US2820504A

US2820504A - Pipe or conduit benders

Info

Publication number: US2820504A
Application number: US542042A
Authority: US
Inventors: Henderson Robert Halsey
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1955-10-21
Filing date: 1955-10-21
Publication date: 1958-01-21
Anticipated expiration: 1975-01-21

Description

1953 R. H. HENDERSON 2,820,504 PIPE OR CONDUIT BENDERS I Filed Oct. 21, '1955 IN V EN TOR. 02 @123" ji aiae yfiendez'son United States PatentO PIPE R CONDUIT BENDERS Robert Halsey Henderson, East Orange, N. J.

Application October 21, 1955, Serial No. 542,042

4 Claims. (Cl. 153-39) This invention relates to improvements in pipe or conduit bending tools; and has reference, more particularly, to a novel construction of tool adapted to produce angular bends in pipe, and especially adapted to bend thin wall tubular pipe or conduit.

This invention has for its general object to provide a portable bending tool which can be quickly set up on the job, and which is adapted to produce angular bends in pipe or thin wall electric wire conduit tubing without the formation of kinks or other undesirable distortions, while at the same time providing a tool for such work which enables the user to quickly produce desired bends with a minimum of effort.

The invention has for a further object to provide a pipe or conduit bender comprising a body member or bending saddle having in its top an arcuate channel of semi-circular cross-section of a width corresponding to the external diameter of the pipe or conduit to be bent, the arc of said channel determining the curvature of the bend to be produced, said body member or bending saddle having a transverse abutment spaced outwardly from an end thereof and radially offset from its arcuate channel, whereby to hold or anchor the pipe or conduit subject to bending force applied thereto; and a manipulatable bending jaw for cooperation with the body member or bending saddle, which is adapted to be shifted along the latter to apply progressive or step by step bending force to the pipe or conduit operated upon; said body member or bending saddle and said bending jaw having cooperative means to pivotally engage the latter with the former subject to oscillatory movement toward and from the same; said bending jaw being of relatively short length, and being also provided in its underside with an arcuate channel of semi-circular cross-section and width corresponding to the diameter of the pipe or conduit to be bent, which channel opposes that of the body member or bending saddle, so that, when said bending jaw is closed down upon the body member or bending saddle, the pipe or conduit undergoing bending manipulation will be fully enclosed between these parts at the zone of bend.

Another object of this invention is to provide the body member or bending saddle with means for supporting the same at a place of use, and to provide the bending jaw with means to apply actuating leverage thereto.

The above and other objects will be understood from a reading of the following detailed description of an embodiment of this invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a bending tool according to this invention with pipe engaged therewith subject to bending manipulation, and showing the bending jaw as initially disposed to initiate a bending operation; Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing the bending jaw as actuated to effect a first pipe bending step; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary transverse vertical sectional view, taken on.

line 33 in Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a view similar to that of Fig. l, but showing the bending jaw advanced ready to perform a succeeding pipe bending step.

2,820,504 Patented Jan. 21, 1958 Referring to the drawings, in which like characters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts, the reference character 10 indicates the body member or bending saddle of the tool, the same having an arcuate top portion 11 along which extends an upwardly or outwardly and endwise open pipe or conduit receiving channel 12. The curvature of the arcuate top portion 11 and the contained channel 12 is of a radius corresponding to the radius of the bend which is to be formed in a pipe or conduit operated upon. Said pipe or conduit receiving channel 12 is of semi-circular cross sectional shape and of a width corresponding to the external diameter of the pipe or conduit to be bent.

Provided in connection with one side of the body member or bending saddle 10, preferably as an integral part thereof, and so as to extend rearwardly from the rear end of the body member or bending saddle, is an arm 13. This arm 13 is provided at its free end with a transverse abutment member 14, which is so spaced away from the rear end of the body member or bending saddle 10 as to form a laterally open gap 15 of sufficient width to permit a pipe or conduit to be entered sidewise therethrough into axially aligned relation to the channel 12 of the body member or bending saddle 10.

The underside of the abutment member 14 is provided 1 with a pipe or conduit seating notch 16 disposed in alignment with the channel 12 of the body member or bending saddle, with its open side opposed to and radially offset relative to said channel 12, whereby said notch will seat the upper side of an entered pipe or conduit,

,7 when the lower side of said pipe or conduit engages in the rear end of said channel 12 (see Fig. 1).

Intermediate its ends, the body member or bending saddle is provided with a downwardly projecting shank portion 17 for purpose hereinafter set forth. The abutment member 14 is provided with an opening 18 extending longitudinally therethrough, the purpose of which will also be hereinafter explained.

