pipe fence question

[jimmy_pop]

we were marking the vertical posts with soapstone then cutting with the plasma torch. beveling with the torch as well so the top rail sat nice and flush on the vertical. went pretty quick. sucks that on the eve of the last day of this project by truck was stolen along with my bobcat, 8hp honda air compressor, powermax45 and all the rest of my stuff. police got the truck back but not a single piece of equipment.

[davedarragh]

Nice Fence

Jimmy: Sorry to hear about your equipment getting stolen. Good job on the fence, nice pics. Got a pic of the corner joint?

Dave

[mikelc]

Pipe fance soloution

What you need to do is build a small press with a bottle jack and you can squash the end of your vertical post. This makes it easy to weld and saves a lot of time. We did it on our farm it looked great and worked awesome. Good Luck!!

[FUZZYTX]

Man... This thread keeps going around the same bush.
95% of our business is cutting pipe up for fence top rail or wire braces. The most efficient way to cut saddles is with a metal folding template that's already been mentioned and a torch. The chop saw works if your cutting before sticking in the ground, but i'll wager i can cut them faster with a torch once the post are set.
Jimmy_pop sorry to hear about the theft thing, happened to me couple years back. Took me some time to get over wanting someone dead.
Another pipe top rail hint is to break your top rail joints on top of a post. It is easier and faster to keep the rail flowing straight.

My opinions to be for taken or leaving

[Jim-TX]

Back when I posted my input I just assumed the pipe was being cut after it was set in the ground. I've always done it that way and just about every pipe fence that I've seen built was done that way. To me, it would be much harder to saddle the posts first then try to set them the exact depth needed. I'm with Fuzzy about just torching them after they are set. Once a person gets the knack of it you don't even need the guide. Just mark the bottom of the saddle where the top rail sits and go from there. I keep a piece of pipe the size of the top rail with me and I'll lay it in the saddle after cutting. I can look thru it and see that it's lined up with the next post. If it's not, then I trim a little or use the trusty hammer to adjust it a tad. The pipe is especially useful if the top rail is not going level, but following the slope of the ground. Just cut one saddle a little deeper.

[jimmy_pop]

Jim-Tx,

We started at the back of the property to avoid making any major mistakes in a highly visible area up near the house. Remember, this was our first pipe fence. We mostly used my brothers SA200. SEveral joints were magnetized and we had to use the Bobcat in AC mode. After my stuff was stolen, we still had several magnetized joints left. What a pain in the arse. My brother rented a Vantage 300 and he was in heaven.

We cut the vertical posts about 6" too long and set them in concrete. We then started out marking the bottom of the saddle cut @ 58", then saddle cutting and then setting the top rail. We intended to have the top rail follow the contour of the land but the top rail was too bumpy for our liking. From then on, we continued to mark at 58" but then would eye ball a more level bullseye for cutting. I also used a short piece of pipe to fine tune the bevel on the saddle cut. Towards the end, you could have tig'd the top rail to the saddle cuts.

Amazing how simple it is and how common sense prevails. We end up doing the same techniques as others across the country without knowing any better or having been told to do so.

I wont be getting another bobcat. I'm back focusing on what i can build in my studio, no more remote welding. Equipment in my truck just puts a target on me for theft.

[crawdaddy]

Look here

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=456800

Broccoli,Thank you for posting that link that really looks like a good method, I know I will be giving that a try.Mike

[Rockriver]

Pipe Fence

Hello all,
When I build a pipe fence or railing, I have found that notching the pipe with a porta band works quite well. I start my notch about 1/16" on the inside and go down about 3/4" on about a 45 degree angle leaving 1/2 to 5/8 inches space between the cuts at the bottom. I then use a crescent wrench to break out the bottom of the notch. Sometimes I may pretty it up with a small angle grinder if I need a good fit up. I weld them with a 1/8 6010 or 6011 and then pretty them up with a 3/32 7018 if necessary. Remember the more you weld the more the top rail will pull. In situations where I have to weld a gory fit up or a wide gap, I'll resort to the "Poor mans heliarc" which is to break the flux off a 5/32 or 1/8" 7018 and use it as filler rod using a 1/8" 6010 as the 'torch' to fill wide gaps on thin stuff (non critical of course). Junkyard welding at its finest.

