How To Bend Rebar Steel
Bending rebar steel is not exactly a whole lot of fun but, like most jobs, if you have the right tools at your disposal, it can make your life a lot easier. The most important thing to remember is, you cannot bend rebar by heating it. Heat will only compromise the elements in the rebar steel that provide tensile strength, defeating the purpose of its installation entirely.
Rebar Steel How To Bend
How to bend rebar steel the easiest way is to have your rebar supplier bend it for you. Rebar bending is a very common service offered by most suppliers, or if you’re buying bulk from a more commercial outlet like Home Depot, you can outsource the bending to an independent rebar house or retailer. This sort of inquiry is not out of the ordinary in the slightest for such outlets and cracking the local Yellow Pages will help you find a variety of good candidates.
The next best way to bend rebar steel is to rent an electro-hydraulic rebar bender/cutter. You can rent these with a 1" and smaller capacity (#8 bar and smaller) for a relatively small amount per day. Again, most equipment rental outlets that you might find in the Yellow Pages would either carry them for rent, or be able to direct to you an outlet that did.
Finally, if you have a lot of cutting and bending of rebar steel to do on a given project, there are also a number of commercially-available electric cutter/bender tools on the market that you might consider investing in. Higher-end models will typically feature a wide range of angles you can bend to, a variable-speed trigger with a safety lock for control and accuracy, and presets for repeat operations. These tools can be costly, but considering the scope of your project, possibly a wise investment.
These approaches and tools will increase the quality and production of any job site, while raising morale at the same time. Learning how to bend rebar steel is not so much about expertise than it is about having the right tools in your rebar bending arsenal.