# Bending 1 1/4" EMT by hand



## papaotis

i thught they only made them up to 1":blink:and that two big guys


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## dronai

I can't imagine bending 1 1/4" without a machine. I get kinks with the cheap 1" Emt from HD


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## telsa

Field bending beyond 1" is so slow that it's uneconomic. Factory bent elbows are the standard.

As for 1 1/4" -- the trade size -- I stay away from it. (unless it's PVC for sight lighting)

I'd rather bump up and use 1 1/2" -- which is dramatically easier to pull conductors into.

The failure rate -- attempting quarter-bends in 1 1/4" EMT -- is extremely high, of course. There are plenty of comic videos on YouTube showing such attempts.


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## Switched

I have one sitting in the shop, got one big ass foot pedal on it....

You should see me jumping up and down on the thing trying to get leverage:laughing::laughing:

It takes some practice but you can bend it without kinking it.


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## Switched

telsa said:


> Field bending beyond 1" is so slow that it's uneconomic. Factory bent elbows are the standard.
> 
> As for 1 1/4" -- the trade size -- I stay away from it. (unless it's PVC for sight lighting)
> 
> I'd rather bump up and use 1 1/2" -- which is dramatically easier to pull conductors into.
> 
> The failure rate -- attempting quarter-bends in 1 1/4" EMT -- is extremely high, of course. There are plenty of comic videos on YouTube showing such attempts.


How is using a bunch of fittings and factory bends more economical than learning how to use the bender?

But yes..... There are some funny Youtube videos of guys bending 1-1/4"


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## sbrn33

I have a hand bender for 11/4. It works fine but it is very hard to make a factory looking bend. 
Lots of foot pressure is required. How someone can say it is slower than another method is crazy IMO. It is hard to beat for offests and stuff like that. 

Foot pressure is your friend. If you are 150 or under, good luck.


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## 480sparky

Years ago, I worked with a guy that had a Solon 1¼" EMT bender. It had a ratchet mechanism.

It was NOT like the big, honkin' Chicago benders. It was hardly much larcher than a traditional 1¼" bender.

Sadly, they're out of production now. So good luck finding one.

ETA: Better act fast! 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SOLON-CB-1-...133?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item33a3ebbafd


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## Jlarson

If you have a service truck with a pipe vice on the bumper clamp the bender in it and bend that way.


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## RIVETER

Spark Master said:


> I have my once a year 1 1/4" job. Usually I do 1" or under.
> 
> Have you been able to get nice bends with a 1 1/4" hand bender ??


Yes I have.


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## ampman

Last week I had to bend a very small offset in some 1-1/4 emt I used the greenlee ridgid bender and it did very well


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## RIVETER

ampman said:


> Last week I had to bend a very small offset in some 1-1/4 emt I used the greenlee ridgid bender and it did very well


You have to have some "butt" to put into it but it is do-able.


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## ampman

RIVETER said:


> You have to have some "butt" to put into it but it is do-able.


I'm talking about the hydrolic one


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## sbrn33

480sparky said:


> Years ago, I worked with a guy that had a Solon 1¼" EMT bender. It had a ratchet mechanism.
> 
> It was NOT like the big, honkin' Chicago benders. It was hardly much larcher than a traditional 1¼" bender.
> 
> Sadly, they're out of production now. So good luck finding one.
> 
> ETA: Better act fast!
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/SOLON-CB-1-...133?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item33a3ebbafd


That is good deal and they do a great job.


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## varmit

Yes, nice bends CAN be made with an 1 1/4 hand bender. It is more of a challenge these days-with all of the cheap and brittle EMT, but with a good grade of EMT I can bend 90s and I weigh 147 pounds. I would not want to bend 1 1/4 all day this way, but one or two bends is easier/faster than fetching the big bender. Note: I did not say that it was easy to bend, but that it was possible.

If all else fails, a person can make multiple shot 90s without kinking. the radius will be a little larger though.


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## Cow

I weigh 175 and can get nice 90 degree bends. 1 1/4 is tough but not impossible. I think it's easier to bend than that 3/4 rigid western tube and conduit company makes!! No thanks, allied or wheatland for me please!


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## Rollie73

telsa said:


> Field bending beyond 1" is so slow that it's uneconomic. Factory bent elbows are the standard.
> 
> The failure rate -- attempting quarter-bends in 1 1/4" EMT -- is extremely high, of course.


