Bending tips

Reading your bender, getting offsets to match, and fixing the bends that didn't. For the numbers on any bend, use the bending calculator.

Know your bender

Arrow: lines up with your mark for a stub-up. The take-up is already built into where the arrow sits.
Star or rim notch: the back of a 90°. Use it to bend back-to-backs and to measure to the back of a finished bend.
Teardrop (or notch): the center of a 45° for the middle bend of a three-point saddle.
Degree marks on the side of the shoe show when the conduit is at 10°, 22½°, 30°, 45° and 60°. Read them square, not at an angle.
Most brands are close, but not identical. Bend a test piece and measure before a big run.

Mark the stub length minus the take-up, line the arrow up with the mark, and bend to 90°.

Make the first bend, then roll the conduit exactly 180° and make the second. A level or a straight line drawn down the pipe keeps you honest.
Bending toward an obstruction, add the shrink to your first mark so the offset lands where you measured.
Shallow angles (10° to 22½°) pull easier and look cleaner, but take more room. 30° is the everyday choice.
For a row of parallel offsets, start the inside pipe first and move each next mark out by the center-to-center spacing times the tangent of half the angle (the calculator does this).

Three-point saddle: 45° in the center and 22½° on each side. Put the outside marks 2½ in away from the center for every inch of saddle height, and move the center mark forward 3/16 in per inch to make up for shrink.
Four-point saddle: two offsets back to back. The space between the inside bends is the width of what you're crossing.
Kick: a single bend that moves the pipe off the wall, usually after a 90° to get into a box. Measure the kick distance at the end of the pipe, not at the bend.

Dog-leg (the second bend isn't in the same plane): lay the pipe on the floor. If one end lifts, put it back in the bender at the bad bend and twist gently against the floor, or use a pipe-length cheater on the free end. Small dog-legs come out; big ones usually mean a new stick.
Over-bent 90°: flip the bender upside down, put the stub in the hook, and pull back a little. Some bender handles have a hole made for this.
Under-bent: put it back in the shoe at the same spot and finish. Line the arrow up exactly or you'll get a double bend.
Springback: EMT springs back a few degrees. Bend slightly past the mark, especially in larger sizes.
Kinks and flattening: keep heavy foot pressure on the heel and pull smoothly. A kinked or flattened bend has to be cut out: it damages wire on the pull and reduces the raceway's area.

No more than 360° of bends between pull points (boxes, conduit bodies). Count offsets and saddles too.
Bends can't damage the raceway or reduce its inside diameter, and the radius can't be tighter than Chapter 9 Table 2.
Support EMT within 3 ft of each box and every 10 ft.

NEC: 358.24, 358.26, 358.30, Chapter 9 Table 2