I'd like to make a machine for trimming the ends of annealed 304 SS tubing (~3" dia., 0.010" wall, 6" long). I need low distortion of the cut end, and a cut that is perpendicular to the axis of the tube.
My first idea was to mount the tube on an expanding mandrel, spin it in a lathe, and advance a thin rubber-bonded abrasive wheel through the wall. This works pretty well but is slow (1-2 minutes per cut) and leaves about 0.020" of burr on the inside, and
0.005" on the outside of the tube. The cutoff disk is nice and square with the axis of the lathe, I'm using water coolant, and feeding slowly (0.030"/min).
Any ideas on other faster/better/more burr-free approaches, or improvements on this one?
TIA, slim