# Greenlee 555 bending help



## jaked81 (Jun 18, 2014)

Anybody know how to measure a kick on a triple nickel? I am trying to bend a 90 with a kick at 30 deg in 2" EMT. I need to kick it 17.5". Normally on a hand bender you would just mark it at 35 and bend at the notch-ish. I can't find anything on the distance I need to mark to make this work.


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## dawgs (Dec 1, 2007)

jaked81 said:


> Anybody know how to measure a kick on a triple nickel? I am trying to bend a 90 with a kick at 30 deg in 2" EMT. I need to kick it 17.5". Normally on a hand bender you would just mark it at 35 and bend at the notch-ish. I can't find anything on the distance I need to mark to make this work.


Use a scrap piece and find center. Mark it on the bender. Bend the same way as hand bender.


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## ponyboy (Nov 18, 2012)

You need to find center of bend for 30° on that particular shoe. Bend a 30° kick in a scrap piece take it out and find center of bend on pipe. Put it back in and mark on shoe where it is. Now you can bend like normal. I do this for all our power benders for all the common angles


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## jaked81 (Jun 18, 2014)

Is there a method for finding center of bend, or just eyeball it?


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## local134gt (Dec 24, 2008)

jaked81 said:


> Is there a method for finding center of bend?


There is this cool website called "google" where I found this link....
http://www.porcupinepress.com/_bending/center_of_bend.htm


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## jaked81 (Jun 18, 2014)

I see that link all over the Google and every time I click it it says 

Forbidden

You don't have permission to access /_bending/center_of_bend.htm on this server.

Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.



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## ponyboy (Nov 18, 2012)

jaked81 said:


> Is there a method for finding center of bend, or just eyeball it?


Bend to 30°, take two straight edges, find where they intersect


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## jaked81 (Jun 18, 2014)

Thanks 

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## butcher733 (Aug 4, 2012)

I must be missing something? You just need to stuff the pipe in the bender, decide where you want the kick, hold up you tape to a level 90 and bend until 17.5" plus springback is reached. If you need repeatability just make a mark at the front of the shoe and measure from the back of the 90 to the mark before you bend.


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## local134gt (Dec 24, 2008)




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## ponyboy (Nov 18, 2012)

butcher733 said:


> I must be missing something? You just need to stuff the pipe in the bender, decide where you want the kick, hold up you tape to a level 90 and bend until 17.5" plus springback is reached. If you need repeatability just make a mark at the front of the shoe and measure from the back of the 90 to the mark before you bend.


If you know what actual degree you are using you can figure out the shrink the kick will put on the pipe and adjust that to your stub length. This saves time cutting and reaming. And if you're putting up rigid you're better off knowing how to bend properly


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## jaked81 (Jun 18, 2014)

I am going to have multiple conduits kicked too and I want them all to have the same angle of the dangle. 

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## Jhellwig (Jun 18, 2014)

butcher733 said:


> I must be missing something? You just need to stuff the pipe in the bender, decide where you want the kick, hold up you tape to a level 90 and bend until 17.5" plus springback is reached. If you need repeatability just make a mark at the front of the shoe and measure from the back of the 90 to the mark before you bend.


I was going to say that but then I saw he wanted a 30degree bend. 

You gotta make some scrap pipe and learn your shoes. I have never seen a 555 that didn't have marks or writing on it.


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## jaked81 (Jun 18, 2014)

Marked


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## ponyboy (Nov 18, 2012)

jaked81 said:


> Marked


Good. Now do 15, 22, and 45 haha


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## pete87 (Oct 22, 2012)

jaked81 said:


> Marked





That is a 555 bender ?






Pete


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## jaked81 (Jun 18, 2014)

Yes?

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## pete87 (Oct 22, 2012)

I like the Wheels . I always had the Ammo box type . Heavy as a MF with all the shoes .






Pete


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## ponyboy (Nov 18, 2012)

Here's my daily bender


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## 360max (Jun 10, 2011)




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## jaked81 (Jun 18, 2014)

ponyboy said:


> Here's my daily bender
> 
> 
> View attachment 37151
> ...


Is that the CX?


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## ponyboy (Nov 18, 2012)

jaked81 said:


> Is that the CX?


855 quad


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

Those benders look new.


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## kg7879 (Feb 3, 2014)

I'm not sure if this would help but since you want a certain angle and you want your kick to be 17.5 inches you can use the tan(angle 30)=opposite(your kick height)/adjacent(x).

