Your ideas, please

[KMoffett]

Hi Gary,
i have a simple solution that doesn't involve using a lathe at all.
i know it's a shame to wanna use it, so it's gonna be tough to hear this...

take a large hose clamp and lightly tighten it to your cut zone,
scribe a line around the pipe until you get to the tightener.
turn the clamp and finish scribing the line
(you can blue up the pipe before you scribe ,if you wanna take the extra step)
take your favorite saw or cut off wheel
and go to town on the waste side of the pipe.
grind to where you feel comfortable and hand dress it, or all the way up to the clamp if it ain't got to be to the gnat's short hair.
but keep in mind you'll have to rotate the clamp to get the tightener out of the cut zone.
i have utilized this method for 1/2 pipe all the way up to 12" boiler tube.
has not failed.the lines are dang straight , good enough to tig weld.

i hope the method helps out

I do something similar. I have a program (Winmiter) that prints out templates for cutting fishmouths for joining tubes at angles. You just wrap the paper printout around the tube, tape it in place, and use a right angle grinder to cut to the printed line. With care, perfect every time. With the OP's situation, just wrap a sheet paper around the tube (it's self squaring), tape it in place, and cut with a right angle to the edge of the paper.

Ken

Added: http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/winmiter.html

 

[savarin]

I do something similar. I have a program (Winmiter) that prints out templates for cutting fishmouths for joining tubes at angles. You just wrap the paper printout around the tube, tape it in place, and use a rightangle grinder to cut to the printed line. With care, perfect every time. With the OP's situation, just wrap a sheet paper around the tube (it's self squaring), tape it in place, and cut with a right angle to the edge of the paper.

Ken

Exactly what I do.
Heres the tube mitre program I use
http://www.ozhpv.org.au/resources/shed/tubemiter.html

this one looks like the bees knees but so is the price

[url]http://digitalpipefitter.com/
[/URL]

 

[stevet]

I just had a very similar project. I had to make 30 small motorcycle fenders for some trophies we are making. I sliced 6 pieces of 2.5" exhaust tubing on my 4 X 6 band saw about 3/8ths of an inch each. I then chucked them in the 3 Jaw chuck grabbing the inside and turned them true. Then I cut them into 4 pieces, and they were fenders. If you chuck the tubing this way it holds pretty well. Don't over tighten the chuck, and take very light cuts at a slow speed.

Steve t

 

[NodakGary]

Once again you guys are the greatest. Thank you all for your replies. I am gonna get a square end on that darn pipe. I was trying to stand it on end and use it in my hydraulic press to allow me to push out a bolt-like piece on my son's hot-rod's front end.
Hope one day I can return the favors and help someone with something I did.
Thank you all
NodakGary

 

[GarageGuy]

I tried to true a piece of exhaust pipe on my lathe too, with the same result. You can cut the pipe on your band saw, and square the end on it with a vertical mill. Just put the pipe in the mill vise and true the end. I sold my old dedicated tubing notcher after a friend explained to me that a vertical mill is the ultimate tubing notcher.

GG

 

[caster]

How about clamping it on the cross slide with v blocks and using a fly cutter in the chuck?