Tube cutting

La Stella Celeste wrote:
Can anyone offer any suggestions on high-volume tube cutting? I made ajig
and can saw by hand fairly fast, but I have several thousand tubes to cut
and would like to speed up the process. I am cutting aluminum tubing -
3/16". I tried riggng my flexshaft like a small table saw and tried both a
cutoff wheel and a narrow sawblade specified for metal, but am getting the
metal chewed up and sheared off. I am holding the tubing in a jig to hold
it steady while feeding it through the blade and it is still not working
well. Has anyone had any luck with other methods? Thanks!




Custom tube cutting:

http://www.tubefab.org/tubecut.htm

--
Abrasha
http://www.abrasha.com

Just an update on the tube cutting. Again, I really appreciate everyone's
input and information. Will, I do have the small manual tube cutter and it
was making nice cuts - just taking way too long.

I have a temporary solution while gathering the parts to make the industrial
version - someone e-mailed to suggest that I try the $30 mini-cutoff saw
(2") from Harbor Freight (I know - I hear everyone groaning). I have a
larger (3") mini-cutoff saw that was chewing my tubes to pieces. Got theHF
saw on sale for $19.95 and with the jig I have rigged to hold the tube
tightly, it is actually making acceptable cuts. Vibrates like all get-out
and is all plastic, but for now, it's doing the job. I still want to make
the saw that Ted suggested as I can see a lot of applications for it other
than just the tube cutting.

Thanks!
Robin



"La Stella Celeste" wrote in message
...
Can anyone offer any suggestions on high-volume tube cutting? I made a jig
and can saw by hand fairly fast, but I have several thousand tubes to cut
and would like to speed up the process. I am cutting aluminum tubing -
3/16". I tried riggng my flexshaft like a small table saw and tried botha
cutoff wheel and a narrow sawblade specified for metal, but am getting the
metal chewed up and sheared off. I am holding the tubing in a jig to hold
it steady while feeding it through the blade and it is still not working
well. Has anyone had any luck with other methods? Thanks!

La Stella Celeste wrote:
Just an update on the tube cutting. Again, I really appreciate everyone's
input and information. Will, I do have the small manual tube cutter and it
was making nice cuts - just taking way too long.

I have a temporary solution while gathering the parts to make the industrial
version - someone e-mailed to suggest that I try the $30 mini-cutoff saw
(2") from Harbor Freight (I know - I hear everyone groaning). I have a
larger (3") mini-cutoff saw that was chewing my tubes to pieces. Got the HF
saw on sale for $19.95 and with the jig I have rigged to hold the tube
tightly, it is actually making acceptable cuts. Vibrates like all get-out
and is all plastic, but for now, it's doing the job. I still want to make
the saw that Ted suggested as I can see a lot of applications for it other
than just the tube cutting.

Thanks!
Robin



"La Stella Celeste" wrote in message
...
Can anyone offer any suggestions on high-volume tube cutting? I made ajig
and can saw by hand fairly fast, but I have several thousand tubes to cut
and would like to speed up the process. I am cutting aluminum tubing -
3/16". I tried riggng my flexshaft like a small table saw and tried both a
cutoff wheel and a narrow sawblade specified for metal, but am getting the
metal chewed up and sheared off. I am holding the tubing in a jig to hold
it steady while feeding it through the blade and it is still not working
well. Has anyone had any luck with other methods? Thanks!






Well, I had to help my wife make some small copper tubes for enamel
beads once and one of us held the drill/driver with about 20-30" of
tubing chucked up, and the other of us would use the (well lubricated)
tubing cutter. There's some trial and error finding comfortable seating
positions and modulating the speed of the drill, etc. It's a little
tiresome but you can make a few dozen fairly quickly.

Carl


--
to reply, change ( .not) to ( .net)

La Stella Celeste wrote:
Just an update on the tube cutting. Again, I really appreciate everyone's
input and information. Will, I do have the small manual tube cutter and it
was making nice cuts - just taking way too long.

I have a temporary solution while gathering the parts to make the industrial
version - someone e-mailed to suggest that I try the $30 mini-cutoff saw
(2") from Harbor Freight (I know - I hear everyone groaning). I have a
larger (3") mini-cutoff saw that was chewing my tubes to pieces. Got the HF
saw on sale for $19.95 and with the jig I have rigged to hold the tube
tightly, it is actually making acceptable cuts. Vibrates like all get-out
and is all plastic, but for now, it's doing the job. I still want to make
the saw that Ted suggested as I can see a lot of applications for it other
than just the tube cutting.

Thanks!
Robin




I forgot to mention, that if you have access to a lathe, this can be donefairly
quickly as well. Much faster than the solution with the cutoff saw.

--
Abrasha
http://www.abrasha.com

Abrasha wrote:
La Stella Celeste wrote:

Just an update on the tube cutting. Again, I really appreciate everyone's
input and information. Will, I do have the small manual tube cutter and it
was making nice cuts - just taking way too long.

I have a temporary solution while gathering the parts to make the industrial
version - someone e-mailed to suggest that I try the $30 mini-cutoff saw
(2") from Harbor Freight (I know - I hear everyone groaning). I have a
larger (3") mini-cutoff saw that was chewing my tubes to pieces. Got the HF
saw on sale for $19.95 and with the jig I have rigged to hold the tube
tightly, it is actually making acceptable cuts. Vibrates like all get-out
and is all plastic, but for now, it's doing the job. I still want to make
the saw that Ted suggested as I can see a lot of applications for it other
than just the tube cutting.

Thanks!
Robin





I forgot to mention, that if you have access to a lathe, this can be done fairly
quickly as well. Much faster than the solution with the cutoff saw.

My experience was otherwise.
My cut off saw bench was initally made to produce a 1000 3/16th in long
by 1/8th in dia by 20 thou wall thickness lengths of silver tube.
I needed these for a production run of rosary bracelets.
Once cut off the lengths of tube were turned into beads between 2 dies
Made from center punches annealed,drilled and turned to profile in the
lathe and then re hardened and tempered. with concave faces all
supported by a central mandrel when in use. Still have them.
the cut off saw would give me 250 an hour with the cut off length being
held between a pair of strong tweesers in the left hand ,with me feeding
the long ie 12in lengths of tube in my rt hand.
When each cut was through i then dropped the cut off piece into a cup
along side the saw table.
a sitting down job.
I did about an hour a day at the saw and ditto making these hollow beads.
The saw would cut really square and cleanly as one could feel it going
through the tube and one varied the pressure on the saw depending on
where the cut was ie outside edge of tube ,middle and final cutting
through.

Like all these techniques, youll get better as you progress through the
1000.
dont forget to lube the saw with wax. Not oil. you need something
that sticks to the saw, not get thrown off.

, .