 :no::no:

I will bend 1-1/4" EMT all day long and land the bends/offsets/kicks or 90's wherever you want them. I know plenty of electricians who have no problem doing it as well. It takes some skills, practice and upper body strength as well as a good bender with a big a$$ foot pedal on it.

Being a larger type of lad who weighs in around 250 lbs helps a lot as well.

I wont break out the ratcheting bender unless we are doing 2" or larger. I never use 1.5" as fittings for that size are always a back order item at my suppliers.


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## 480sparky

Rollie73 said:


> .....Being a larger type of lad who weighs in around 250 lbs helps a lot as well............


That's my hat trick as well.

That, and I learned how to bend 1¼ early in my career, before I wised up. So using a run-of-the-mill bender isn't an issue for me


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## Rollie73

480sparky said:


> That's my hat trick as well.
> 
> That, and I learned how to bend 1¼ early in my career, before I wised up. So using a run-of-the-mill bender isn't an issue for me


 
Weighing at a bit over 250 and standing a tad over 6' tall gives me lots of leverage on that bender.

Brace the pipe against a wall or something similar and use lots of foot pressure and I can bend 90's all day long without a kink.

Just to clarify.......I *CAN *bend 90's all day in 1-1/4" emt but I certainly don't *WANT* to.:laughing:


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## RIVETER

Rollie73 said:


> "without a kink".


Not even in your back???


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## Rollie73

RIVETER said:


> Not even in your back???


Welllll........maybe:laughing:


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## Robimus

Only do it after lunch , two cheeseburger minimum and every tool I own in the tool belt 👍


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## 480sparky

Rollie73 said:


> .......Brace the pipe against a wall or something similar and use lots of foot pressure and I can bend 90's all day long without a kink......



Just to clarify this for all those out there, he means butt the pipe up against something solid so it won't slide as you pull on the bender handle in that direction.

Another trick is to know that you need at least 5-6 feet of pipe (minus the bend) to have enough leverage to actually bend it. Trying to bend 1¼ towards a measly 24" of stock will be an exercise in futility.


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## Rollie73

Good point 480.......as Im sure many guys here have experienced, the larger the conduit size, the harder it is to bend short pieces. 

If its a short chunk of 1-1/4" (say 3 or 4 feet long) put it aside until you need a filler piece because bending it is gonna suck:laughing:


I have had varying degrees of success with coupling a longer piece of pipe onto a short piece and using that braced on the floor to do the bend.


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## 480sparky

A lot of success using couplers depends on the quality of both the pipe and the coupler.


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## Rollie73

Exactly my experience with it as well. If its a coupler with 4 set screws.....2 on each side....then it seems to work much better. If its crappy EMT then there isn't much any of us can do. 

Very rare that I get crap grade EMT though.


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## dronai

Broke a coupling trying to gain leverage by adding on another piece of 1"


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## JW Splicer

All we ever used for 1 1/4" was a hand bender... Sidewinders stayed at the shop, or on big jobs...


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## RIVETER

Rollie73 said:


> Exactly my experience with it as well. If its a coupler with 4 set screws.....2 on each side....then it seems to work much better. If its crappy EMT then there isn't much any of us can do.
> 
> Very rare that I get crap grade EMT though.


Any time that I mis-bent the pipe I, too, said that it must be crappy emt.:blink:


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## Bad Electrician

I did a job all 1-1/4" 20,000 plus feet bent it all by hand, I liked the Ideal Bender with the foot rest that flips to two positions. 

LOT's and LOT's of foot pressure and a smooth pull, it ain't all azz it is finesse and azz.


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## jabantik

I'm a short, skinny, 2nd year apprentice. I weigh <150 lbs without my tool pouch. I don't have much experience bending 1.25", but I have enough that I can do 90s, offsets, and kicks with a fair amount of confidence and little rippling or kinking, if any. Keeping my foot as heavy as possible on the pedal seems to quite important. I don't know the make of our 1.25" benders (I think at least 1 is Greenlee), and the EMT is usually Wheaton. I can only bend on the ground, but I have seen a coworker bend 1.25" in the air without much effort. They call him Sasquatch.

edit: The benders all have the 2-position foot pedal
another edit: I think all the apprentices at my company like to run pipe and are excited when we get to do 1.25". I guess this is common? Or maybe because it is still somewhat new and exciting?


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## jabantik

RIVETER said:


> Did they check your penis before you joined?


