Bender bench

Read your shoe

A stub-up mark is the stub height minus the take-up, and the take-up belongs to the bender in your hand, not to your memory. On this bench the 1 in., 1/2 in., 3/4 in. EMT hand benders take up 8 in., 5 in., 6 in. - the same table the conduit bending calculator uses. A machine or a different shoe can be several inches more. Check the number cast on the shoe every time.

Which mark on the shoe

• Arrow: stub-ups, offsets and the side bends of a saddle.
• Star: the back of a 90. For back-to-back 90s you measure from the back of the first stub and put that mark on the star; no take-up.
• Notch: the middle of a bend, for the center of a 3-point saddle.

Where the numbers come from

Every mark and angle is worked out by the calculator's own math: stub mark = stub - take-up; back-to-back second mark = the spacing from the back of the first stub; a 30° offset uses a multiplier of 2 and 1/4 in. of shrink per inch of rise; a 45° 3-point saddle puts its side marks 2 1/2 times the height from center and moves the center 3/16 in. per inch; a kick angle comes from the kick distance over the stub height minus the take-up. Your finished bends are turned back into those same numbers, so perfect play lands exactly on them.

How it is graded (draft)

Each round checks the dimension the job asked for, each bend angle, and any twist between bends:

• Lengths (stub height, spacing, rise, where it lands): 3 stars within 1/8 in., a pass within 1/4 in..
• Angles: within 1° for 3 stars, 2° to pass.
• Dog-leg (twist): within 1 1/2° for 3 stars, 3° to pass.

These tolerances are a draft for practice. They have not been reviewed by a qualified person and are not a code, manufacturer or inspection limit.

What this does not claim

• The bender radii are nominal and the springback (about 2 to 3 degrees on a 90) is an assumed value. Bend a test piece with your own tool.
• The kick reuses the 90's mark and take-up, like the calculator; that layout is not checked against a manufacturer's instructions.
• The pipe is drawn with real bend radii, so a saddle hump or a kick lean can look a little under the number. The grade uses the trade math above.
• Game progress stays in this browser. It is never a training record and never touches logged hours. Opened from a career job, each Check also counts for that job, in this browser only.

Practice material, not training credit or certification. SparkShift is not affiliated with NFPA or any tool maker.

Related tools

• Conduit bending calculator - the same offsets, saddles, stub-ups and kicks, with your own numbers
• Route the conduit - plan a run around obstacles
• Where does the strap go? - support the run once it is bent