Burr-free tube cutting

Tom Gardner wrote: : Is there a magic tool or method that will cut tube burr-free, cost little : and do it fast? (I might have to comprimise a little!) My qtys. are too : low to invest too much in equipment but cutting them on a band saw and : cleaning them up in a lathe are too slow and costly. --Not cheaply unless you roll your own but the thing that would do the best job is a wet abrasive cutoff saw. These are ideal for cutting capillary tubing and other small, thin or delicate things. I use mine to cut .050" hex keys. They also will allow you to cut hardened stuff; the only thing I've had difficulty cutting with it is titanium; probably needs a different compound in the "blade"..

On Wed, 29 Sep 2004 11:31:04 -0700, Tom Gardner wrote (in message ):

We electricians have a tool called a "Conduit reamer" for use on conduit cut with hacksaws that cleans up the ends, inside and outside. They don't come that large but you could fabricate one for your size tubing very easily.

You have to be more specific.

How much is "cost little"?

How fast is "fast"?

What does "burr-free" mean. Is a sharp edge without a burr acceptable? Do you want to tube chamfered? Inside and out or only one?

Do you want to have to do it by hand, or automatically?

Forget 2-5K parts per "time". How many cuts do you make in a week/month/year?

Are you processing the pieces on a lathe afterwards or just using them as-is?

Is the use of coolant/oil an issue? (As in, will you be cleaning them afterwards?)

These are important questions if you want to get the right machine. There are machines available that will cut a piece of tube to length and then deburr/chamfer it. You may be able to get one cheaply at an auction.

Regards,

Robin

Inches or mm?

y' marked these numbers, but not those.

A woodcutting chopsaw with a finetooth carbide blade will do it, this solution has been given a few times here. Try a google search for this newsgroup for more specific info, such as best type of blade. You'll probably have to deburr each piece, there is a deburring hand tool available you just spin inside a hole or you can make one by filing a V into the end of a piece of tool steel say, 1/8" thick by 1/2" wide with a handle. It'll deburr both inside and outside edges in one swipe.

Ken Grunke

Unless he is paying for extreme precision (unlikely here), the three places after the decimal should eliminate mm. :-)

Also, he is in Ohio, so the default units probably should be inches unless specified.

He's also not likely to switch units in mid-stream.

Enjoy, DoN.

I'm an American! We don't need no stinking milimeters! Think what my daily spam would read like: "Add millimeters to your..." Kinda' changes everything.