I have begun my 1st roll cage and hit the first annoyance. The notcher makes great tube to tube cuts but when I want a nice square end I am left to a mitre / hacksaw because the sawzall or cutoff wheel isn't accurate enough and I couldn't find a reasonable priced pipe-cutter with a jaw that big.
Anyone have a better < $50 answer?
Carborundum blade in a radial arm saw.
10" metal cutting blade in a miter saw. Assuming you have the miter saw already or can get one for $40, you should be under your $50 limit.
Draw a straight line around the tubing (use a piece of paper as a template). Cut with your sawzall, leaving room for error. Use a bench grinder to fine-tune up to the line.
Kramer wrote:Draw a straight line around the tubing (use a piece of paper as a template). Cut with your sawzall, leaving room for error. Use a bench grinder to fine-tune up to the line.
+1
I find that I can make better cuts in tubing if I lay off the caffeine %-)
Seriously, practice makes perfect using the sawzall. Just go slow, don't try to blow through the work. Use an angle grinder with a grinding wheel or flap disc to touch things up.......
Tip: Instead of using a paper template, use a hose clamp as your template.
-jeff d
The power chop and mitre saws scare me because they are not speed adjustable and will be eating blades and flinging lube + hot chips all around my garage.
I guess I can make a decent jig for the sawzall with some 3/16 plate - a homemade mitre box of sorts and a V-clamp to hold the pipe... thanks for the idears!
Using the paper template, you can also make very good square cuts with your little SAG. Rotate the tubing as you cut, and don't try to do it all in one pass.
I have a metal-cutting bandsaw which makes this job much easier, but it is an older POS, so I still allow for mistakes/grinding. I haven't seen these sell for $50, though, but if you spend $259, you'll find this tool to be one of the best investments you've ever made.
If this turns out to be a regular routine for me then I have my eye on this one: http://grizzly.com/products/4-x-6-Metal-Cutting-Bandsaw-w-Swivel-Head/G9742
But right now... not budget or room in the shop for that size equipment.
I have that same HF band saw. I see prices have gone up since I bought it. Anyway, while it is a very useful tool as a hammer, I mean, it will cut OK but I can cut faster and more accurately with a hack saw. I still use it regularly when an accurate cut isn't that important and I don't want to expend the elbow power to cut something. You can just set it up, turn it on and walk away. Tech Tips for the Band Saw: Buy only bimetal blades. Write "64.5 Inches" on the arm with a magic marker, then you won't always be wondering what size replacement blades to buy. Keep the tension adjusted very tight. There's a web page or forum somewhere dedicated to these saws and everything to can do with them and I think it starts out with "replace the POS stand it came with."
I've cut a lot of tubing, mostly stainless steel, but some DOM for my roll hoop as well. I'm tellin' ya, a metal cutting abrasive blade from Home Depot for about 8 bucks in an inexpensive miter saw box is the way to go. And there's no cutting fluid. Sparks/abrasive/steel dust does fly, so point it somewhere safe and let it rip. Used it extensively for my latest metal project, my log splitter discussed in another thread. Buzzed through 4" square 11ga with it.
HF Chop saw. Abrasive blades, cut pretty straight, not expensive. Yes, I have one.
I have a delta 10" Compund Miter saw that I originally bought for doing trim work in the house. I use it with a carbide blade for aluminum, and replace that with an abrasive wheel for steel. The nice thing about using the compund miter saw is I can cut goofy angles.
I bought a big ol' tubing cutter from HF some years ago for about $25.
Dr. Hess wrote: I'm tellin' ya, a metal cutting abrasive blade from Home Depot for about 8 bucks in an inexpensive miter saw box is the way to go.
OK, fine, two handfulls of brownie points to you for that one. I swear, I never considered the idea of using a carpentry miter box. That is such an obvious solution that I'm downright embarassed to toot the horn too you.
I've got an old HF bandsaw like the one posted above, and it's a hoss. It cuts well, MUCH faster on .095" tubing than by hand, that's for damn sure. I've got a couple jigs I made for cutting standard angles, works quite well. I use it all the time and would be up E36 M3 creek if (when) it ever craps out. knocks on wood
I like this one better than the HF one:
What's wrong with a tubing cutter?
Cheaper than the other suggestions, and significantly faster and better cut.
SVreX wrote:What's wrong with a tubing cutter?
Cheaper than the other suggestions, and significantly faster and better cut.
The only one I could find with a 2" jaw was a $110 Rigid brand that looked like it belonged from some giant plumber. All the $20 HF ones only went up to 1.125" but if you have a link to one... that was my original plan.
However, last night I used a rotozip, the paper trick and a die grinder... the results were good enough to make a tight weld to a plate and so maybe I was just being a little too prissy about the whole thing.
Best bang for the buck is a chop saw with abrasive blade. I'm not sure why you're looking for gnats arse accuracy???? Truth is, I've used every combination listed above... sometimes all on the same cage. Depends on the cut & the tube. The bandsaws are good if you have other things to do while it's cutting, but 9x out of 10, I use the chop saw.
Izzy's Cages wrote: I'm not sure why you're looking for gnats arse accuracy????
Yeah, me either... I guess I had just planned on using a big jaw pipe cutter and expected to have that result in my head.
Live and learn... 1st lesson, cut long and keep the grinder handy!
