hole nothcher or cutter. which is best?

[shane7207]

was just lookind at the hole notchers on williams lowbuck tools and was wondering which is better? a notcher or cutter? i realize that its much faster with the notcher. but are the notches good enough for nascar type fits? or any other orginazation? not that i'll be dealing with them but i want quality joints for work i do for other people. some of them do race on a local level on dirt and still have to meet rulebook requirements. thanks for your help.

[ralenr]

I have not used the Williams Lowbuck notcher but if IIRC it has a minimum capacity of 1". Each has its merits and proponents. I got the hole saw tube notcher from http://www.pro-tools.com and am very satisfied. Well built. BTW, If you do go for the hole saw type, Starret has a line of fine tooth saws designed for sheet metal. I forget the TPI but it's a lot better than the standard ones.

Allen

[Paul Seaman]

If you plan to cut Cromoly for rollcage and the like for race cars you might wish to check out the cost of a good tool steel end mill, I've seen setups for a drill press with 1/2" arbor and cutter in say 1 1/2" or 1 3/4". Small usage is not bad with a hole saw setup but if you do much of it then its a real pain. Rebodying a dirt car no problem with the hole saw type fixing crash damage uuggggggg!!!! The draw back is an endmill will set you back a bunch of dollars $275 as I remember, but they last very well. Weld well

[Blondie_486]

Shane 7207

I prefer to use a jig for the drill press such as the ones sold by Summit Racing Equipment and many other tool suppliers. I prefer to use a broach rather than a hole saw, they last much longer and don't leave much of a burr to have to deburr it works great for me and the fit is nice and tight provided your broach is the same diameter as the tube you're mating it to. I would advise against a punch type tubing notcher as it can distort the tubing in the process of notching it. You can also make your own jigs for your drill press and use the broach with them as well. If you have a lot of repetitive notches it may be better to build your own jig tailored to the tubes you're going to be doing alot of notching on. Hope this helps.

Blondie_486

[shane7207]

thanks for the help. it seems alot of professional fabricators use the hole saw type notchers so thats what i'll go with. i've talked to some frame builders and thats all they use. thanks.

[Rob]

Shane, since you seem to be leaning toward a holesaw type notcher, I recommend you take a look at the one offered by JD Squared (JD2.com). I've used mine quite a while now and have yet to find a flaw with it. These folks don't cut corners on material, and the needle bearing spindle support doesn't allow the saw to chatter like some of the cheaper ones with bushings rather than bearings. I also have their model 3 tubing bender, and have enjoyed doing business with these folks.

Rob

[Blondie_486]

Rob,

I agree their tubing notcher looks top notch in my book. I had one from Summit Racing Equipment and I don't know where it is. I must have loaned it out and never got it back. At any rate now I have to replace mine and the J D Squared notcher is going to be the one for me. I also checked the tubing bender out and will most likely be getting one of those as well. Thanks for the tip and the website.

Blondie_486

[shane7207]

i talked to a guy who builds mico sprint chassis for a living and he also uses the jd squared notcher and model 3 tubing bender. i figure if he can make a living using it then it will work great for what i want. thanks for the help.

[ASKANDY]

I use a variety of notchers. I have the hole saw type which is cheap but slow and has limits on the angle of cut. I use a punch notcher with my ironworker for 90deg notches which I like 'cause it's fast and accurate. But the most versitile one (which is also expensive) is the one from Mittler Brothers. It uses a variety of endmill type bits and a vise that holds the tube square to the cutter at any angle. The biggest question is "How much are you going to use it? and How much do you want to spend?"


Andy

[ralenr]

Andy,

I've looked at the Mittler Bros. unit and it sure seems like a terrific piece. Real pricy though and way more the I can justify right now.

It would seem that with the right fixturing you could do pretty much the same thing on a lathe or mill. Any thoughts about that?

Allen

[ASKANDY]

I also use my milling machine to notch tubing using the hole saw kit. I use a lenox brand cutter. You are right about the fixture. It must be strong enough to hold the tube at odd angles. I have an old angle vice that I welded two pieces of angle iron to to hold the tube more securely. It also prevents egg shaping the tube when it's tightened.

A-

[MAC702]

It's been mentioned, and not well suited to some of the others' uses, but I'll leave my vote for the William's LowBuck notcher. I like the speed and durability of this unit. I especially like how the tubing walls have an automatic bevel when placed against the smooth sides of another tube, perfect for welding. No electricity or toothed hole saws required. Can be mounted to your trailer, your bench, or like my buddy's, on its own mount that fits in your receiver hitch.