Their benders aren't big enough


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## JimmyR

I find using a Sears protractor and bending 6 fifteen degree bends or ten 9 degree bends is so much easier, impossible to kink, and when it comes to pulling wire, it will fly through the bends.


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## RIVETER

JimmyR said:


> I find using a Sears protractor and bending 6 fifteen degree bends or ten 9 degree bends is so much easier, impossible to kink, and when it comes to pulling wire, it will fly through the bends.


I would not want to bid your labor.


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## Galt

Used mine yesterday making an arm for a led yardlight on a grain bin.Made it in the middle of county highway because there was mud everywhere.It is easier if you can keep one hand on a wall.


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## OaklandElec

JimmyR said:


> I find using a Sears protractor and bending 6 fifteen degree bends or ten 9 degree bends is so much easier, impossible to kink, and when it comes to pulling wire, it will fly through the bends.


T&M?


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## telsa

Switched said:


> How is using a bunch of fittings and factory bends more economical than learning how to use the bender?
> 
> But yes..... There are some funny Youtube videos of guys bending 1-1/4"


Speed.

This EMT size is so infrequently used in Commercial construction that no-one builds up any skill with the manual bender. 

Such tools are usually restricted to kicks.

In Commercial ( catfish zone ) work, 1 1/4" is normally run to and fro dry-type transformers. That's just about it.... for the entire job.

Industrial work uses it far more often -- as it's appropriate to a fair number of motor loads. 

By staying with 1 1/2" EMT, a foreman/ PM avoids bringing back extremely slow turnover fittings. One fella I ran across violated this dictum. So his employer is staring at a fifty-year supply of such fittings, He was terminated for this -- and other -- boners. ( The license holder has an emotional reaction to tied up working capital. The number one source of EC bankruptcy.)


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## telsa

In the catfish/ bottom feeder end of the Commercial trade, it's as common as dust to leave the shop's bender back in the shop -- and to have all required custom offsets and bends and kicks phoned in/ run through the paperwork.

This is done because there aren't that many needed... and the materials handler is able to run the EMT/ IMC/ RMC out to the job in a timely manner.

In all such jobs, the bulk of the big stuff is in PVC -- below the slab. 

Consequently, the bigger EMT runs have -- at most -- a single quarter-bend in them.

The typical NEC/ IBEW job is at the other end of the universe. Such a job will have so many significant runs of EMT/ RMC/ IMC that it makes perfect sense to haul the trick gear out to the job -- and bang out big bends.

At our distributors, 1 1/4" is a back-ordered size, 1 1/2" is a fast mover.

1 1/4" is super popular in site lighting runs. Hence, we'll run into the occasional EMT (transition run) in that size.

There are some fellas that just love to bring #10 THHN out of a panel in 1 1/4" EMT -- to set a central junction can over a T-grid. Every instance of this I've seen has devolved into a fiasco.

In sum: it's just not popular in Commercial applications, the Industrial trade runs a lot of it.

( 1 1/4" EMT is also a popular data-com stub/ riser spec -- with 4-11 boxes to match. It's just that no bending is required to stub out of a tin stud bay. )


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## Spark Master

15 HP - 3 phase compressor: I'm running #4 wire. With (2) #12's for the air dryer. About 100'. I can certainly squeeze it legally into 1" pipe. But it would be a killer to pull 100' of that. 1 1/4" would be much easier. And no reason to go to 1 1/2".


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## Southeast Power

Bad Electrician said:


> I did a job all 1-1/4" 20,000 plus feet bent it all by hand, I liked the Ideal Bender with the foot rest that flips to two positions.
> 
> LOT's and LOT's of foot pressure and a smooth pull, it ain't all azz it is finesse and azz.


Same here.
It's just an 1-1/4 job.
I would think about getting a Chicago bender or wasting resources and extra supports using factory bends.
The flip bender is nice, I have that one.
If I went on a job where they had a regular one, I would use that type.
Foot pressure and balance. You will for sure get some air time mounting up on that bender.


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## Southeast Power

telsa said:


> Speed.
> 
> This EMT size is so infrequently used in Commercial construction that no-one builds up any skill with the manual bender.
> 
> Such tools are usually restricted to kicks.
> 
> In Commercial ( catfish zone ) work, 1 1/4" is normally run to and fro dry-type transformers. That's just about it.... for the entire job.
> 
> Industrial work uses it far more often -- as it's appropriate to a fair number of motor loads.
> 
> By staying with 1 1/2" EMT, a foreman/ PM avoids bringing back extremely slow turnover fittings. One fella I ran across violated this dictum. So his employer is staring at a fifty-year supply of such fittings, He was terminated for this -- and other -- boners. ( The license holder has an emotional reaction to tied up working capital. The number one source of EC bankruptcy.)