[Rockriver]

Pipe Fence

During my pipefitting days we would use garlock ring 150#flange gaskets as a pattern for 90 degree stab-ins or saddles.
Foir 2" IPS i would use a 2" 150# gasket or a 2 1/2 150 # gasket.
If the 2" was available I would mark the inside of the gasket then cut it 1/8" below the line. If I had a 2 1/2' asket I would mark the pipe using the inside of the gasket. I would use a 000 or a 00 tip. After a couple of tries you will be able to judge how far away from the line to cut for a good fit.
I did work on a job in which metal templates that were hinged to go around the pipe and lock were used. Very nice,expensive but well worth it if you have a lot of cuts..

[Make-It-Hot]

Notch Master Hole Saw Notcher

For an obvious novice pipefitter cutting 5 miles of top and midrail (?) saddles, I would have to recommend the Notch Master Hole Saw Notcher or something equivalent. You can find the Notch Master for under $200 at www.mtechsales.com/products/Notchers. With a Hole Saw Notcher the fit ups will be close to perfect which will save time and electrode when welding - especially if you are also a novice welder.

I would also recommend viewing the products available at www.pipefitter.com. There are many valuable books and tools for pipefitters on this site and its run by a real sweet lady. I have personally purchased several items from her over the years and have never been disappointed.

[crawdaddy]

He meant 5 acres

Not five miles. I wonder how many hole saws he would go through notching schedule 40 pipe a few hundred? I dont think that type of notching is even worthy of consideration for a fence.Mike

[Make-It-Hot]

Beaver Brand

Well, you wouldn't want to buy a hole saw at Home Depot. If you spent $25-30 on a decent Hole Saw say at Rex Supply, or some other tooling supply house, and used a shot of cutting oil for each joint you could cut a thousand miles worth of saddles with only one hole saw. After you get the saddles cut hit each joint with a shot of brake cleaner or carb cleaner so the oil won't contaminate your weld and you're off to the races. I think McMaster-Carr has high quality hole saws you can buy online at www.mcmaster-carr.com.

I've cut access openings in header pipe for lateral joints using a hole saw in an End Mill and many times the header pipe was A108 Grade B xxh and I've never had a problem wearing out hole saws. Just use cutting fluid and watch your speed.

Clearly, the best way to fit fence, regardless of the joint, is with a template and a torch, whether oxy-act or plasma; however, the gentleman said he was having difficulty with this and so I just offered a different alternative.

For any given problem there exists an infinite number of solutions.

[crawdaddy]

Well, you wouldn't want to buy a hole saw at Home Depot. If you spent $25-30 on a decent Hole Saw say at Rex Supply, or some other tooling supply house, and used a shot of cutting oil for each joint you could cut a thousand miles worth of saddles with only one hole saw. After you get the saddles cut hit each joint with a shot of brake cleaner or carb cleaner so the oil won't contaminate your weld and you're off to the races. I think McMaster-Carr has high quality hole saws you can buy online at www.mcmaster-carr.com.

I've cut access openings in header pipe for lateral joints using a hole saw in an End Mill and many times the header pipe was A108 Grade B xxh and I've never had a problem wearing out hole saws. Just use cutting fluid and watch your speed.

Clearly, the best way to fit fence, regardless of the joint, is with a template and a torch, whether oxy-act or plasma; however, the gentleman said he was having difficulty with this and so I just offered a different alternative.

For any given problem there exists an infinite number of solutions.

That is good to know I will check out the site.Mike

[jimmy_pop]

any update?

[ddivinia]

Shur Kut - Where can I buy them?

I used a Shur Kut this weekend and I must have a set. I can't find any place that sells them. Can I buy them online?

Thanks,
Darin