rebar in block to hearth

[maver]

I used the grab handle in a man hole cover - we have some rectangular utility access panels in our street that have a handle that slides up enough to slide rebar under, the cover is bolted down so it does not move at all. Check your neighborhood. No good if it's already in your block stand though. There is a tool for this also - I've seen it at the rental places.

[CanuckJim]

Dmun and all,

I've used all kinds of methods to bend rebar, but I agree that a piece of pipe works really well. On job sites, we've used the bumper of an old Ford pickup. For sharp bends, try a bench vise, pipe and, last, a two pound hammer to get the final shape.

Jim

[james]

There is a tool you can use. It isn't complicated and is the most accurate. I don't know if the rental companies have those.

I bent and tied three courses of rebar for the perimeter foundation on our last house extension project -- never again! I couldn't use my hands for a week. That's a job for the foundation contractor next time.

But the rebar bending tool set the angle right where you needed it to stay in the center of the foundation form.

James

[KISS4me]

Thanks for advice on filling these cores over the opening. Just confirming that you recommend throwing some rubble down these, then stuff some paper to impede hearth pour block rather than filling them with concrete. Agree?

The bending of reo rods .............. why not bend before placing in cores?
Steve

[dmun]

Originally Posted by KISS4me

The bending of reo rods .............. why not bend before placing in cores?
Steve

Because they are brutally hard to bend. If you put them in a vise, they slip out. Standing on them and lifting doesn't work. Scoring them with the angle grinder makes them break. There is no doubt a tool for doing this, but the main problem is holding them. Burying one end in the concrete solves the workholding problem.

[james]

I have worked with the manual rebar bender/cutter. They cost between $200-$350, and I found a photo on a constuction tool web site.

There is also a $3700 electric bender/cutter. I don't know if you can rent either.

The manual tool is physical, but it works. Photos attached.
James