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## Southeast Power

Spark Master said:


> 15 HP - 3 phase compressor: I'm running #4 wire. With (2) #12's for the air dryer. About 100'. I can certainly squeeze it legally into 1" pipe. But it would be a killer to pull 100' of that. 1 1/4" would be much easier. And no reason to go to 1 1/2".


That's not too bad for 100' of 1".
Are you anticipating several 90s


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## Spark Master

jrannis said:


> That's not too bad for 100' of 1".
> Are you anticipating several 90s


 3) 90's and 1 offset. That's why I'm doing 1 1/4". We are pulling by hand.

I could probably get away with #6 wire, but at 100' on a 15HP compressor.. I feel #4 is the way to go.


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## 480sparky

telsa said:


> ...........( 1 1/4" EMT is also a popular data-com stub/ riser spec -- with 4-11 boxes to match. It's just that no bending is required to stub out of a tin stud bay. )


You don't have firewalls in your neck of the woods?




telsa said:


> ......So his employer is staring at a fifty-year supply of such fittings, .....


Send 'em back to the supply house.


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## kawimudslinger

my trick to bending 1-1/4" emt with a hand bender is doing it while standing in a doorway that way i can use the door frame as balance as i put all my weight on the bender lol


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## Cow

Spark Master said:


> 3) 90's and 1 offset. That's why I'm doing 1 1/4". We are pulling by hand.
> 
> I could probably get away with #6 wire, but at 100' on a 15HP compressor.. I feel #4 is the way to go.


I'd do 1 1/4" too. 

The reality is by the time you've read all the rants and raves in this thread you could of made ALL the bends you've needed in the 1 1/4 while telsa stands by in disbelief still believing it's not possible without a mechanical bender...


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## Going_Commando

Cow said:


> I'd do 1 1/4" too.
> 
> The reality is by the time you've read all the rants and raves in this thread you could of made ALL the bends you've needed in the 1 1/4 while telsa stands by in disbelief still believing it's not possible without a mechanical bender...


Hell, i hand bent 1 1/4 emt a month ago. It aint rocket science. I also weigh 200 lbs and am 6 feet tall so i have the ass to do it. :laughing:


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## telsa

480sparky said:


> You don't have firewalls in your neck of the woods?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Send 'em back to the supply house.


Yes, no fire walls. (exceptions: fire wall around elevator shaft, stairwells)

TIN studding -- no fire blocking... ( The structure = steel, concrete, sheetrock.)

He would've returned them -- if he had them in appropriate (returnable) packaging. They're sitting in bins. ( The foreman had lost control of his minor materials, really lost it. The other excess buys have long since been 'burned up' building out other jobs. His legacy, and his termination, were the topics of conversation for all budding foremen.) 

The reason he's got a 50-year supply is because -- with a crew of 100 -- he uses about two quarter bends in 1 1/4" and about 20 feet of such EMT per YEAR.


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## 480sparky

telsa said:


> Yes, no fire walls. (exceptions: fire wall around elevator shaft, stairwells)
> 
> TIN studding -- no fire blocking... ( The structure = steel, concrete, sheetrock.)....


Must not be doing any large jobs.



telsa said:


> .....He would've returned them -- if he had them in appropriate (returnable) packaging. They're sitting in bins. ( The foreman had lost control of his minor materials, really lost it. The other excess buys have long since been 'burned up' building out other jobs. His legacy, and his termination, were the topics of conversation for all budding foremen.)
> 
> The reason he's got a 50-year supply is because -- with a crew of 100 -- he uses about two quarter bends in 1 1/4" and about 20 feet of such EMT per YEAR.



Try this place.


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## MDShunk

I've bent my share of 1-1/4 by hand, but has anyone pointed out yet that it only takes maybe 15 minutes to put a 555 and a few shoe sets on the truck and unload it at the job?


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## telsa

Cow said:


> I'd do 1 1/4" too.
> 
> The reality is by the time you've read all the rants and raves in this thread you could of made ALL the bends you've needed in the 1 1/4 while telsa stands by in disbelief still believing it's not possible without a mechanical bender...


