Gremlin
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| posted on 21/10/02 at 03:00 PM |
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How do you cut the material straight?
I will be buggered if i can cut the material straight enough for me to ne happy with it. Im currently using a hack saw is this the best way?
EZy GreMLiN
"The only way to get rid of temptation is too give in to it..!"
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James
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| posted on 21/10/02 at 03:19 PM |
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No a hacksaw is not the best way- a chop saw is far better! Mainly because it takes about 5 seconds per tube.
They're not that expensive.
Disadvantage is that a lot won't do more than 45°.
Another cheap electric way is to get a stand for your Angle grinder (from Screwfix about £20). It's worth getting some of the narrow stainless steel
blades.
Or use a band saw- it'll do any angle and atleast the cut sides will be parallel to on another.
If you don't want to buy anything or use electric there's only one option:
Practice!!! 
Sorry, but there is no other way.
Think of it this way: once you've cut half the tubes the second half will be a lot better! 
If you're cutting complex angles then you can cut each 'face' of the tube separately much slower but may be more accurate. The LA and LB tubes are
much easier done this way.
I did all my >45° tubes with a chop saw and then most of the rest by hand- until I discovered the band saw.
For tips on cutting:
1.go slowly and let the saw do the work
2. Don't go at it 'like a bull in a china shop' it'll cut better and be less knackering to be controlled.
3. Long slow strokes over the whole length of the blade
4. I also found that one handed was far better than two handed (cutting that is ).
Hth,
James
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RedRuM
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| posted on 21/10/02 at 03:26 PM |
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quote:
Another cheap electric way is to get a stand for your Angle grinder (from Screwfix about £20).
Maybe im just imcompetant (well definatly actually) but i would recomend against getting that stand. I have it stand and it seems pretty rubbish to
me. In order to make my angle grinder stay on it properly i have to use black tape, and i had to remove the safety gard, because when i tryed to cut
a bit of steel on it, i had to pull the grinder so far down to cut it that it hit the gurd and sent everything everywhere. And i find it hard to get
a straight cut from it.
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David Jenkins
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| posted on 21/10/02 at 03:26 PM |
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With care a hacksaw will give you a good straight cut... you just need to practice.
A good saw frame helps, together with the right kind of blade (bi-metal - a good mix of durability and cutting ability). Get the right number of
teeth for the job - 32 per inch is good for 16swg/1.6mm wall tube.
As for technique, the best tip is 'don't force it!' - on the push forward allow the weight of the saw to do the work (don't push down too hard)
and on the way back lift off a bit. Aim for about 1 cutting stroke per second.
Get good light on the work so that you can see the line you're supposed to be cutting along.
RELAX! Get into a rhythm and take your time.
A powered tool may be quicker, but if all you want to do is cut a bit of square tube then a hacksaw is probably quick enough. Some use an
angle-grinder in a pivoted holder - but that is very noisy and throws grinding dust everywhere, and I value my lathes too much!
cheers,
David
(climbs off hobby horse, gets back to work)
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James
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| posted on 21/10/02 at 03:39 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
A powered tool may be quicker, but if all you want to do is cut a bit of square tube then a hacksaw is probably quick enough
David makes a good point, with practice it's really not much slower to cut by hand. My welding instructor proved this point to me. In the time I
could walk over to the other side of the workshop, setup the angle of the chopsaw, clamped the metal, and cut it- he'd cut about four tubes by
hand!
But then he's been doing it for 40 years and me about 6 weeks.
Practice makes perfect.
Lecture over,
James
[Edited on 21/10/02 by James]
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UncleFista
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| posted on 21/10/02 at 03:52 PM |
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I did most of my cutting with a cheapo steel framed hacksaw, had to straighten most ends with my grinder.
Then I bought a Stanley bright yellow plasticky hacksaw for £12-15 and the difference was amazing, no more "wandering" and it seemed to sail through
the steel much easier...
My two-pennorth
Tony Bond / UncleFista
Love is like a snowmobile, speeding across the frozen tundra.
Which suddenly flips, pinning you underneath.
At night the ice-weasels come...
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interestedparty
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| posted on 21/10/02 at 04:01 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by James
If you don't want to buy anything or use electric there's only one option:
Practice!!!
Sorry, but there is no other way.
Actually there is, it's advantages are amazing accuracy, only a laser would be better, does simple and compound angles, disadvantage is the cost,
best part of £120 and you still have to apply arm power. It's a Nobex mitre saw with special Nobex metal cutting blade. This is quality gear, bought
originally for precision woodworking. It's the only make of mitre saw I know of for which a metal cutting blade can be obtained.
