Debated pipe benders with an old timer on a job in Phoenix

I was out on a service call in Phoenix last week running some new conduit for a pool panel. Old school guy working next to me was using a manual bender and I had my fancy hydraulic one. He finished 3 bends in the time it took me to set mine up and the angles were spot on. I gotta ask, how do you guys get perfect offsets without second guessing yourself with the hand benders?

2 comments

2 Comments

claireo671mo ago

Manual benders are basically a secret society and nobody told me the handshake is just pure muscle memory honestly. I still eyeball my offsets and end up looking like I was aiming for a degree in abstract art sometimes. Old timers make it look easy until you try it yourself and realize your arms are just for decoration.

the_julia1mo ago

@claireo67 you ever catch yourself staring at a piece of conduit you just bent and wondering if it's supposed to look like a pretzel? I've definitely been there. What's the trick with the old timers, is it just years of trial and error or do they actually use some kind of secret math in their heads?