I got some questions about tubing notchers. Is the jd2 one worth the $$ ar do the harber freight ones do the trick just fine? Is it worth the money to buy a drill press to use it (not like it would be the only time i could use a press) or can you just mount the notcher on a bench and let a 1/2" drill do it. I'd like to have a press but don't need one right now, so if a hand drill works the same (or better) there's no need for one immediatley.

Thanks

Ryan,

My bro and I have a nice drill press and thought that we were gonna use it for notching. Its alright for no angle but for any angle my bro (who has used it, havent gotten around to it yet) said it sucked so he bought a JD2 notcher. It is nice.

Definalty dont go buying a drill press to do tube work!

Tyler

I've been using a HF notcher for the past few days and it works well. The only beef I have is that the tube doesn't lock in perfectly straight, hence notch is just a little bit off. Not exactly a problem that isn't easily remedied with the welder, but it can be rather annoying. I would have to say that the cost/benefit is spot on though. Inexpensive and it gets the job done easily.

A press is an excellent shop tool, however you will find it quite useless for anything other than a straight notch.

I have the JD2 and love it. It has been a few years now and I have no problems to report. As far as the drill press I understand that you ment to operate the jds notcher. What I do is just mount it to the side of my jd2 bender and use a dewalt 1/2 drive drill. The prob with a press is sometimes you find your self not being able to just slide the tube in to the notcher with out twisting and tweeking and this would be hard on the press. Also one thing I like with the 1/2" drill is if you need to clamp the notcher to the cage when it is in place to do a notch or hole you can.

I've been spending allot of time with my new bender making a full cage/buggy body for my cut down K30. This is what I've come up with:

1) HF notcher with a hole saw. I've got a smaller size drill press that was not tall enough for the notcher. My hand drill turns the saw too fast. Makita 1.75 x 1.75 plunge hole saw (deepest I could find) is designed for 200 rpm. So, I tried to replace the head tube with a longer one to make my press taller. Unfortunately it was 1.875" dia and I couldn't find anything at the steel yard I went to for other things. Didn't feel like looking further so, I build a platform on a 2 x 10 x 4' board I had lying around. Raised the base of the press up 4" and mounted it at one end facing the end. Then I turned the head around to face backwards (no longer over the foot). Mounted the notcher directly under the repositioned head. Works like a charm. Turns nice and slow, just use plenty of oil on the notcher bushing and the saw. For me, this works best for the funky angle cuts but it won’t go all the way through. Usually gets close enough to break off with pliers or finish with a cut-off wheel. Edges are square and fit is precise if the angle is right, but you may still need to bevel the edges for welding. Also the long sides of the fish-mouth are razor thin, you'll want to cut those back to real metal before welding...

2) Chop saw. This works great for most of my square joints. Just cut 2 45s like “/\” where the deepest part of the cut is at your inside measurement. Then cut off about half of the point you just made, or position your cuts so that there is about 1/4 of the tube diameter left flat on the end. This gives a nice bevel for welding in the “mouth”, but the ends typically need a little grinding for a good fit. This is the fastest method, but easy to scrap tube when you hurry, especially on funky joints.

3) Hand grinder. When you don’t get it exactly right with 1 or 2, fine tune with the grinder. Some joints this is the only option, I just get close with the chop saw and start grinding...

4) When you cut more than you meant to, or otherwise wind up too short, grab another piece. :D

I got the Ye Ol' Joint Jigger out of the Northren Catalog. It's the only one I found that will notch up to 60 degrees. I think I got the cheaper of the two. If I had it to do over again I'd get the better of the two. The bushings in mine are getting sloppy after 3 years. Just use a lot of WD40 and it cuts like butter. I dont have my notcher mounted to anything I just set up the notcher on the tube on the ground and rip through it using a 1/2" airdrill. You can also get some good results from a chopsaw with some practice. Good luck
Travis

I highly recomend >> this notcher << (http://209.238.153.119/notcher.html) from Williams Lowbuck Tools. It is super fast and has never needed any maintenence after several years and alot of use. No holes saws to buy or wear out, no drill or cutting oil required. I can notch a tube in 30 seconds.

2) Chop saw. This works great for most of my square joints. Just cut 2 45s like “/\” where the deepest part of the cut is at your inside measurement. Then cut off about half of the point you just made, or position your cuts so that there is about 1/4 of the tube diameter left flat on the end. This gives a nice bevel for welding in the “mouth”, but the ends typically need a little grinding for a good fit. This is the fastest method, but easy to scrap tube when you hurry, especially on funky joints.

:) AMEN BROTHER:) that is how us hillbillies do it. Another way to do the compound cuts is with the Saw-z-all. then grind out the rest.

Originally posted by zags
I highly recomend >> this notcher << (http://209.238.153.119/notcher.html) from Williams Lowbuck Tools. It is super fast and has never needed any maintenence after several years and alot of use. No holes saws to buy or wear out, no drill or cutting oil required. I can notch a tube in 30 seconds.
For $300 it better be fast and last a long time. I've probably got less than that (or not much more) in my cut-off saw, drill press, saw-notcher, selection of bi-metal hole saws, side grinder, etc. And, those things do much more than just notch tube. Plus, you still need the grinder to adjust and bevel. I just don't see the justification for that thing unless you are making cages (or other tube stuff) for a living or you make most of the glitter for the world. :D I guess if I were to start a full tube buggy or something it would be worth it too. But for a bending newbie like me, with only a single cage/body, that thing is anything but "low buck". I guess I'm just another low-buck low life trailer trash wanna-be... :D

We have the JD2 notcher, which is about the highest quality I can imagine in notchers. It goes to 50* and holds th tube perfectly straight. My drill press is not tall enough to put it in there. I just clamp it in the vise and use a 1/2" Milwakee drill. It works amazingly great.

J. J.