Beginning at points spaced forwardly from the rear end of the body member or bending saddle 10, to extend from said points forwardly along and so as to conformably border opposite sides of the curved top 11 thereof, are laterally projecting track flanges or ledges 19, which are preferably formed as integral parts of the body member or bending saddle.

Provided for cooperation with the body member or bending saddle 10 is a movable bending jaw 20 of longitudinally arcuate formation, and of relatively short length as compared with the length of said body member or bending saddle. The arcuate curvature of said bending jaw corresponds to the curvature of the arcuate top 11 of the body member or bending saddle. Provided in the bottom of the bending jaw 20 is a downwardly and endwise open pipe or conduit embracing channel 21 of semicircular cross-sectional shape, and of width corresponding to that of the channel 12 of the body member or bending saddle, and therefore likewise corresponding to the external diameter of the pipe or conduit to be bent. Provided at the rear end of the bending jaw, to depend from opposite sides thereof for downward extension across the track flanges or ledges 19 of the body member or bending saddle 10, in straddling relation thereto, are yoke arms 22. Projecting inwardly from the free ends of said yoke arms, to engage the undersides of said track flanges or ledges 19, are rounded pivoting bosses 23, which, in contact with the undersides of said track flanges or ledges, provide a fulcrum about which the bending jaw 20 can be swung relative to the top of the body member or bending saddle 10, when the bending jaw is operatively assembled with the latter. Projecting shank 24 that is adapted to receive application thereto of 3 leverage exerting means for actuating the bending jaw in use.--

To support the body member or bending saddle at a place of use, its rear end portion can be secured to a support 'such asa bench, upright-timber,*joi'st or-colurnn of a building or anyother suitableform ersupporting means, bypassing a lag-screw"(notshownjf through-the opening 18 of the abutment member "14 into su'ch'support to anchor the body memberor bending saddle thereto for outward projection therefrom, therebyto 'positibmthe" same at a convenient height above the floor of the place of use. To stabilize the thus supported body member or bending saddle against yielding to pipe bending pressure" in'use, a stay'leg 25, preferably comprisinga tubular member or section of pipe of inside diameter to tele scopically receive said'shank portion 17, is applied 'to said shank portion to incline downwardly'andforwardly from the body member or bending saddle to the floor of the place of use, whereby to brace the same againstyield ing to applied pipe or conduit bending pressure; such method of support being similar to that disclosed'in my prior United States Letters Patent No. 1,659,026.

In the use of the bender, a straight length of pipe'or conduit P, in which it is desired to form a bend, is passed sidewise through the gap 15, and is then disposed so that its top side seats in the seating notch 16 of the abutment member 14, with the pipe or conduit extendingthence through the rear end of the channel 12 of the'body memberor bending saddle 10, to engage the bottom side of the pipe or conduit therein-with the pipe or conduit thence inclining upwardly and forwardly above said channel 12 (see Fig. 1). The pipe or conduit P being thus initially positioned, the bending jaw 20, which is subject to detachable engagement with the body member or bending saddle 10, is overlaid upon the pipe or conduitP, and initially operatively engaged with the rear end portion of the body member or bending saddle It) by passing the yoke arms 22 thereof over the latter rearwardly of the extremities of the track flanges or ledges 19, and then shifting the same forward to engage the pivoting bosses 23 beneath the rear end portions of said track flanges or ledges 19, so-that the bending jaw 20, as embracing the upwardly and forwardly inclined pipe or conduit P, extends up-' wardly and forwardly divergent to the underlying body member or bending saddle and its pipe or conduit receiving channel 12 (see Fig. 1). In order to provide sufficient leverage for swinging down the bending jaw 20 With pipe or conduit bending effect, a lever member 26,--preferably comprising 'a suitable lengthof tubular member or PiPByOf inside diameter to telescopically receive the shank 24 of the bending jaw, is applied tosaid shank. This hav-' ing: been done, the bender is ready to begin thepipe or conduit bending operation. i

To -start-bending manipulation of the pipe or conduit P,'the operator grasps the-lever member 26 and swings the samedownwa'rd, thereby swinging downward the bending jaw 20, as fulcrumedbythe pivoting bosses 23 against the track flanges or ledges 19 of the body member or bending'saddle 10,'against the embraced pipe or conduit P. Such downswinging movement of the bending jaw carries'the engaged pipe or conduit into theunderlying chanml '12 of the body member or bending saddle 10, thereby bending said engaged portion of the pipe or conduit con- After completion of the above described initial bending operation, if further increase of the angularity of the bend is desired, the bending jaw is up swung and then shifted forwardly along the body member or bending saddle, so as to engage the forwardly extending unbent portion of the pipe or conduit adjacent to the initial bend (see Fig. 4), whereupon the down swinging bending actuation of the bending jaw is repeated. Such step by step bending manipulation can be repeated until a desired angularity of bend is attained.