John
[Edited on 21/10/02 by interestedparty]
As some day it may happen that a victim must be found,
I've got a little list-- I've got a little list
Of society offenders who might well be underground,
And who never would be missed-- who never would be missed!
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Jasper
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| posted on 21/10/02 at 05:56 PM |
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By far the best way I've found is a 4.5in grinder with .8mm stainless steel cutting blades. Like a knife through butter and very nice straight cuts
by hand without a stand. I bought a stand and found it pretty useless as it flexes too much.
But for compound angles definitely cut each side by hand with a good quality hacksaw.
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jbmcsorley
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| posted on 21/10/02 at 06:06 PM |
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I started the chassis using a proper bandsaw, but the setup and actual cut time adds up fast... took a lot longer overall.
I recently tried the hacksaw and was quite pleased with the results. Now that most of the chassis is together, I use a scribe, hacksaw and grinder for
nearly everything.
I offer the piece to the chassis, scribe the line I need, cut a little oversize with the hacksaw (no need to be straight) and then I grind to line up.
The grinder is quickly becoming one of my favorite tools. No rulers or protractors needed at this point... just grind to fit.
I did use a compound miter saw with an abrasive chop blade for the compound angles however... slick as a pickle seed.
-Jim M.
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Liam
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| posted on 21/10/02 at 06:27 PM |
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Right at the beginning I bought a cheapo Ferm chop saw from Screwfix for 100 quid (Makita version about 250 quid I think). Wouldn't really recommend
it. You can't use the angle guage cos it's useless - you have to mark up with a scriber and line it up with the cutting wheel by eye. Worse of
all, the wheel tends to wander outwards when you're cutting and doesn't cut particularly square. Not a very useful tool - I only use it for quickly
ripping up big lengths to make them more managable.
I'm now a hacksaw convert and do all my cutting, including compound angles with a nice stiff framed hacksaw. Quicker than setting up the chopsaw and
as accurate as it needs to be. Need occasional fettling with the bench grinder - now that IS a useful tool.
liam
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Alan B
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| posted on 21/10/02 at 06:31 PM |
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yep, agree with gist of all this...
I have bandsaw, borrowed chopsaw, yet still do a lot by hand.
Master the hacksaw, he is your friend
But get a good 'un with a decent blade.
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merkurman
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| posted on 21/10/02 at 08:18 PM |
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aw you brits nothing beats th originl tool of automotive destruction/construction the milwalkee sawzall!!! I worked for wrecker for a couple months
and that is all we used to cut quartpanels/roofs/front clips off cars got pretty good with it. just use a file to give a littel notch to start on
and away you go. used it to do my fairlane air ride. I wish I had a newer one with a quick change setup. I would kill for a plasma cutter though..
those are bad ass
nick
1962 fairlane with a 200" six and T5 5spd, shaved trim air ride, t3/t4 turbo and soon to be EFI
-- looking to put a offy tripower intake on soon
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welshy
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| posted on 22/10/02 at 08:42 AM |
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CHOPSAW
Chop saw is definitely the way to go.
A lot of you keep mentioning that the chop saw may take longer once you have set it up but Ron Champion didn't write a book called Build a sports car
in 250 hours.
Get a chop saw and take your time.
I would be lost without my chop saw (well my mates chop saw). You don't have to set the chop saw to the correct angle every time, I have been using a
combination square to mark the angle on the steel and then aligning it with the cutting disc. I then wind the bottom jaw of the clamp in, so it just
nips the steel in place (the bottom jaw of the clamp is on a pivot).
A lot of us builders won't be satisfied with building just one car so buying a chop saw maybe a good investment in the future.
Plus I am a lazy get who can't be bothered with all that hack sawing.
If I'm talking bollox please feel free to let me know.
Welshy
(I'm not Welsh I'm from Leeds)
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Dunc
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| posted on 22/10/02 at 08:57 AM |
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Plasma cutters are awesome, sounds line a 1000A mig on steriods. Great for cutting sheet metal faster than you can move your hand but not good for
cutting up cars or tubes. A good quality chop saw is best. Got a stayer from machine mart and found it pretty good. Uses cooling fluid though so you
do have to spend some time cleaing the ends.
If you plan to build lots of different stuff it's worth buying the more expensive tools but if you're only making the one car then use the hacksaw.
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Alan B
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| posted on 22/10/02 at 11:52 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Dunc
Plasma cutters are awesome, sounds line a 1000A mig on steriods. Great for cutting sheet metal faster than you can move your hand but not good for
cutting up cars or tubes...........
Agreed. I have a borrowed one
I did all my brackets/gussets etc. with it...awesome Also very good for Ali and stainless...not a must have but nice if you can borrow one!
[Edited on 10/22/02 by Alan B]
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