Hole Saw Size Vs Tube Notcher

Kastoria

I have this tube notcher - that I havent used in years, but need to know what size hole saw I need to use in order to notch out and weld 2"OD x .065in round tubing? I havent notched it out yet because I have a very exact amount of materials and cant afford to screw it up or create any waste. I was thinking a 2" hole saw but for some reason that doesnt sound right to make a clean/tight fit...what would you use? The pieces are going to be joined like a T for railings so its going to be a 90 degree cut (top rail and posts). Thanks

philadelphia

2" hole saw bimetal should work..

Kastoria

Yup. Youre right. I never readjusted the notcher from cutting off set before I used it, so I was not cutting completely through the tube thats why I thought I needed a larger size hole saw. Set it back to normal with a 2" saw and works perfect.

philadelphia

No problem, btw you can get deep cut holesaws from mcmaster carr..

Kastoria

What do you mean by deep cut? Ive been using the Lenox brand...work great and last the longest, just kind of expensive

philadelphia

Lenox is good, there are some made by bacho or at l;east i think thats the name.Supposedly a snap on brand..Deep cuts work well for larger tubes..They are longer than normal..

synchro

look at medfordtools.com They have a software program that figures angle,how far from end of tube to notch and cut length of tube to exact length before nothing. Perfect fit no gaps, very impressive. sync 180 notcher software

eridon

Just browsing through this section and found this thread. I know this isn't exactly what your questions was but here are a couple links that we use when we building armor for our rock crawlers.

metalgeek.com/static/cope.pcgi
snip.awardspace.com/

EES

Just wanted to make a suggestion. If you are unsure, try making some test cuts on some cheap mild steel, or hell even pvc -just gonna dry fit anyway- before you go cutting the gold plated platinum rod.

Rodd

Here is some info you might find useful, when notching with hole saws.

First of all, always select the best tooth configuration for the job you are doing. For notching purposes your general choices are:

4/6 TPI variable
6 TPI constant
10 TPI constant


Typically the 4/6 vary tooth is what most hardware stores and home centers sell. The vary tooth is the best choice for notching thick-wall (.175 and greater) round tubing and square tubing (held flat ways). The vary tooth is the fastest cutting of them all but encounters problems when cutting thin-wall material. What happens is the thin-wall will "drop" into the gullet of a hole saw. This is known as an "interrupted cut". As one tooth breaks contact with the cut and the next tooth enters the cut, the shear force is so great that tooth breakage occurs - and frequently results in multiple tooth carnage. (This also holds true (especially) with band saw blades as well. Many of you have experienced the catastrophic failure of a lot of teeth when using a large toothed saw blade in too thin of material.)


*The 6TPI constant tooth has the broadest range of effectiveness and will give most users the least amount of grief when notching standard size wall thickness i.e..083, .095, .120 etc. They are less "catchy" or "grabby" and less likely to wrench that drill out of your hand that you're using. In the construction business it would be comparable to a wood circular combination blade - overall a good cutting blade but not the best for ripping and not best for fine crosscutting however it can do both effectively well.

*The 10 TPI fine tooth is the best choice for tubing .065 and thinner. In fact, for very thin material it might be the only possible holesaw for the job unless you have tube support very close to the cut. And even then it's probable that the tube will flex and catch and destroy both the tube and hole saw. Most all hole saw-type notchers do not support the tube close enough to the cut to effectively notch thin-wall.

*Do not attempt to use carbide hole saws, annular cutters or end mills in a standard notcher. They will most assuredly self destruct (and they're not cheap!). These type cutters need the rigidity of a mill or mag-drill.)

*Get into the habit, before each cut, of checking all points of your notcher that may become loose. Make sure to secure the work piece so no shifting of any part will take place. Again this is probably the most common reason for early retirement of a hole saw.

*As a general rule, the larger the diameter hole saw - the slower the speed.
1" ............. 350RPM
1-1/2 ........ 230RPM
1-3/4 ........ 195RPM
2" ............. 170RPM
One exception would be when notching thin-wall material. A faster speed would prove to be less of a chance of the hole saw catching on the tube.

*Use a proper cutting oil. Motor oil is not a cutting fluid!

*Do not "dive" into a cut. Ease into the material and allow the saw to pace its self. You should be able to "feel" how much pressure to apply.

*Hole saws can quite often be "out-of-round" as a matter of speaking because of a wayward tooth on the weld joint. Filing it down from the side (not the top!) will not damage the saw but give you a truer cut.

*Also get into the habit of checking after each notch to clear any remnant pieces of tube that may lodge and remain inside the hole saw. There's nothing more unexpected than to have one of those pieces engage and bring your project to an abrupt halt!

__________________
Medford Tools and Supply Inc.
http://www.medfordtools.com