The conduit bender: cutting and bending steel conduitWhat must you do after cutting steel conduit?

The conduit bender and cutting

For steel conduit you use a conduit bender, a stand-mounted tool that does three jobs: it grips the conduit in a vice for cutting and threading, and it bends it. (A new one is clean. Most you'll see on site are covered in grease and marks.) The main parts:

• Vice: grips the conduit securely so you can cut it or thread it.
• Grip / stop: holds the conduit against the former while you bend.
• Former: the curved wheel the conduit bends around. Each former suits one size. Ours was fitted with the 20 mm former, with a 25 mm former stored below. Swap the former to bend 25 mm.
• Lever: you lift it, feed the conduit in, then push down to bend.
• Extension tube: slides over the end of the lever for extra grip and purchase on hefty conduit.

Cutting steel conduit

• Clamp it firmly in the vice. Check the vice and the whole bender are tight and secure first. Anything coming loose affects the job.
• Cut with a hacksaw, using the whole length of the blade for a smooth, easy cut.
• Cutting leaves a sharp burr inside, so file the inside smooth (see the threading section).

Bending steel conduit (a 90° bend)

1. Mark the conduit where the bend should start. You'll have to work out your own marks on your bender's former through practice.
2. Set the grip vertical, lift the lever, and slide the conduit in against the former.
3. Make sure everything's prepared, then push the lever down steadily to form the bend.
4. Check as you go so you don't go too far. It's easy to add a little more ("a little tweak").
5. Take it out and check the angle against something you know is a true right angle (for example a square wall corner).
6. If you've over-bent it, put it back in the bender and pull the bend back out a bit.