Machinist/machinery question

I recently was watching American Chopper where they were saddling pipe with a machine. The machine had a rotary burr looking cutting tool, and it either attacked the pipe like a drill press, or the pipe was pressured against the side of the tool at the proper angle.

I want to saddle some decorative round stock that is 5/16 to 5/8" to make what looks like vines. I want to TIG these saddles, so want them very tight to get a weld of low visibility. That is why I am not inclined to use MIG and then grind it.

Would I do better just saddling by hand with a grinder or hand grinder? Or could I set up one of these devices to get the right angle on the saddle?

Probably not worth the extra work to set up a machine, and should just saddle it out with a hand grinder, right?

Steve

Reply to
SteveB
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If you're using solid round stock you'd probably be as well off to use a grinder. If you're using tubing one of the cheap pipe notchers sold by Harbor Freight, Northern Tool & Equipment and a dozen other tool sellers would probably work well. In case you're not familiar with them they have a clamp for the pipe that can be pivoted to the proper angle and then use a hole saw to cut the pipe.

You might even be able to adapt on to use the proper radius grinding stone for solid stock as well. Here's a link to one from Harbor Freight but it doesn't includle a very good picture of how they work:

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Best Regards, Keith Marshall snipped-for-privacy@progressivelogic.com

"I'm not grown up enough to be so old!"

Reply to
Keith Marshall

It looks like a big roughing end mill in that machine to me. It does a pretty slick job of notching the tubing.

Les

Reply to
Ljwebb11

Hello,

If you want to make a notcher like they have you can use your lathe. (if you have one) Make a tube hnolder you can mount on your top slide, it's already marked for degrees. Then mount an end mil of the right size for the mating tube in a collet and there you go. Mount the tube and use the powere feed or manual feed.

I am making a motorcycle frame and have a Northern Tool & Equipment tube notcher, works OK though I am tired of it being on my drill press because it's a bit of a PITA to get it setup nice and aligned (which means I don't want to take it on and off). I have found that the hole saw makes a big difference, spend a bit more on variable teeth good saws for a nicer cut.

Jeff

SteveB wrote:

Reply to
Jeff Williams

Sounds like a Rotabroach to me. Available from various suppliers such as McMaster, MSC, etc. I haven't actually used one, but from what I have heard they are the greatest thing since (...). Little spendy, but depending on how much you need to do...

Jeridiah

Reply to
Jeridiah

My tube notching setup for building oval-track race cars is a 1.75" roughing mill set up in a mill-drill with a vise mounted ona rotary table which is mounted on the mill-drill table.

It doesn't take much practice to be able to hit the correct angles and come up with beautiful fits with a simple dial protractor.

Bob Paulin - R.A.C.E. Chassis Analysis Services

SteveB wrote in article ...

Reply to
Bob Paulin

do this type of work all the time. depends on how tight a fit you need and/or how big your tigwelder/filler rod is.

5/16" rounds, dont bother. just fill in the gap when welding. just weld two sides and build up the round. a little finesse with the torch and no grinding required.

the lathe and mill suggestions work wonderfully provided you have the clearance in the case of shallow angles. (ie, you can swing your turret around far enough to get a 5deg cut without the tube running into the chuck or nailing the tail)

then again, you'd have this same problem with a tube notcher also.

same thing with tubing, if its small. building up the weld is probably faster (and just as strong) as grinding/fitting/grinding/fitting cycle.

again, depending on required weld strength and/or technique, you might be able to cheat 'fishmouths' in by v-notching the tube with a thin cutoff disc in a die grinder. v's are faster to cut, you can make them at the same angles as fishmouths and weld relatively sound (your gaps are bigger than fishmouth but not as big as t-joint gaps)

brazing on rounds usually gets me good asthetics (it will naturally follow the contours of your workpiece) when low strength / cosmetics prevail.

just a few thoughts.

-tony

Reply to
tony

Try Mittler Brothers Machine. They pioneered this technique I think. -Steve

Reply to
Steve

Reply to
James P Crombie

Park or mount a bench vise next to your drill press. Insert appropriate holesaw, have fun. (Or do it in a mill like a real machinist!)

Reply to
Randy Quanstrom

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