Best way to cut tube lengthwise ?

thanks Hudson,

i don't think its as much of an option for me for the metal yard to cut since i get steel from a local shop....and they don't do stuff like that.


all this stuff is just thinking right now...cuz every time i get money for a welder i buy things....like extra jeeps.

i'm thinking of getting an Oxy-acetylene setup since they are less than the MIG i want....at least that way i could get started on this stuff.


back to the rockers....

it might actually be easier to cut straight if i use square tube....i bet i could come up with something equally attractive and beefy if i either 1)cut off one face of the sqaure and weld at a 45* agle to the plate steel, or 2) if i cut half of two adjacent faces and welded it offset the plate similar to the round tube illustration above.

it makes sense to me

i would draw it...but its far to close to the end of the day for me to do that.

 

Clamp a piece of angle iron to the tube as a guide. Then use either the plasma cutter or a cutting torch. Clean up with grinder. Done.

 

Use a chalkline (mentioned earlier) , then put masking tape along the line, use cut off wheel in angle grinder.

 

I believe this is a picture of Hudsonhawk's rocker that I saved from awhile back.
Very nice!
View attachment 19217

 

Yup, that's probalby the best pic showing the way it was put together.

 

Just another method to achieve the same goal...

What about using 3" or 4" X 1/4 flat strap welded to the side of the tube rather than trying to section the tube?

If you are going to section the tube, use the angle to mark as said before and then cut with whatever means you have...grinder, cut off wheels, bandsaw, whatever.

 

Duh!!! This guy has it right.

Anchor the angle iron to the pipe and use it as a guide for the cutoff wheel or saw blade.

 

Don't bother with clamps - just tack weld the angle to the tube. You might also want to weld a couple of tabs to the angle iron that can be used to clamp the work to the side of a bench or in a vice to hold it in place while making the cut.

 

plasma cutter and a straight edge, it will take about five minutes and no grinding needed, just a little cleanup with a sander.