New Pipe and Tubing Cutter In The Works

[adbuch]

I have never used a lathe yet, so maybe I just don't know... but wouldn't a shoulder bolt accomplish the same thing, if the machined shoulder was the proper diameter?

Joe

SHOULDER BOLT.jpg

The arbor needs to be chucked up in the lathe, and the length of material engaging the chuck jaws should be at least as long as the jaws. The head height of a SHCS stripper bolt as shown in photo 1 would not be sufficient. Nor would the hex head shown in photo 2.

[adbuch]

You will use your lathe to make the arbor to hold the pulley for machining the OD of the pulley. You can watch some videos to learn how to use your lathe and make this part.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fkz5hOKMTA

How to use a metal lathe.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5w0KzishlA

Turning a diameter to size on the lathe.jpg

[Joe Jones]

The arbor needs to be chucked up in the lathe, and the length of material engaging the chuck jaws should be at least as long as the jaws. The head height of a SHCS stripper bolt as shown in photo 1 would not be sufficient. Nor would the hex head shown in photo 2.

These jaws don't seem to have any problem grabbing this cylinder.

LATHE JAW GRIP 1.jpg

But I guess THIS is what you are talking about...

Joe

[adbuch]

I'm not talking about a cnc lathe, although the principle is the same. Your arbor will be machined from a solid round piece of material - say 1" OD CR steel, or even aluminum or silica bronze. You would most likely cut the piece you are working with to about 6" long, chuck into the lathe, face the end, turn the OD to create a "step" slightly shorter than the width of you pulley hub. Then check the fit of your pulley on the shaft. Then center drill, tap drill to the size for your tap. You will want to use a tap wrench like the one below. This mounts into the tail stock chuck and allow you to hand tap the hole while keeping it aligned with the center line of the part. 3/8 - 16 would probably be a good tap size to use.


https://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Wrench-Spi ... MPGRD&th=1

tap wrench for lathe.jpg

[Joe Jones]

I'm not talking about a cnc lathe, although the principle is the same. Your arbor will be machined from a solid round piece of material - say 1" OD CR steel, or even aluminum or silica bronze. You would most likely cut the piece you are working with to about 6" long, chuck into the lathe, face the end, turn the OD to create a "step" slightly shorter than the width of you pulley hub. Then check the fit of your pulley on the shaft. Then center drill, tap drill to the size for your tap. You will want to use a tap wrench like the one below. This mounts into the tail stock chuck and allow you to hand tap the hole while keeping it aligned with the center line of the part. 3/8 - 16 would probably be a good tap size to use.

I will give this a go ... with a strong face shield! Thanks for the checklist. It will help me to avoid missed steps.

I am watching You Tube videos on using a lathe. I understand the concept. I think this is a skill I should add to my bag-o-tricks. Of course, if I get "into it," it won't be long before I add another lathe. Bigger ... Better ... stronger! Nah, really, the next big thing I want to add is that laser table I passed over, back when I sold my store in town. The KERN OptiFLEX laser system with the dual laser setup. I REALLY should have bought it right then and there. I had the CASH in my hand.

Joe

[acourtjester]

" These jaws don't seem to have any problem grabbing this cylinder." you may think so but too deep of the cut and that cylinder will fly off, with no restriction on what direct it goes.

[Joe Jones]

I also have that HFT milling machine I bought many years ago. It has some slight cosmetic damage. It was being sold at a great price, so I bought it, but I haven't used it yet. Kind of like the PlasmaCam pipe cutting attachment It is missing a few small parts, and I just haven't had the motivation to get it all together and to learn how to use it.

Joe

HFT MILL.jpg

[Joe Jones]

" These jaws don't seem to have any problem grabbing this cylinder." you may think so but too deep of the cut and that cylinder will fly off, with no restriction on what direct it goes.

Of course. It is only logical that you can't DIVE into a spinning cylinder that is only marginally held in place by the chuck.

Joe

[adbuch]

" These jaws don't seem to have any problem grabbing this cylinder." you may think so but too deep of the cut and that cylinder will fly off, with no restriction on what direct it goes.

Tom - Yes - I agree. That was my first thought as well when I saw that photo. I think he was just showing us that he could engage the part all the way into the jaws. His lathe should have 2 sets of jaws, and the appropriate jaws would look like and be oriented like the ones in my small lathe shown below.

That is a piece of 1" diameter CR steel I have shown engaged into the chuck/jaws. My point was that the material should be long enough so that it is possible to slide it in for full engagement with the jaws, and still have enough material sticking out to work with.

David

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[acourtjester]

Yes sir good practice, all a learning experience, like all of us it's good to add tools to the shop. As he is trying to do with the pipe cutter you get to expand the projects you can do by having the tools to use.

[adbuch]

Yes sir good practice, all a learning experience, like all of us it's good to add tools to the shop. As he is trying to do with the pipe cutter you get to expand the projects you can do by having the tools to use.

I agree!! I am all for having as many different tools as possible for expanded capabilities with different projects. The more tools you have, the more fun you can have.
David

[Joe Jones]

The reason I am making this pipe cutter so big, is because I want to create decorative columns that are illuminated internally. The length of the cylinder is virtually unlimited, but in practical terms, longer cylinders may have to be cut in segments with "tiling."

I want to create 10 foot tall columns that are cut fully around with a tangled vine pattern, for example. There would be a translucent plastic or acrylic sleeve inserted, and then a "candy cane" of LED lighting inside to provide the illumination. Any cylinders of equal diameter could be used; oil drums, de-certified propane tanks, etc.

