Cutting and Notching, angles. Need some help

[ryanjones2150]

Just too much and it'll get all convoluted like firebird's. It's just way too hard to explain on here. And I know you being Scandinavian and all that you're probably still in the stone ages, but borrow some kid's smart phone for a few minutes and go watch the you tube video. <br />
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Like I was saying, the biggest difference between how I do it and the guy in the video is that I use a grinder with a cut off wheel almost exclusively. The guy in the video uses a chop saw to start out. It's a pretty good idea. <br />
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I have no earthly idea about how the running strings works, but it sounds pretty precise.....until I was completely lost. Make a video on how to do it firebird. I'll watch it for sure.

[Forced_Firebird]

Nice Rack! hehe. I was able to score some commercial built Tire Rack brand racks, but those look fun to build!

I would treat them the same way I do roll cages. This is a little method I came up with, works well and wastes little - almost all the cuts are a one-cut-weld. I call it the long-long, short-short, long-short method.

Take a piece of string and stretch it where you want your tube to be. Choose one side of the pipe, not the center. For a visual, you could always run two pieces and measure between to keep the parallel. Zip ties work great for this. They will keep the string taught and you won't have to get creative with knots.

Then measure the full length by going to the longest point(s) of the tube you are making. Cut the tube square. Then I use a digital angle finder for speed, but you would also use a protractor. Then subtract a few degrees. I then use the hole saw jig to start the cut on the ID of the pipe on one end - this leaves the end the obtuse angle square and almost perfect for filling since the weld will already be "beveled" when it meets the other tube - so to speak. The thickness of the tube will be the bevel (perfect penetration IS the thickness of the tube after all). Now for re-assurance, take the tube over to the frame and double check your angle. If there's a little more gap on the inside (acute side), don't sweat it, this is the easy side to fill and penetrate. Now you can measure the other side. If it is a long to long (such as a 45° on a speed square) then start your hole saw the way you did the first time. If it's a long-to-short, as if you had a angle inside a long rectangle (I see your drawing, these will be more common), then use the string to measure from where your hole saw exited the tube to the long side to see where you start the hole saw.

Basically what ends up happening after you get the hang of the long-winded instruction is you will find you can cut the pipe square, and start the hole saw right at the inside corner (ID) of the tube, flip it, repeat and almost every time it will drop in an weld up. Once in a while, I will have to run the hole saw again to shave a little, but usually only happens when I have to make an "X" and the pipes MUST be perfectly met.

Perhaps I should make a YouTube video on the next cage build, lol. Would be much faster to link someone, but can understand why the boss doesn't allow it on your server. Could always sneak in the bathroom and use your phone, after all, you are streamlining HIS/HER production :P

[Olivero]

Lol, thanks for the link. Worksite computers won't let me go on Youtube lol... Guess people spent too much time on them

Maybe you could go into your long winded run down, if you have time. I spent 2 hours just welding one side of the frame and filling holes with spacers and welding it all up, if it all fit good, could have the whole piece done in 2, all welds wire wheeled and painted.

I have someone cutting for me so at least I don't have to do both but I would love to get a good, easy way to do it that I can show him. Its 2" schedule 40 pipe

This forum needs a smiley that laughs....

[ryanjones2150]

So...Oli....I started to type a long winded run down of how I notch tubes for roll cages and junk like that. Then I had a thought....I know, rare for me, right?....I thought, there HAS to be a YouTube video that will help, and since I don't do YouTube videos, I did a quick search. Found this short video and its pretty much how I do my notches...except I do all of mine with an angle grinder....ya, takes a while sometimes...I affectionately call it "walking in the cut" ... <br />
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https://youtu.be/mHBanmfn_CA<br />
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So hope it helps.

[Olivero]

Hello,

I am currently on a job of building this tire rack that I attached the drawing for. I started 2 days ago and last night I was cutting in and fitting pieces for the sides. The piece on the left side of the picture is supported with multiple cross bars, all of which are cut at different and odd angles. I am running into the problem of really, like really bad fit up, there is like a 1/4" gap on both sides of the pipe and I just can't seem to get the pipe to fit in really well and I don't know what I am doing wrong.

I have one of them pretty much welded together but I had to insert spacers and sticking with one rod, use another as a filler to try to fill the holes and its just not looking as good as I want it and its taking much longer than if it was fitted good.

How do you guys determine your notching, based on the angle or the diameter of the pipe or in between?

Need some help.