How to Bend PVC Pipe Which bend looks neater? Smoother? More professional?      After you've mastered the basics of making PVC projects, you'll want to know how to bend PVC pipe. Actually, it's pretty easy once you learn the way I've been doing it. No need to spend hundreds of dollars on specialized equipment... everything necessary to get set up should cost less than $35!      First, here's how NOT to bend PVC pipe.      Now, the right way...      Are you familiar with Harbor Freight®? You are? Good. (But if not, you can order a catalog online or find the store nearest you by visiting http://www.harborfreight.com.)      Purchase the Chicago® brand "Heat Gun with Accessories," Item #47269. It's like a hair dryer on steroids. I paid around $15.00 for mine when it was on sale. That was a couple of years ago.      To practice, lay a length of "throw-away" 3/4-inch diameter (1/2-inch works as well) PVC pipe, about 3 feet long on a flat surface... garage floor, sheet of plywood or whatever. (Read "Is Working with PVC Safe?") Turn the heat gun on high, place the "business end" about an inch, or thereabouts, from the section of pipe you want to heat. Slowly turn the pipe and move the heat gun back and forth 3 or 4 inches in each direction. Be sure to wear a good pair of leather gloves and work in a well-ventilated space. You'll see that, in just a minute or so, the pipe becomes very malleable. Turn off the heat gun, pick up the pipe and slowly bend it to the desired shape.      Ooops!      See how the pipe kinks? Not good. Easy, Cheap Solution      Sand. The sand I use is clean sand which comes in a small sack that you can get from most any hardware store. Or get a small bucketful of sand from a yard and garden shop, from the beach or wherever.      Next, fit a PVC cap on one end of the pipe, fill it with sand and tamp it down (I use a wooden dowel). Then place another cap on the opposite end. NOTE: Do not glue the caps to the pipe.      Heat the pipe as described above. The sand evenly distributes the heat and, of course, keeps it from kinking. Bend the pipe, then let it cool for a couple of minutes. No Sand... Bad Sand... Good TIP: you can speed-up the cooling process by pouring cold water over the pipe. But it tends to be a bit messy. TIP: bend the pipe just a smidge beyond the desired radius. Because of the recovery characteristics of PVC, the bent pipe will "spring back" slightly after cooling.      Next thing to know is how to get the same radius each time you bend the pipe for duplicate projects. Or, for example, the same bend for curved arms of a chair. I've come up with an easy-to-build bending jig that utilizes a "peg system." And it's pretty slick.      The tool can be made with scraps. But, if you have to purchase the materials, the cost should be under $20 (plus the cost of the heat gun).      Anyway, I've put full color photos and how-to directions for building the bending jig into a handy manual. You can read more about it here. Just imagine what you can do by bending PVC pipe. The possibilities are endless! Back to the Workshop's Home Page