The cylinders could be cut into segments and welded together, and then the design could be cut out of them as a single cylinder after the fact. Perhaps you might want to remove the ribs and the rolled rims of oil drums, but you need to put several segments together to make one long steel tube 30 feet in length to span a driveway, or whatever.

The rollers can ALSO be used to rotate the cylinder segments in unison for welding . The head will be able to be angled, for cutting beveled edges on thicker pipe, for welding.

I want to be able to create "designer" trash cans, and barriers, and decorative landscape pieces. Take an oil drum again, for example. I want to be able to cut something around the entire circumference near the top rim or around the center ... EAST CHESTERFIELD COUNTRY CLUB, SPA, AND RESORT" maybe with a LOGO cut out of the center two or three times around.

Other drums could be used in parking lots as directional signs, etc. An internal battery and an internal sleeve of a smaller diameter are all that is needed to make a lighted cylinder that can STILL be used for other purposes. LED lights and solar cells with rechargeable batteries have opened up a whole world of possibilities, and of course, there is E.L. VINYL as well. That stuff is just BITCHIN' !!

If I want to make a spiral staircase, I want to be able to take a long pipe and cut the round (or square, or rectangular) openings around it, plotted for easy and accurate placement of the step supports along the length as they wrap around. It is not as easy as it sounds. I used to work for a place that specialized in spiral staircases. There is more to it that one might imagine, and a poorly welded staircase is obvious, when you walk up the steps, and they are not exactly where they are supposed to be! If it feels clumsy, it was not made right.

I also want to be able to cut extrusion. This is a bit tricky, but you should be able to lay a long length of square or rectangular tubing, angle iron, T-bar and other shapes onto the rollers, and do compound cuts with ease. For example, a square tube could be cut with V-cuts at the proper spacing, so that when you bend the uncut web of the tube, it forms a perfect hexagonal or octagonal shape. The same could be done with a round tube, if the cut is not fully 360 degrees around. The PlasmaCam pipe cutter lets you do ONE cut. My device will let you do many.

Alas, I have no help here. Today was supposed to be productive, but I have been so %$#^& tired lately. NO energy. So the day passed without so much as a dish being washed. Tomorrow is another day.

Joe

[Joe Jones]

I agree!! I am all for having as many different tools as possible for expanded capabilities with different projects. The more tools you have while you are young and energetic, the more fun you can have.
David

I fixed it for you.

Joe

[adbuch]

I also have that HFT milling machine I bought many years ago. It has some slight cosmetic damage. It was being sold at a great price, so I bought it, but I haven't used it yet. Kind of like the PlasmaCam pipe cutting attachment It is missing a few small parts, and I just haven't had the motivation to get it all together and to learn how to use it.

Joe

HFT MILL.jpg

The mill/drill machine shown would be a more appropriate tool to use to ream the center holes in the pulleys to 3/4" ID using the chucking reamer I previously mentioned.

[acourtjester]

Joe I'm not sure of your age but you may be pushing yourself to hard,"Rome was not built in a day". Sometime it is better to step back and evaluate the size and scope of what your are doing. I am not saying to stop or quit, just you may be overworking the personal computer (yourself). Sometime we push ourselves to hard, you are the boss on this project, a day off helps.

[Joe Jones]

The shooting hasn't started yet, so I have to find something else to do with my time.

Joe

[Joe Jones]

Joe I'm not sure of your age but you may be pushing yourself to hard,"Rome was not built in a day". helps.

I am 63, going on DEAD.

Joe

[adbuch]

Send me that batch of pulleys and I will ream the center bore and turn down the OD to your specified size. $5 per part plus return shipping.

[acourtjester]

Gotcha 78 here still ticking

[Joe Jones]

Send me that batch of pulleys and I will ream the center bore and turn down the OD to your specified size. $5 per part plus return shipping.

Thanks for the offer, but that won't help me to LEARN anything. I BOUGHT the lathe. I am going to USE the lathe. There is an old saying, "There is more than ONE way to skin a cat." I can either turn the bore of the aluminum cylinders, or I can turn down the 3/4" axles on each end to 19mm. I think the second option is better at this point.

I might $%&^* up a few of them before I get it, but you know what "they say"... Education is expensive!

However, I will look into these reamers you speak of. I have never used one of those either.

Joe

[Joe Jones]

Three days in a row, it was my sincere intention to get out to the shop to continue on the pipe cutting project. All three days, I have been overcome by unstoppable fatigue. I don't know what is going on now, but I am finding it very difficult to scare up any extra energy.

Joe

[Joe Jones]

On the plus side ... I got the LASER figured out. I learned a few things along the way. The last thing I learned is that despite how clean and quiet the process is, you CANNOT run the laser from the comfort of your living room. Have you ever been in a house when ALL EIGHT SMOKE DETECTORS went off simultaneously?

ADT didn't think this one through.. "Hello? Wha..? WHO? ... I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

Joe

[acourtjester]

You may want to have a medical checkup, Old story better to be safe than sorry. You cannot finish a project unless you are around.

[Joe Jones]

Well, my answer would get into politics, so ...

A friend referred me to her doctor in Tennessee. I called and made the EARLIEST appointment ... February 23rd.

They are playing the mask game, and that is a deal breaker for me. I refuse to don the shroud of tyranny.

Joe

[acourtjester]

I stand with you on that, how about the "Doctor in the Box" routine, walk in and get seen.