Not possible ECONOMICALLY for crews that are FIRST TIMERS whenever this size EMT shows up on a job. 

I once saw a trooper waste ninety-minutes, 20 feet of 1 1/4" EMT, to produce a boneyard of kinked quarter bends. The same fella could whip out 1" bends right and left.

It was after such a point that the GF stopped the show and ordered one (1) factory elbow -- all that he needed for this job -- and for the rest of the year -- as it turned out.

The antics of a first timer are all over YouTube. This reality is no secret. Some foremen think it's particularly funny tasking a woman or a light weight youngster with such a bend. ( Also commonly done during break times. ) Yucks all around, of course.

Elegant pipe bending is an IBEW skill. The 'catfish' don't want to pay for it. After doing a time and motion study, one EC sold off his Greenlee EMT bender -- booking a hefty loss. He figured that to be far wiser than to bleed labor expense at every turn.

Other than NEC/ IBEW contractors, every outfit in my neck of the woods is using factory elbows for 1 1/4" EMT on up. EVERY ONE. This resolve didn't happen by accident.:no::blink:


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## 480sparky

telsa said:


> Not possible ECONOMICALLY for crews that are FIRST TIMERS whenever this size EMT shows up on a job.
> 
> I once saw a trooper waste ninety-minutes, 20 feet of 1 1/4" EMT, to produce a boneyard of kinked quarter bends. The same fella could whip out 1" bends right and left.
> 
> It was after such a point that the GF stopped the show and ordered one (1) factory elbow -- all that he needed for this job -- and for the rest of the year -- as it turned out.
> 
> The antics of a first timer are all over YouTube. This reality is no secret. Some foremen think it's particularly funny tasking a woman or a light weight youngster with such a bend. ( Also commonly done during break times. ) Yucks all around, of course.
> 
> Elegant pipe bending is an IBEW skill. The 'catfish' don't want to pay for it. After doing a time and motion study, one EC sold off his Greenlee EMT bender -- booking a hefty loss. He figured that to be far wiser than to bleed labor expense at every turn.
> 
> Other than NEC/ IBEW contractors, every outfit in my neck of the woods is using factory elbows for 1 1/4" EMT on up. EVERY ONE. This resolve didn't happen by accident.:no::blink:



OK, who are you, and what have you done with the _real_ telsa?


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## telsa

480sparky said:


> Must not be doing any large jobs.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Try this place.


Too late. He was driven out of the trade for his other sins -- and these were many.

:laughing::thumbup:

As for myself, I measure at the job, bend at my shop (hydraulic), and return the next day with the pitiful few quarter-turns/ offsets/ kicks that I need.

In the oft chance that I've fouled up the measures, I leave a bit extra length on my shop craft. Trimming a few inches of EMT with my bandsaw, in the field... it takes no time at all to produce a perfect product.

Scrap EMT (2"...) is also shop bent into 'factory nineties' during slow times. These fragments otherwise end up in the dumpster.

The IBEW has a nice clip on how to take the measure for a kick:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtfX1Ksosps

:thumbsup:


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## Jmcstevenson

I've bent tons of one and a quarter by hand. 90's, four point saddles, rolling offsets.. It's not fun but I don't see what the problem with it is. Better than pulling wire most days.

Just don't by cheap EMT and that's 50% of your kinks.


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## JimmyR

It may take a few minutes longer with the segment bending, but is throwing away kinked pipe and doing it twice cheaper? In my opinion it's not.
"Men used to do in galvanized pipe what today's men can't do in emt"


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## Spark Master

I was getting kinking in 1" EMT; with a Greenlee bender. I used it anyway. Wasn't worth doing it over.


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## pete87

kawimudslinger said:


> my trick to bending 1-1/4" emt with a hand bender is doing it while standing in a doorway that way i can use the door frame as balance as i put all my weight on the bender lol



Agreed , great to support one self ... Rollie copied me from early thread on 1 1/4 .
.
The Best tip is to Butt the 1 1/4 conduit against a Wall and lean on the Adjacent Wall ... It will not slip then .

BORN TO BEND PIPE .



Pete


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## pete87

MDShunk said:


> I've bent my share of 1-1/4 by hand, but has anyone pointed out yet that it only takes maybe 15 minutes to put a 555 and a few shoe sets on the truck and unload it at the job?




