How to Build Tubing Benders

Bending your own tubes allows you to make shapes and sizes without running to a hardware store and paying extra for custom bending and also allows you to make shapes and sizes that may be difficult or impossible to get done any other way. You can use these tubing benders for a vast array of home improvement projects and do-it-yourself work.

Things You'll Need

• (1) 2-by-2 foot piece of plywood, ¾-inch thick Several 1-inch pieces of 2-by-2 inch pine wood blocks Wood glue Hammer Box of 1-inch finishing nails Protractor Permanent marker Some type of work table, even a kitchen table or a card table will work

Instructions

1. Lay your plywood down on your work table. Start anywhere on the board, but ends or near corners are best. Use your protractor and lay out a 45-degree angle. Mark the ends of the 45 degrees with your permanent marker.

2. You will have two marks. The first one is at the start of the 45-degree point, and the last one is at the end of the 45-degree point. Place one piece of your 2-by-2 inch pine blocks up against your first 45-degree mark. Add glue to the bottom and glue it down. From beneath, pound in 2 or 3 nails to secure it tightly.
   At the other end of the 45-degree angle, place down your next block with one end on the angle mark and the other end butted up against the block already in place. Because it is placed on the other angle point, it will automatically have a correct 45-degree angle when butted up to the previous placed block. Glue and nail it down.

3. With the protractor's ruler, measure 1 inch from the block that has been placed on the upper angle, and then draw a line with your marker. Put another block on that line, glue and nail it down. Using your protractor's ruler, measure out 1 1/2 inches from the lower block, and make a line just as you did before on the upper block. Glue and nail down another block on this line, and make sure it is butted up against the upper block.
   You now have made a 45-degree angle for bending tubing. As you place a piece of tubing inside your blocks, the tip will conform to the angle as you begin to bend the tubing. The half inch difference of the lower block will act like a stop, so that you can keep feeding your tubing through the entire 45 degree angle, bending it slightly with each push on the tube.

4. Use this process to create a tubing bender for any angle. Simply use the protractor to set the blocks of wood at different angles for different bends.

Tips & Warnings

• Always use care when pounding nails.

References

• Different Types of Tube Benders.