How to Form Sheet Steel Into a Pipe
Sheet steel forms easily with the proper tools. The tools required to form a piece of sheet steel into a pipe vary depending on the thickness or gauge of the steel. Thinner steel sheets are formed into a pipe with a hand sheet metal roller, while heavy gauged steel sheets require the use of large power rolls. A roll uses three or four rolls to hold and bend the sheet metal. The two front rolls are called pinch rolls and they feed the sheet steel into the bending roll(s), which curve the steel sheet. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Calculator
- Tape measure
- Permanent marker
- Leather work gloves
- Shear
- Power roll
- Welding table
- Safety glasses
- Welding gloves
- Welding hood
- MIG welder
Instructions
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1
Enter the diameter of the pipe you need to form into the calculator and multiply the diameter by Pi (3.142) to determine the circumference of the pipe.
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2
Set the end of the tape measure on one edge of the steel sheet and stretch the tape measure along the steel sheet.
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3
Hold the tape measure in place with one hand and make a mark on the surface of the steel with the permanent marker at the circumference dimension you determined in step one.
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4
Put on your leather work gloves and cut the steel sheet to length with the shear.
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5
Adjust the pinch rolls of the power roll to the thickness of the steel sheet and lower the bending roll to its full bottom position.
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6
Remove your leather work gloves and feed the steel sheet into the pinch rolls.
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7
Press the button to pull the steel sheet into the power roll. Stop the power roll when the steel sheet is one-inch in front of the bending roll.
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8
Raise the bending roll until it rests slightly higher than the steel sheet.
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9
Run the steel sheet through the power roll until the steel sheet releases from the pinch rolls.
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10
Raise the bending roll, spin the steel sheet end for end and feed the steel sheet back through the power roll.
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11
Repeat Step 10 until the edges of the rolled steel sheet meet.
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12
Release the top roll and slide the rolled steel sheet from the pinch rolls.
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13
Place the rolled steel sheet on the welding table.
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14
Put on your safety glasses, welding gloves and welding hood.
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15
Attach the ground clamp of the MIG welder to the welding table and turn on the MIG welder.
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16
Align the edges of the steel sheet, leaving a 1/16-inch gap between the two edges of the steel sheet for a weld gap.
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17
Place the wire protruding from the MIG gun into the steel sheet weld gap, lower your welding hood and press the trigger of the MIG gun for two seconds to place a tack weld on the 1/16-inch weld gap.
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18
Repeat Step 17 to place tack welds every 2 inches until the entire seam of the steel sheet is tacked together.
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19
Starting at the top of the weld joint, press the trigger of the MIG gun and seal weld the entire length of the steel sheet seam.
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20
Allow the steel sheet formed into a pipe to cool before handling to avoid being burned.
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Tips & Warnings
Never wear gloves when operating a power roll as the glove can be pulled into the pinch roll and pull your hand and arm into the roll. When your glove is grabbed, you will not be able to remove your hand from the tightened glove.