Solving for x gives you 30 and 5/16. Measure that distance back from your 90 to your center of bend and bend it


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## butcher733 (Aug 4, 2012)

ponyboy said:


> If you know what actual degree you are using you can figure out the shrink the kick will put on the pipe and adjust that to your stub length. This saves time cutting and reaming. And if you're putting up rigid you're better off knowing how to bend properly


My experience with rigid is probably different than yours. I always seem to have a bender provided and a job needing to be done and if I took the time to chart a bender every time a different one passed under my nose I would be a master at charting and a zero when it comes to production. 

That being said, the method I put forth will work fine with no need for charting and would only be an issue if one of the kicks couldn't be threaded after the bend. I don't know why the OP chose 30 degrees for his kicks but that angle is probably arbitrary. I always choose a kick that puts the least amount of bend in the pipe.


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## ponyboy (Nov 18, 2012)

butcher733 said:


> My experience with rigid is probably different than yours. I always seem to have a bender provided and a job needing to be done and if I took the time to chart a bender every time a different one passed under my nose I would be a master at charting and a zero when it comes to production. That being said, the method I put forth will work fine with no need for charting and would only be an issue if one of the kicks couldn't be threaded after the bend. I don't know why the OP chose 30 degrees for his kicks but that angle is probably arbitrary. I always choose a kick that puts the least amount of bend in the pipe.


I agree and I know what you mean. When I was going through shops it was that way. I still think taking a bit of time and learning the bender is wise, if the circumstance allows it. I've plotted enough 555s and 881s I don't need to do it anymore. But now that I'm stationary for the moment I've got the benders zeroed in and everyone seems to appreciate it


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## jaked81 (Jun 18, 2014)

butcher733 said:


> My experience with rigid is probably different than yours. I always seem to have a bender provided and a job needing to be done and if I took the time to chart a bender every time a different one passed under my nose I would be a master at charting and a zero when it comes to production.
> 
> That being said, the method I put forth will work fine with no need for charting and would only be an issue if one of the kicks couldn't be threaded after the bend. I don't know why the OP chose 30 degrees for his kicks but that angle is probably arbitrary. I always choose a kick that puts the least amount of bend in the pipe.


I like 30s cause the multiplier is easy. And when I have conduits of different sizes I can keep them all spaced the same. I just measure over half an inch from my last one, times it by two, mark the conduit and line that up with my mark on the bender. Blam-O. Perfect kick. No math.


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## LightsOn81 (Jan 6, 2012)

I have had a lot of great success using the front of the shoe like the arrow on a hand bender so, for example, if I needed a 24" 90 with a 12" kick I would....

Mark 24" and line it up with the center mark on the shoe. (The one im using has the factory mark).

Put the 90 up against the wall, multiply 12" by 2 (or whatever it took to get the angle you wanted of course) marked that, load the pipe back up and get her in there right.

Line the mark up with the very front of the shoe and bend away! Sexy bends every time!


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## jaked81 (Jun 18, 2014)

30°.


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## sparky970 (Mar 19, 2008)

jaked81 said:


> I am going to have multiple conduits kicked too and I want them all to have the same angle of the dangle.
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 5 using electriciantalk.com mobile app


 
If you want them bent at the same angle, them bend them all at the same angle


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## bill39 (Sep 4, 2009)

sparky970 said:


> If you want them bent at the same angle, them bend them all at the same angle


Bending them to the same angle is the easy part. Knowing where to put the mark and get the desired kick amount is the trick part.


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## butcher733 (Aug 4, 2012)

jaked81 said:


> 30°.


those look like 90's to me.:laughing:

Looks good.


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## zappy (Mar 6, 2009)

LightsOn81 said:


> I have had a lot of great success using the front of the shoe like the arrow on a hand bender so, for example, if I needed a 24" 90 with a 12" kick I would....
> 
> Mark 24" and line it up with the center mark on the shoe. (The one im using has the factory mark).
> 
> ...


You want a 24" 90, but you didn't minus for take up. You said you marked 24" and bent it at center of bend mark on bender. I'm lost.


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## local134gt (Dec 24, 2008)

zappy said:


> You want a 24" 90, but you didn't minus for take up. You said you marked 24" and bent it at center of bend mark on bender. I'm lost.


He didn't explain the take up for the 90... The 24" to center was for the 12" kick @ 30°


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## theJcK (Aug 7, 2013)

when i started i would bend by formula.. numerous marks. now its been so long i couldnt tell you the distance and degrees. bend by feel now.. thats hand bender. scrap piece on hydraulic.. this usually helps. i overbend now even when i know ill hit. bandsaw will fix it. oh and remember to kick a little then check.. easier to add than take out of big pipe.


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