I'm working on my full cage and am looking for tips and tricks to notch the 1 & 3/4" DOM tube,
will a Drill press and vice simply work?
i'm tring to make do with the tools i have. i think harbour freight sells one but i can't get them up here...
pics and any help would be much appreciated.:beer:

DONT do the drill press trick - you can bend the arbor that way. If the hole saw kicks back it puts a load on the drill press that it was not designed for.

The Harbor Freight notcher and a 1/2" variable speed drill works fairly well for me.

There is a freeware program that will give you a template for cutting with a grinder:

Winmiter (ftp://ftp.ihpva.org/pub/software/winmiter/)

what kind and length of hole saws do yall use?

I bent the arbor on my drill press attempting to notch tubing with just a vice. The notcher sold by harbor frieght works good in a drill press. There are better versions of this notcher sold by other companys if you plan to use it alot. I just use the regular bi metal hole saws from home depot. Keep the drill press speed slow, and use lots of oil. I also use the shear type notcher sold by Williams lowbuck tools for 90* notches. it is very fast. Nothing compares to the mills or belt grinders that the pros use, but these work great for the garage builder.

check www.lowbucktools.com

m-tech supply (http://mtechsupply.com/view_page.php3?getcategory=Tube+Notchers&prodid=7) has a cool, low dollar notcher that works bitchen.

The best, cheapest and easiest way is to use a chop saw. Takes all of about ten seconds to do.

i have a chop saw but that will leave more of a triangle then a rounded fish mouth, and will not be the best for welding, or am i missing something?

k never mind, lil slow today, the chop saw idea is good, i'll probably go with that!:beer: :D

Don't waste time with that shit! :rolleyes: Put a skinny wheel(if you don't know, you shouldn't be building a cage) on your 4" grinder, start about an inch from the end of the tube, and side cut a 45 toward the open end of the tube. Now flip it over and do the same to the other side-That's it! Try it, it works perfect...One of the coolest fab tricks I was ever shown;) Good luck with the cage:smokin:

Thanks DM, thats the same idea as the chop saw, i have both tools, the chop saw will probably work slightly better.( faster and go throught less cutting disks)

thanks again, great idea, i would never have thought of that:beer:

I just use a cutting torch and a 4" grinder for all notches that arent for 90 joints. For the 90's I do the chop saw trick. If I had time I think I would be making a sweet notcher like the one everyonelse is talking about. The Pro-Tools one looks good.:usa:

I just went and spent the bucks on the JD2 notcher...Bitchin' unit, and swings to 50 deg, vice mount or lay flat on the floor. Makes those tricky angles a breeze and the result is perfect.

--D

I've been using a JD2 TN-100 and it works really well. I started
using the yellow Starret bi-metal saws. The teeth are really sharp
and cut fast, but they are a bit aggressive and will start to
chunk apart after a while. Last one I tried was a blue version Blu-Mol
bi-metal. Teeth are less aggressive and cuts slower, but the blade
is really holding up great.

I saw a question on another thread that never got an answer, but it is relevant to this thread. I've got the metal, bender, and HF notcher to start my cage/body in 1.75 x 0.120 ERW tube. However, I've looked at 2 hardware stores and I haven't seen a 1.75" hole saw capable of making a 1.75" plunge. They bottom out at around 1.375 and I would rather not have to spin the tube. What brands am I looking for? Those of you who have hole saw notchers, do you have saws that cut through?

Originally posted by BadDog
I saw a question on another thread that never got an answer, but it is relevant to this thread. I've got the metal, bender, and HF notcher to start my cage/body in 1.75 x 0.120 ERW tube. However, I've looked at 2 hardware stores and I haven't seen a 1.75" hole saw capable of making a 1.75" plunge. They bottom out at around 1.375 and I would rather not have to spin the tube. What brands am I looking for? Those of you who have hole saw notchers, do you have saws that cut through?

I use 1.5" tubing, but have the same problem as you are talking about. With the 1.5" it depends on the angle you're cutting at, but sometimes the saw isn't deep enough.