MD ,,, I only used a Bender with all the Shoes in a ammo box .Took 2 men to carry around .

I like the Hand Bender handy .



Pete


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## Bonnette13

I just ran 250Ft of 1 1/4 last week. 3 90's later, my apprentice was now doing the stomping, and I was holding her steady. Not as hard as most people think as long as you keep STEADY FOOT** Pressure.


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## ChunkyDrummer

We have 1 1/4" EMT on 99% of the jobs I bid. I always put in elbows and never think they're going to field bend it. 
The same guys that think you should field 1 1/4" think you should pull 7 #12 through 1/2". Just because you technically can doesn't mean you should.


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## JimmyR

I really can't believe all the attention this post is getting. It's simple, if you can bend it and eliminate all the ugly couplings then you bend it. If you can't and u are going to waste materials than use prefabs. I would never buy prefabs for a conduit that I can bend by hand.


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## 480sparky




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## Switched

JimmyR said:


> I really can't believe all the attention this post is getting. It's simple, if you can bend it and eliminate all the ugly couplings then you bend it. If you can't and u are going to waste materials than use prefabs. I would never buy prefabs for a conduit that I can bend by hand.


I am with you....

The idea that you purchase pre-fab because your crew can't bend is stupid. Either teach them, get another crew, or bid work that is more within your scope of skill level.

It doesn't take long to learn. When I was about 130 lbs. I was working on a hospital. The foreman thought it would be funny to have me bend the 1-1/4"... 

You know what? I sucked at first, but I eventually figured it out, how to leverage my tiny ass to produce crinkle free bends. Why? Because I was given the chance to do it and fail, and because I cared enough to learn.

Based upon a number of responses on this thread, owners and foreman need to step up their game and hire the right guys, provide those guys with training, and let some of the mistakes that will follow be a learning curve.


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## JW Splicer

JimmyR said:


> I really can't believe all the attention this post is getting. It's simple, if you can bend it and eliminate all the ugly couplings then you bend it. If you can't and u are going to waste materials than use prefabs. I would never buy prefabs for a conduit that I can bend by hand.


I don't use prefabs at all. Not for 1 1/4 and not for 4". The guise of of speed and efficacy from some guys masks the real truth... You can't bend pipe bro! :laughing::laughing::laughing:


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## telsa

Switched said:


> I am with you....
> 
> The idea that you purchase pre-fab because your crew can't bend is ...
> 
> It just takes too long to train them.


FIFY

Fellas, training attempts have been tried. 

Joke videos posted to YouTube.... FOR A REASON. Doh!

When the ENTIRE firm installs but two (2) factory quarter-bends PER YEAR...

No-one, I repeat, NO-ONE can afford to train troops for such an under used skill.

Get real.

&&&&&

If you're in the NEC/ IBEW Industrial end of the trade -- and use this size all the time -- that's a whole 'nother situation.

Still, you'd be crazy to bend manually.:blink:

555, triple-nickel anyone?:thumbup:

As for the potential for job site injuries. 'Nuf said.:whistling2:

BTW, at my scale of operations, I show up with the EMT shop bent. At worst I have to trim a couple of inches off for a perfect fit.


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## JW Splicer

What about larger shops? Do you have a triple nickel for every truck? Nope,
So instead you can buy 10 hand benders for a 100 man shop. They go to the job, bend 1 1/4" EMT or 1" rigid all day and save time versus driving back to the shop to bend on the 555.


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## 480sparky

JW Splicer said:


> What about larger shops? Do you have a triple nickel for every truck? Nope,
> So instead you can buy 10 hand benders for a 100 man shop. They go to the job, bend 1 1/4" EMT or 1" rigid all day and save time versus driving back to the shop to bend on the 555.


A competent foreman on a job that has that much 1.25 EMT to bend will have the 555 on site before it's needed. If you need to send a cubby to the shop for it, you've failed.


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## isaacelectricllc

I run 1 1/4 fairly often, and when I do, I use a hand bender. It's not hard to use, but I also weigh 300 pounds. If someone rarely uses 1 1/4, a hand bender isn't worth the expense when compared to factory bends.

As far as the big benders go, I have a Greenlee 1818. I have never used it for 1 1/4, and unless I need to make matching side by side offsets, I probably never will. It's just not worth the time or effort to load it on the van then unload it on the job just to load it back up and take it home when a hand bender takes seconds longer than bending 1".


