Met an old timer at the supply house who showed me a trick with a 3/4 inch bender

I was picking up some EMT in Tacoma last month and this guy, must have been in his 70s, saw me struggling to get a clean bend on a short stub. He walked over, took the bender, and showed me how to use the handle as a lever against my hip for way more control... said he learned it from his journeyman in 1972. He didn't say much else, just nodded and went back to his order. I've used that trick on every job since. Anyone know other old school bending tricks that aren't in the books?

3 comments

3 Comments

grace98326d ago

Honestly, it's just bending conduit. That hip trick is basic leverage, not some lost art. People act like every old guy at the supply house is a wizard. Most of those "tricks" are just common sense ways to make the work easier with your body. The books cover the math, which is what actually matters to keep the job up to code.

grace98326d ago

The math keeps you legal, but the craft keeps the job moving. Those old tricks are about working smarter with the tools you have, not just harder. It's the difference between a bend that passes inspection and one that looks clean and saves you time on the next pull.

ivanp7826d ago

That math keeps you legal, but the tricks keep you working. There's a craft to it that you don't get from a code book.