Does anyone have any tips on how to get two notches, one on each end of a 3ft long piece of (round) tube bang on on exactly the same axis?
Preferably without any specialist tooling or machinery, can the free tube notcher download be used to do this?
I suppose I could just use the welded seam on the long tube as a reference for locating my paper template ............couldn't I?
Have I just answered my own question!!!???
Hold the tube flat on a flat surface and scribe a line along its length. Use the mitre.exe programe to make a pair of paper templates and make sure they are both lined up with the scribed line on the tube.
How do you suggest I scribe a line along a round tube and keep it in the same place along its length!
Can you fix a piece of tube to the end of the bench and push the 1st notch against the tube....clamp and then you know the drill and the 1st notch are both vertical?
25mm tube, clamped down, strip of wood, 10mm/12mm (or anything around that, its not importabt really) thick perhaps, lay a pencil flat, run it along the tube?
Or just hold the tube with one hand (the left hand will do) and use your other hand (probably the right one) to slide a set-square up and down the tube, thus marking a line. You could always tape a pencil or piece of chalk to the set square.
Easiest way is to lay it in a piece of angle iron and then just mark against the edge where ever you want 
very good! ^ thought of angle, but didn't think of that! so many ways 
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Or just hold the tube with one hand (the left hand will do) and use your other hand (probably the right one) to slide a set-square up and down the tube, thus marking a line. You could always tape a pencil or piece of chalk to the set square.
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Originally posted by designer
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Or just hold the tube with one hand (the left hand will do) and use your other hand (probably the right one) to slide a set-square up and down the tube, thus marking a line. You could always tape a pencil or piece of chalk to the set square.
This is the accepted way. I 'felt tip' the tube and use a cheap wood scraper instead of a square.
Hold the base of the square flat to the surface of whatever your working on, and the back of the squares blade against the tube.
Another way is to pick up off the internal seam (unless it's seamless tube). As daviep says, angle iron is one of the simplest and most reliable methods.
Lay a piece of wood or metal bar on the bench and roll the tube up to it, drag your pencil along the top of the piece (or just mark the ends) same as everybody else.
I tack weld a bit of bar or scrap material etc midway, then using a spirit level, or if Im feeling fancy, the digital camber guage, just set it up
like that
for getting ends in the same plane then spirit level will get you in the right area.
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Originally posted by daviep
Easiest way is to lay it in a piece of angle iron and then just mark against the edge where ever you want
quote:
Originally posted by daviep
Easiest way is to lay it in a piece of angle iron and then just mark against the edge where ever you want
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Originally posted by Doug68
quote:
Originally posted by daviep
Easiest way is to lay it in a piece of angle iron and then just mark against the edge where ever you want
Brilliant! The method I used to use was crap in comparison (but got there in the end).