What do you all use to notch 1 3/4 tube? I have a cheapo Harbor Freight notcher and have tried the Lenox, and the Ridgid hole saws but can't seem to get them to last a cut or two. Is there a better kind hole saw or is my notcher junk?

Lot of people just use a chop saw and a angle grinder.

Chop saw for the easy angles.

Toilet paper roll for a template and angle grinder (w/ cutoff wheel) for the more difficult angles.

Thought about buying one of the pipemaster setups for notching, but the toilet paper rolls work good enough for me for now.

Charlie

I do most of mine by eye with a paint pen and a angle grinder (with either cutoff wheel or a flap wheel). I've used the toilet paper roll trick a few times, it works good.

After getting used to the angle grinder method, I just can't see myself spending the money to buy a decent notcher. The cheaper ones just don't work well for friends of mine so I stayed away from them.

Edit: Isn't this in the wrong forum? Shouldn't it be here (http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=55)?

hahaha as soon as i clicked the ^link the first thread in there is this one start reading:the pirate buy/don't buy guide to harbor freight (http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=434877)

i have a pro tools notcher......the cheapo ace hardware hole saws last for 60-80 notches or so until they get a bit dull or lose teeth....but still work

as far as the above mentioned methods go.......:shaking: for emergency use only :D

I am also using a pro tools HSN 501i. but get my angles using bend tech pro. The better the notcher the better the results
http://http://www.pro-tools.com/hsn501i.htm

forgot to add i am using snap-on hole saws

I have used a hf notcher. I had a new drive made that has the correct thread on it for the hole saws. It works great and hole saws last forever at the right speed in a drill press. Too fast and youll kill one a notch. Slow it down and they will last for years.

I also have a hand notcher that I use more, it just pulls down and chops the notch, I will have to look on it to see what brand. I build race car cages for a living and race a little.

www.jnjfab.com is my website.

pro tools notcher is the same as hf but with brgs and greasable. if you mount a hf one well in a drill press its fine, for a long time.

That harbor freight is a bunch of stamped crap

I have a JD2 Notchmaster and use Lennox hole saws in it or I use wrappers off Bend-Tech Pro and my T.D. Plasma

We use a JD2 Notchmaster, using snap-on hole saws, with some high quality tap ease crayon to keep the saws sharp, without the tap ease we would burn up hole saws and break teeth quite often. some homemade paper saddles and a plasma cutter works well too.

Could I just mount the tube in a super heavy duty vise at the proper angle and cut it with a hole saw on the press?

i bought one of these, held up well so far. good for my cheap ass budget.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/0-to-45-PIPE-TUBE-TUBING-NOTCHER-RACE-CAR_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem1c0d5b7a5fQQitemZ12 0483183199QQptZMotorsQ5fAutomotiveQ5fTools#ht_888w t_1167

That is basicaly the same as the Harbor freight model. I bought the HB model and made a slight adjustment to the fame. It wasn't cutting the tubing square. The notch was off center. I shimmed it out, and have made prolly 60 notches with it and haven't hade any problems.

I also used it to cut the holes in my old buggy frame for my shackle bushings. It worked for the 40 bucks I spent on it at the time.

I had a JD and upgraded to the JMR..... 100x better :smokin:

I had a JD and upgraded to the JMR..... 100x better :smokin:

which jd?

$70 Woodward Fab notcher with deep blu-mol hole saws. I'll buy a used mill before I drop $500+ on a friggin notcher.

The only way I'd spend that much on a notcher is if all I did all day was notch tube. They work great and are pretty fast too and that's all I'd be paying for is the speed. I have a cheapo HF model I took apart and modified a bit. It has worked for a year or two now after being shimmed to cut correctly. I now have a small mill and will be making some jaws to hold tube at different angles. I also thought about just buying some pillow bearings and the machined steel rod with threads on the end for the hole saws. You can get them from Mcmaster Carr or any industrial supply place. Google tube notcher and click on images and you'll find everything people have bought, built, and/or thought about. Some are pretty damn sweet.

We use our lathe. My partner made a braket to mount a degree vice to it. Chuck an roughing end mill in it set the angle you want clamp the tubing and notch. Works perfect. It will notch 75-80 degrees.:smokin:

Jeep 937,

I tried mounting a vise to my drill press just like you suggested. Granted my drill press is a cheapo from Northern Tool but it didn't work out too well... The spindle had too much slop in it and through the first third of the cut it kept binding and breaking off teeth even at 240 RPM and covered in moly cutting oil... That failed attempt is what led me to this thread. After reading this thread I think I am going to buy the $40 hf notcher and spend maybe another $40 to improve it with parts from McMaster and a couple "prototype" parts run through the machine shop at work.

