Abstract: A pipe bending machine has a beam mounted in see-saw pivotal relation on a fulcrum and spaced apart cradles support the pipe. An actuator initially drives the second cradle and the beam apart to pivot the pipe about the first cradle until the pipe is in contact with the die and thereafter drives the beam away from the second cradle to bend the pipe against the die. The mechanical advantage of the levered operation requires only a single actuator motion to bend the pipe. An external mandrel allows the pipe to be incrementally fed through the bending machine and secures the pipe against cross-sectional distortion during the bending process.