure is applied gradually until the desired bend is achieved. The force is applied manually or using an electric drive or hydraulics. A home pipe bender is designed for a small number of bent products; a professional one can be used for serial bending of guaranteed accuracy.

Thanks to its design features, the profile bender efficiently bends rolled steel pipes without heating, as in separate area, and along the entire length at different angles, in different planes.

It is also possible to make a bending device with your own hands; it will take a lot of effort, time and money, but the process of bending pipes will become easier. Manual machine for profile bending, it is easy to use, has small dimensions, and can be installed in a garage or small workshop. The pipe bender should be provided with a reliable, stable position; the work should be done slowly, constantly checking compliance with the template. The simplest option, suitable for thin pipes, is the Volnova roller machine. In a certain place of a workpiece clamped in a vice, a bend is formed by a roller, but good physical strength is required.

How to bend a profile pipe at home is not an easy question. There are many nuances to consider and everything to be done correctly so as not to spoil the material. Much attention is paid to the cross-sectional dimensions, wall thickness, calculation of the bending radius, and it is also worth deciding whether to use heating, filler or not.

Creating a bend in a profile pipe professional builder or an ordinary owner can often encounter during the construction or repair of any country house and a cottage. Deciding to bend a profile pipe with my own hands V living conditions, the owner is always puzzled about how to properly and reliably set up a greenhouse structure, covered terrace or smoking room.

When creating such structures, these products are used, since they are much more popular in comparison to pipes with a traditional round shape.

Pipes having an ordinary cross-section in the form of a circle are bent using a conventional hydraulic pipe bender with special shoes and rollers for round blanks. At the same time, it is not possible to bend profile parts on such a machine, since its actuators for round shapes They will simply ruin the profile - the workpiece will crack, break, or be completely crushed.

Methods for bending profile elements

You can bend a profile pipe without any defects with your own hands. There are many techniques for producing such bent profile parts. One of the common options is to bend a profile workpiece using special devices - so-called profile benders. However, the price of such equipment is quite high, which calls into question the purchase of such a special machine from an ordinary owner.

how to bend a profile pipe without a pipe bender

In case of rare need for production bent profiles in domestic conditions, it is proposed to purchase special pipe benders on the market for self made, used both for pipes with round, and for profile workpieces. The cost of such home equipment is approximately $100. It is worth noting that when using hand tools for creating bent parts The owner needs to have appropriate physical and moral preparation - the work requires endurance and patience, but sparingly.

If there is a one-time need to make bends on workpieces, even buy manual mechanisms irrational. In this case, it is recommended to purchase an already manufactured element on the market, or you can place an order in a workshop or at an appropriate enterprise, where for a relatively low fee they can produce any part from their own profile material.

With this solution to the problem, you can not only reduce the cost of work and not waste personal time and effort, but also achieve the desired result - get a part with a high-quality and correct bend of a certain diameter or shape.

In every construction and other business there are always traditional methods. Bending profile blanks with your own hands is no exception. Only in this case is it possible to produce bends of small-sized copper or polymer pipe blanks.

Bending profile products using a pipe bender

Process specifics

When self-made When bending a profile workpiece, you must first determine the size of its cross-section, the thickness of the walls, the material from which the part is made, as well as the diameter or shape of the bend.

At the same time, it is also necessary to take into account the conditions of the existing production, which can ensure maximum bending accuracy and high quality manufactured parts.

Bending of profile pipes occurs within certain technical tolerances for wall thickness and cross-sectional configuration. An important task is to prevent such defective phenomena as fractures of the internal part of the bent profile workpiece and crushing of the transverse part of the workpiece.

Making a bend

In order to make a bend, it is necessary to have a special pipe bender designed for cold bending with stretching. The tension created by such a machine will shift the neutral axis of the workpiece towards bending. This effect when stretched profile part will make it possible to reduce the formation of a corrugated zone on the bending surface.

Once located in the unit, the workpiece is clamped at the edges and at the same time stretched. At the same time, when the bending template is moved, the pipe begins to bend.

For bending a workpiece from of stainless steel without defects, deterioration in quality and reduction in the durability of the walls of the part in the bending zone, this process must be carried out under internal hydrostatic pressure. To do this, it is necessary to plug the ends of the pipe with plugs, inside of which there is filled liquid. Next, you need to move the bendable template to the center of the product, through which the bend is made a certain shape or diameter.

DIY bending process

You can bend a profile blank with your own hands without any professional equipment and special tools. In this way, most often it is possible to achieve a bend that is actually of relatively good quality.

Forming a bend using a regular grinder and welding

To bend a profile pipe, the first thing you need to do is have an ordinary grinder and a welding machine.

In order to bend the workpiece, you must go through the following steps:

Determine the bending radius of the workpiece.
Along the bending line of the profile part, you need to make transverse cuts of three planes with the same interval between each other.
Next, you can bend the part without much difficulty.
Then you need to weld the cut areas.
Welding seams must be processed and ground.

Bending with internal countermeasures

To implement this technology, it is necessary to use a means such as a specially prepared spring. In this case, it is necessary to insert a rectangular spring made of metal wire with a thickness of 1 to 4 mm inside the profile pipe, depending on the size of the pipe being bent. Next, you can begin to bend the element.

The size of the spring segment segments should be 1.5–2 mm smaller than the internal dimensions of the pipe section to allow the spring to penetrate inside the pipe without special effort.

After inserting the spring to the place of planned bending of the workpiece, before bending it is necessary to heat the bending area with a blowtorch. After this, you can bend the product using a special blank with a radius that must coincide with the required internal radius of the part to be bent.

For the purpose of bending a profile part for heating or water supply from copper, there is one relatively extraordinary method, feasible only in winter.

This unique option consists of the following:

First thing you need is one edge copper pipe seal with a stopper and fill it with water.
Then place the workpiece with water outside in frosty weather until the water completely freezes.
Next, bend the pipe in accordance with a bending template of a certain radius. In this case, the pipe will bend without much effort and without distorting its cross-section.

Using the same scheme, it will be possible to bend pipes of the duralumin type, as well as from a material such as brass.

Bend without a pipe bender

You can also bend a rectangular piece without a pipe bender using well-dried and carefully sifted sand. Before bending, it is necessary to hammer a wooden wedge into one of the ends of the pipe to a depth of 10 to 20 cm. After this, fill the opposite open hole of the pipe to the edge with cleaned and dried sand and hammer a similar wedge there. Then you can begin bending the workpiece using a blank of a certain diameter, which must coincide with the planned size of the product.

In case of too sharp bends - when the radius is small, it is recommended to heat the bending area using a burner device. Thanks to the sand filled to the brim in the pipe, the cross-sectional shape of the product will be preserved.

After bending, you need to burn out one of the plugs, pour out sand from the inside and tear out the second plug.

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

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 -). It is difficult to give a profile pipe curved configurations and at the same time maintain its technical characteristics, but it is 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 keep an eye on it 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 a 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.
Perform the previous step 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 to special occasions V 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.