That is basicaly the same as the Harbor freight model. I bought the HB model and made a slight adjustment to the fame. It wasn't cutting the tubing square. The notch was off center. I shimmed it out, and have made prolly 60 notches with it and haven't hade any problems.


Exactly what I did with my HF notcher. i use cheap-o lowes hole saws and I usually put a fresh one on every new project. They could probably go longer, but they're cheap enough I like having a fresh one.

put the notcher in a drill press that can turn 200 RPM or below (I think mine is around 220 or so) and it will perform better than it ever did using a bench vise and hand drill

Pro Tools HSN500 notcher from Rockbuggy Supply (great price!) and I use Starrett Industrial Bi-Metal hole saws that are their fast cut, variable pitch design. I have notched enough tubing for a complete exocage with the 1-3/4" hole saw I have and it still cuts clean. It cost me about $8 or so IIRC.

I use the JD2 Notchmaster and Lennox holesaws. I have a cheap Northern variable speed 1/2" drill that is dedicated to notching. I think the key to holesaw survival is slow speed. I'm able to get more than 100 notches out of a typical hole saw. I just spray a little "Coolmist" on it while notching and it goes thru 1.75" DOM in about 15-20 seconds or so..

YouTube - Edwards Ironworkers Pipe Notcher (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqLOKG3Rk6w)

i bought the hf notcher then took it to my friend with a cnc plasma and we cut a new frame from 3/8 and bolted the hf clamp and drive to it. it has been ok for several years like that. i do plan on making a new spindle with bearings.that should make it much better. i just cant see spending 2-300 on a good notcher for the ammount i use the thing.

i only like to use starrett or lenox hole saws they seem to last the longest.

Yeah I was thinking of accomplishing the same result by welding some support to the original frame. But that was only a theory because I haven't even bought the notcher yet so I have no idea what it looks like in person.

Could I just mount the tube in a super heavy duty vise at the proper angle and cut it with a hole saw on the press?


This is what I did when I built a cage for my old bracket car. I have a medium size mill/drill, and used the Enco adjustable vise. Just be sure to run your press at the lowest speed, and the hole saws will last a lot longer.

I've used this a few times...

http://www.metalgeek.com/static/cope.pcgi


Then I use 2 grinders - 1 cut-off wheel and 1 flap wheel. Keep some scrap tube next to the vise for test fitting.

Speed is key, the recommended speed for a 1.75" hole saw in mild steel is 195 rpm or so. That plus lots of lube, I get lots of cuts out of my HF notcher and rigid saws from home depot.

Mine doesn't cut quite on center, I need to shim it like others have said. I used to use a HF drill press at ~150rpm, now will run my drill/mill at 130rpm, the amount of runout in the quill is much less and cuts better.

Anybody have any suggestions on how to get my Chinese drill press to slow down? The slowest I can get it is 240rpm and the stepped pulleys are one peice so I can't change out one or two...

The HF notcher works better if you turn your drill press table 90* and clamp/bolt the HF base plate to the drill press table. That makes it more rigid and it has less chance of binding up. Keep the shaft and bushing lubed, use good hole saws, and slow the RPM down.


Anybody have any suggestions on how to get my Chinese drill press to slow down? The slowest I can get it is 240rpm and the stepped pulleys are one peice so I can't change out one or two...

$20 router speed control from HF. It's not made for that type of motor, but some guys have reported that it works fine.

Add another stepped pulley in the middle (if you have room). http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5609329&postcount=19

or do what vetteboy79 did and add another motor and used the original motor/pulley combo as the mid range pulley. http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=841661

I like the second motor idea. I just happen to have a spare brand new 1750 RPM 1/2HP motor that I never put on my cement mixer. Maybe I'll break out the plasma cutter and make me a motor bracket.

I use a pro-tools 501 notcher, I have it mounted to a pc. of 2x2 that slides into a receiver on my work bench , I also welded the chuch of the drill to the arbor of the notcher in a manner that I can cut thru the weld when I wear the drill out,I had a problem keeping the chuck tight due to vibration, Ive had the notcher for about 6 years now and been thru 2 electric drills, I'm very happy with the performance of the notcher, anywhere from 50 to 100 notches per hole saw, depends on how bad I abuse it.

I use a chopsaw and angle grinder. It's not perfect, but it is good enough for me.

I noticed Summit carries the Woodward Fab SPPIPE notcher for $70. There is a slight benefit of this over the $50 harbor freight version because it has a needle bearing vs. a bronze bushing the tube vise will swing 60 deg instead of 45.

But after all is said and done I have gotten pretty quick and efficient with my chop saw and a carbide knurly bit in my die grinder. I am going to stick to this method until I go to build my cage.

YouTube - Edwards Ironworkers Pipe Notcher (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqLOKG3Rk6w)




FUUUCCK I want an Iron worker so god damn bad! Can't do angled notches though.