cassidym
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| posted on 4/3/05 at 08:06 PM |
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Help cutting tubes
Hello all,
Started this evening cuttin side rails A1 and A2 - took me 90 minutes. 
Oh yes, am using a hacksaw. Found that my biggest problem is getting the ends truly sqaure - always off by a fraction of a millimetre.
It's the round edge of the tube that throws me when I'm marking - using a piece of angle iron to align marks across the faces also
is'nt 100% accurate.
A1 is out by a huge 1mm on one face. A2 is very accurate but that probably took me 40 minutes.
Any advice/help/hints will be appreciated.
Thanx.
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flak monkey
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| posted on 4/3/05 at 08:11 PM |
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Cutting straight with a hacksaw is an aquired skill....and it doesnt necessarily come easily... (they used to get apprentices to practice it over and
over until they could do it!)
It just takes lots of practice. Hold the saw right, dont use too much pressure and you are halfway there. Choosing the right type of blade helps too.
Its harder to cut straight with a coarse blade...i reckon anyway.
If you can afford one buy a cut off saw. If not just practice cutting straight on offcuts.
Use a sqaure to mark off the tubes. Engineers ones (all metal) are best. That will make sure your marking is square.
David 
Sera
http://www.motosera.com
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Peteff
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| posted on 4/3/05 at 08:23 PM |
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Mark all 4 faces and then cut them one at a time, turning the tube over if you need to be so accurate.
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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chrism
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| posted on 4/3/05 at 08:26 PM |
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Another option could be to use one of those cheap skirting/coving mitre boxes from DIY stores.
The ones that are U shaped and have several slots in them for the saw.
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clbarclay
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| posted on 4/3/05 at 08:29 PM |
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I cut most of my tubes a fraction long and then used a bench grinder to get them true and the right length.
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cassidym
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| posted on 4/3/05 at 08:33 PM |
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quote:
cut off saw
Hopefully am getting one end of this or next month.
quote:
if you need to be so accurate.
As I said A1's one face is off by 1mm - peteff are you saying that this is an acceptable "tolerance". Am I worrying too much
here?
quote:
cheap skirting/coving mitre boxes
Never interested in them coz they look so flimsy. Am getting myself one tomorrow.
Thanx all for your replies.
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clbarclay
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| posted on 4/3/05 at 08:47 PM |
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For marking round tubes for square cuts, wrap round a peice of gum tape. gum tape does not stretch or deform like most other tapes do.
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Bart69
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| posted on 4/3/05 at 08:58 PM |
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Personally i had three practise cuts with a hacksaw and gave up an went and got a lone of a cut off saw. imho only way to go unless your experinced
with a hacksaw.
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TTK77
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| posted on 4/3/05 at 09:01 PM |
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Welder is master of gaps!!!!
http://www.aar.fi
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Danozeman
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| posted on 4/3/05 at 09:06 PM |
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"" welder is master of gaps "" I second that.
I find a vice with big jaws are good for straight edges.. Run the hacksaw down the jaws.
Dan
Built the purple peril!! Let the modifications begin!!
http://www.eastangliankitcars.co.uk
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clbarclay
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| posted on 4/3/05 at 09:22 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by DanozemanI find a vice with big jaws are good for straight edges.. Run the hacksaw down the jaws.
Works OK but jaws of vice doesn't stay square for long.
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Cita
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| posted on 4/3/05 at 10:19 PM |
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1 mm is close to nothing mate
If you can keep that standard for the entire frame than you probably have a car with closer tolerances than most production cars.
Dont worry about it.
I used Peteff's method (mark the four sides and turn the tube for each cut) and it works a charm.It's time consuming yes but it's
accurate and easy.
Invest in a good saw blade,it makes a big difference.
[Edited on 4/3/05 by Cita]
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dern
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| posted on 4/3/05 at 10:20 PM |
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I cut all the tubes for my chassis with a hacksaw because my daughter sleeps in the room above the garage. I found I got better with time and just
cleaned up with a file.
Buy decent hacksaw blades, mark all round the tube with a square and a scribe, lie your index finger down the saw and keep watching where the blade is
going.
I tried a guide box from B&Q but it was pretty unhelpful. Never tried a cut-off saw because of the noise.
Mark
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Spottty
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| posted on 4/3/05 at 10:48 PM |
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Wow, I cant belive you guys have made all those cuts with a hand saw!!
The first tool I got when I knew I was gonna build this was a cutoff saw. Such a time saver!
Best thing to do for a build....
Ditch the wife!
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cassidym
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| posted on 4/3/05 at 11:41 PM |
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Thanx for all the replies guys - you've given me new hope.
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Farmer_Rob
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| posted on 4/3/05 at 11:56 PM |
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It surely doesn't take that long to cut a bit of 16g tube witha hacksaw, does it?
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cassidym
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| posted on 5/3/05 at 12:11 AM |
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Cutting is actually the easy part and I'm reasonably accurate.
BUT I do take it very slow - most of the time is spent measuring, checking with the square, filing a bit.
Probably get better with time; we'll see.
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clbarclay
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| posted on 5/3/05 at 12:27 AM |
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Cutting certainly is not to hard, but the better the cut the less work needed trying to get it to fit all together.
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