Cutting thong hole tubing

I've cut it by hand with a hacksaw. I've cut it via abrasive cut-off disc in the dremel. I've cut via by bandsaw.

The bandsaw is quick and painless, but once you break the outer wall, it can catch and wrestle the piece in your hand. I usually rotate the tubing slowly into the bandsaw to prevent snags as it cuts. The dremel method also works well, though you don't get as even a cut typically.

--nathan
 
I've had the same issues with the band saw and the blade jerking the material. I've found the easiest way for me it to use my angle grinder with a 1/16" cutoff wheel and I'll cut forty or fifty tubes at a time. Then I just clean up the ends on the belt grinder with the flat platen. Besides, the cutoff discs are cheap and it saves wear on my expensive band saw blades.
 
All you need is a cutting jig.
Take a 6" piece of 1" angle iron and cut at the center on one leg to the other. Place tubing on the jig and hold against the back with your fingers. Slide into the blade slowly.
A similar type of jig can be used for hand sawing. Weld the angle iron on a piece of 2" wide flat stock so it sticks up in a "V". Cut the center right up to the crotch, but don't go farther. Set the tubing in the "V" and use a hand saw to cut. This is basically a small steel miter box.
 
BTW, if using a bandsaw, it needs to be a pretty fine tooth count. Anymore I usually have a cutoff in the dremel on the bench anyway, so I use that.

--nathan
 
I cut it on my bandsaw using a fine tooth blade, the coarser blades tend to grab more and if they snag hard enough they will bend or crush the end of the tube.
 
I have the same routine as Jonny Mac. I don't cut quite that many at once, but I do most of my pins and tubes this way. I cut a bit oversized and generally just assume 3/8" handle material, 3/16" stock and a thin liner, plus wiggle room and space for the chamfering. The only exception is mosaic, which I cut to size for each knife so I waste as little as possible. I still cut it with the thin cut off disks but do each just long enough for the knife it's going on.
 
David66 said:
Buy a tubing cutter!

The small ones in the plumbing dept at a home improvement center. Uses three replaceable cutters and only cost a few dollars.

http://www.harborfreight.com/tubing-cutter-40913.html
Click to expand...

The tubing I have used is thick walled stainless.

1 - The tubing cutter will have trouble cutting that compared to copper tubing.

2- The tubing cutter will end up swaging the tubing smaller on both sides of the cut -
It will change the fit in the handles, unless you leave lots of waste to grind off.
 
I have an arrow cut-off saw which works perfectly. I've tried on the band-saw a few times, but find it just too inconsistent, even with a 24 TPI blade.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top