Mathematics of the Offset Bend Article Updated

I received a call about the Mathematics of the Offset bend Article that I wrote a few years ago. So I reread the article and decided it should be revised. I added 5 pages and a downloadable spreadsheet calculator. I wrote the article because the shrinkage multiplier zip guides that so many electricians use never worked for me. Usually when I used this guide to precut rigid pipe the pipe came out short and had to be put in the dog pile. I always thought it was me, but now I know the zip guide is just that, a guide and is not precise. The offset JavaScript calculator in the article on page 6 that determines and applies the gain from the arc of the bends is mathematically more correct, but needs further verification in the field. It is almost unbelievable how much math is involved in the calculation of shrinkage. In the field, most of us do not do these calculations. Most of us develop our own techniques for the situation at hand and the bender(s) at hand and make them work. I have seen one electrician use a back hoe to bend rigid pipe for underground installions. He placed the pipe in soft dirt and applied pressure using the back of the bucket and did a fine job of it. This method is not recommended and is illegal by Code, but it seemed to work just fine at the time.

I also added more Code to the alaskavirtaultour.com index page. Talk about CSS ad DHTML that page is full of it. It isn't a page at all but a computer program. It combines JavaScript with CSS to produce effects never achievable with standard HTML. The page is only viewable using Internet Explorer version 5 and above.