It will be understood that the channel '12 of the body member or bending saddle and the complementary channel 21 of'the'bending jaw may be'provided in various sizes corresponding to external diameters of different sizes or pipes or conduits, ranging e. g. from A to 2 inches in diameter.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. A pipe or conduit bender comprising a stationary bendi'ng'saddle having an arcuate top portion and provided with an upwardly and endwise open pipeor conduit receiving channel extending along said top portion, said channel being of semi-circular cross-section corresponding in width to the diameter of a pipe or conduit to be bent and in depth to the cross-sectional radius of said pipe or conduit, said bending saddle having an arm rearwardly 1 extending from" one side thereof, a transverse abutment member supported by said arm in oifsetrelation to the rearward open end of the pipe or conduit receiving channel; said bending saddle having laterally projecting track means bordering the top portion thereof conformably to its curvature, amanipulatable bending jaw opposed to the arcuate top portion of the bending saddle and of substantially less length than said bendingsaddle, said bending jaw having a bottom curvature corresponding to that of said arcuate top portion of the bending saddle, said bending jaw having in its bottom a downwardly and endwise open pipe or conduit embracing channel corresponding in width'to the diameter of the pipe or conduit to be bent and in depth to the cross-sectional radius of said pipe or conduit, and means to detachably pivotally engage the rearward end of said bending jaw with the track means of the bending saddle, said bending jaw and its pivoting means being shiftable along the bending saddle and its track flanges to successive pipe or conduit bending positions.

2. A pipe or conduit bender according to claim 1 wherein the means for pivotally engaging the bending jaw with the bending saddle comprises dependent'means laterally offset from the bending jaw at the rearward end thereof and adapted'to straddle the track means of the latter, and said'dependent means having inwardly pro jecting pivoting means to engage theundersides of said track means.

3. -A pipe or conduit bender comprising a bending saddle having means to support the's'anie, said bending saddle having an arcuate top portion provided with anupwardly and endwise openpipe' or conduit receiving channel ex tending along said top portion, said channel being of semicircular cross-section corresponding in width to the diameter of a pipe or conduit to "be bent and in-depth to the cross-sectional radius of said pipe or conduit, said bending saddle having an arm rearwardly extending from one side thereof, a transverse abutment member supported by said arm in offset relation to the rearward open end of the pipe or conduit receiving channel, said bending saddle having laterally projecting track flanges bordering opposite sides ofthe top portion thereof 'conformably to its curvature, the rearward ends of said track flanges being spaced a distance forwardly of the rear end of the bending saddle, a manipulatable'arcuate bending jaw opposed to the arcuatetop portion of the bending saddle and of less length than said saddle, said bending 'jaw'having-a bottom" curvature'corres'ponding to thatof said arc'uatetop por tion of the bending saddle,"'said'bending jaw having in its bottom a downwardly and endwise open pipe or conduit embracing channel of semi-circular cross-section corresponding in width to the diameter of a pipe or conduit to be bent and in depth to the cross-sectional radius of said pipe or conduit, a lever arm for actuating said bending jaw, and means to detachably pivotally engage the rearward end of said bending jaw with the track flanges of the bending saddle, said means comprising dependent yoke arms respectively laterally offset from opposite sides of the bending jaw at the rearward end thereof and adapted to straddle the track flanges of the bending saddle when moved over the rearward ends of the latter, said yoke arms having inwardly projecting pivoting bosses to engage undersides of the track flanges, said bending jaw and its pivoting means being shiftable along the bending saddle and its track flanges to successive pipe or conduit bending positions.

4. A pipe or conduit bender according to claim 3 wherein the means for supporting the bending saddle comprises means to secure the same to a stationary support above the floor level at a place of use comprising a fastener receiving opening with which the abutment member of the bending saddle is provided, and a stay leg connected with said bending saddle to extend in downward inclination therefrom to said floor level.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,349,219 Moore et al Aug. 10, 1920 1,659,026 Henderson Feb. 14, 1928 2,463,966 Hauschild Mar. 8, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 417,656 Great Britain Oct. 3, 1934 724,583 Germany Aug. 29, 1942