What I do is run as far as possible until it's not cutting any more. Once you've hit that point, usually the cut has removed enough of the sides that you can just grab the upper cutout section with some pliers and bend it off. Then start cutting the rest of the way through. (once you've tried cutting through on one you will see what I mean by this).

In the process of notching a lot of stuff I finally figured a much quicker way to use the notcher. Probably most of you experienced guys know this, but I didn't- :rasta:
Just measure to the center of the tube on each side and precut your work with the chop saw. Center it up so the middle of the hole saw goes through, or even set it 1/3 way instead of half. Cuts much faster.
I've got the HF notcher and a Sears 2" holesaw, probably done 50 cuts with it (practice :) ) the holesaw is still fine and the bushing in the notcher is starting to go. JD2's notcher has roller bearings, among other things. Doing 45 degree cuts I'd have to go in with a cutoff wheel and trim a bit mid-cut to get the saw all the way through.

the worst problem i have run into is using a gear drive drill press, it will bend the hole saws and the shaft on the notcher. use a cheap belt drive drill press, if it hangs it just slips and doesn't do any damage to the notcher. i have had pretty good luck with the dewalt brand hole saws, alittle deeper than most so it cuts the angles a bit better. on the big angles i cut as deep as the hole saw will go then take a torch and cut off the top piece then finish the cut. it works pretty well, or i just cope it with a torch and weld it. mike

man, don't do it like a caveman!! get the right tools and do a quality job. You're expecting this thing to protect your gourd if you go over, do it right. Get a nother and make a nice cut and this makes for a great weld. A crappy fit = lots of snot weld to fill it in. just my $.02 I have a notcher from a speed parts place and it works fine. About $100.00 with saw and all if I remember right. I could see if the thing was thousands of $, but come on.:D

Originally posted by mikeovegas
man, don't do it like a caveman!! get the right tools and do a quality job. You're expecting this thing to protect your gourd if you go over, do it right. Get a nother and make a nice cut and this makes for a great weld. A crappy fit = lots of snot weld to fill it in. just my $.02 I have a notcher from a speed parts place and it works fine. About $100.00 with saw and all if I remember right. I could see if the thing was thousands of $, but come on.:D


Caveman my ass! This entire jungle gym you see here was done with a chop saw. As are all Fat City's Rigs. Maybe you should just learn how to use one. It really isn't all that hard. If i can do it anyone can.

As a bending/notching newbie thanks for the above input.

I hadn't heard of the cut off wheel trick in the grinder.. thanks :-)


Heres my cheep set up..

$60 HF notcher, Dewalt Hole Saw(s), 1/2 " Drill

I typically cut to length with my el-cheepo $160 HF horizontal band saw and notch as needed, I was using 7" circular saw wheels, but got sick of the mess...

Rough clean up w/ grinder, weld the rest...

imho.. my money was well spent on band saw as i can now multi task :beer: as it does a slow clean cut on stuff.... Plus if im on a roll i can be notching/welding on a piece as I cut other junk.....

Cool thanks for the advice from the experts...Every bit helps..

-yag

hey Brawler, looks like you got me on that one!:flipoff2: Can you get a tight enough joint so you could tig a joint??If so, I'm all ears..:)

My bro uses a manual 'lever' sheer type notcher which works awsome. It does take a 6' cheater to work it, but is way fast compared to a chop saw or drilling your tubing. The downside is that the units run about $300.

chop saw guws- I'm wanting to use the chop saw but when I cut them at a 45 the tube is too thick It wont get close enough to the other piece. do you grind the inside too?

Originally posted by riksnacjnow
chop saw guws- I'm wanting to use the chop saw but when I cut them at a 45 the tube is too thick It wont get close enough to the other piece. do you grind the inside too?

I use the chop saw then grind them to fit. a 4" grinder with a zip blade is nicefor some of the really finniky angles. And yes grind the inside so it fits. A little gap (and I mean little) is nothing to be concerned about it just Gives more weld surface.