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## JW Splicer

480sparky said:


> A competent foreman on a job that has that much 1.25 EMT to bend will have the 555 on site before it's needed. If you need to send a cubby to the shop for it, you've failed.


Right, for a 100 man job that had 100,000' of 1 1/4" I would have several 555s on site. As a 100 man shop, at any given time, you could assume a (two man crew minimum) small amount of guys would see this kind of work fairly often enough on small commercial jobs and service type calls. Its more productive to have a few hand benders around than to have a bunch of guys hauling a triple nickel everywhere for 30' of pipe.


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## telsa

JW Splicer said:


> Right, for a 100 man job that had 100,000' of 1 1/4" I would have several 555s on site. As a 100 man shop, at any given time, you could assume a (two man crew minimum) small amount of guys would see this kind of work fairly often enough on small commercial jobs and service type calls. Its more productive to have a few hand benders around than to have a bunch of guys hauling a triple nickel everywhere for 30' of pipe.



Small Commercial Jobs are my 'end of the street.'

I never see it used -- ever -- for a short call project.

A service van doesn't even have the room to haul that beast around. There are plenty of tools that have priority in usage.

I not only don't see it in my own job history -- I never run into it as I inspect every other EC's prior efforts, either. (Commercial)

Its usage is SO LOW that it's not even stocked at our distributors. It's hauled in from Reno, over night, whenever there's a request for it.

Things must REALLY be different on the East Coast -- and up in the Great White North.

It's a size that only makes economic sense for site lighting runs -- in PVC, that is -- and for various motor loads, transformers.

In Commercial projects it's TOO BIG for HVAC ( as individual RTUs ) too small for the pre-fabbed chiller systems.

It's TOO BIG for branch circuits -- as no one spot (zone of usage) needs that much power. (per square foot)

It's TOO BIG for all common elevators. (3 phase 70A is more than enough even at 208Y120)

When used to take a cluster of 20A branch circuits out to a centralized NEMA1 can over a T grid -- it's a fiasco/ labor pig/ ugly sight. It also compels all conductors up to #10 -- with so many being in one pipe.

In SUM: it's a LOSER in commercial work. (Exception: site lighting runs.)

All of the above explain why 1 1/4" EMT has to be brought in from Reno, over night, every time it's requested.

&&&

It was spec'd for the casino job -- the underslab -- unlike commercial jobs, a casino really does have crazy power consumption, per square foot.

So, each of the HUNDREDS of Walker duct 'turtles' had RMC quarter bends extending out from them. (spec'd by EE) 

When it looked like the job would run short (of 1 1/4" fittings) the Walker folks related that it would take three-weeks to produce and ship them. They (nationally) had nothing on their shelf in that size. (!!!) (transition adapters)

And, yes, the quarter bends (the shortfall) had to be rushed down from Reno, too.
( Plus F/As to match) 1 1/4" PVC was never a problem -- even miles and miles of it.

( IIRC, it was some absurd figure: 35 miles at least.)

&&&&&&
*
IF* there's a bender a commercial service truck ought to bring to each job it's the *Ericksen bender.* :thumbsup:

Google it.

An active service crew will redeem its expense pretty quickly... mostly from labor savings/ lack of grief. :thumbup:


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## j johnson

At one time the old Boss had 1 1/2" EMT bender! not too many around I us it one or twise


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## JW Splicer

That Ericksen bender is gross. Why not just bend concentric 90s?


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## telsa

JW Splicer said:


> That Ericksen bender is gross. Why not just bend concentric 90s?


Speed.


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## JW Splicer

Tesla I think you and I are on opposite sides of the fence on this one. I'm all for the "craft" the "art" if you will, of running pipe. Especially large pipe. I think you are bangin jobs out for $. The quicker it's done the more you make. For me, I make the same regardless, so I'll Paint the Mona Lisa in some ratty little hotel :laughing:


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## Wirenuting

I bend 1 1/4 by hand all the time. It's not as hard as some might think, just put the tail to the wall and bend it. No need to hop up and down. Sea legs come in handy.

And no, I'm not a two ton Tony able to eat tall buildings.


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## JustElectric

Jw spliced didn't I meet you 3 months ago and you told me you were a handyman looking to be an electrician? Yes I remember you what the hell you doing on electrician talk you should join diy talk hahaha


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## JW Splicer

Hahahahahaha yep! aren't you the one who can't figure out if a 225a meter base can feed a 200a panel?!?!


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