From:  teeley2
Subject:  Re: Bits Bits and more Bits

I use a twist drill bit for metal. If any are too dull to drill through a soft metal like copper, I toss it and buy another of the same size. A center punch marks the spot where I want to drill. The dimple it leaves keeps the bit from sliding around so it penetrates easily.

From:  "Oletzke" <koletzke@99west.com>
Subject:  Re: Digest Number 39

Steven,

To drill glass you'll need a very small diamond bit and to do all of your drilling in water. I have also used carbide bits with a great deal of success. I use a Dremel for my drilling - not a regular drill. Drilling glass is a slow process and eats the drill bits like candy. You may only get 4-5 holes out of each bit depending on the quality of the bit. Kelley

From:  cllsj
Subject:  Re: Cutting larger tube?

You can buy tube cutters for larger tubing but I just use a hacksaw. I use a piece of paper to mark the tube by wrapping the paper around the tube and line up the over lapping edges of the paper on my mark for length. I use the edge of the paper to draw a mark around the tube. I then start at on spot on the tube and start cutting. Instead of cutting all the way thru the tube I cut around the tube following my mark. Chuck

From:  nannette kelly <nan_kelly@yahoo.com>
Subject:  Re: Cutting larger tube?

A chop saw leaves it very ruff a lot of the metal left inside the tube. Its not a nice smooth cut. The time you save
cutting with a chop saw you spend cleaning up the mess it left. I think it takes less time with the tube cutter than it takes cleaning up the chop saw mess. But remember I've only used 1/2" and 3/4" tube so far. My husband was able to barrow a ridged tube cutter that will cut the 11/2" tube. Nannette

From:  Thomas Wasson <taw7_1999@yahoo.com>
Subject:  Re: Cutting larger tube?

Nannette, There is saw blade that will cut metal. Here is the info. Brand name Erwin Metstar, 71/4", 40 teeth, cost 52.95. It can be cheaper at Lowe's hardware. Some stores do not carry the blade. It makes a very smooth cut. I have cut 1" solid alum tubing, 11/2" alum tubing and all sizes of EMT. Tom

From:  "bmh1944" <bmh1944@yahoo.com>
Subject:  Re: pressing matters

I feel like the tuft at the end of the tail here, but everything posted so far is all good advice. If you're looking for something that holds a hand drill and converts it into a drill press, they abound - but aren't worth squat. If you want a nice little hobby drill press without breaking the bank, Sears, Home Depot, Lowes, and many other local tool stores have little 1/2", tabletop, imported drill presses for around $80. Whether you opt for a drill press or simply use a hand drill, whether you're using cheap Wal-Mart drill bits or the most expensive ones (of either tungsten-carbide or
diamond-encrusted tip), there are a few laws that must be followed for drilling anything. High priced drill bits are only good for longer life with less time spent in either resharpening or replacement; but, regardless of bit quality, all of them can be quickly destroyed if one doesn't employ the following:

1. NEVER USE HIGH SPEED WITH HIGH PRESSURE - period!!

2. Wood and extremely thin, fairly soft metal - punch it in at high speed and moderate pressure (no lubricant) - no problems.

3. Plastics and other synthetics - Go with very slow speed and very light pressure (no lubricant) because too much bit speed or pressure will create frictional heating that will melt the material instead of drilling a nice hole in it.

4. Thick metal of any type (over 1/16" thick) - the rule is GO SLOW, GO LIGHT IN PRESSURE, and USE LUBRICANT. High speed, moderate pressure, and no lubricant will create much frictional heat that does two things: (a)locally hardens the metal to make drilling impossible and (b)heats the bit's tip and removes it's tempered hardness (making it instantly softer and quickly dulled). When using very slow drill speed, light pressure, and a little WD-40 every few seconds, you can
drill through 2" of moderately hard steel with a cheap drill bit (over and over again). Using high speed, high pressure, and no lubricant will dull a $20 carbide bit in a few seconds (even when drilling fairly soft steel, aluminum, or brass - BIT HEAT IS A KILLER.

5. Soft, thick metals (brass, copper, especially aluminum) - Slow bit speed, moderate pressure, and frequent lubricant. While too much speed, pressure, or lack of lubricant won't initially damage a good drill bit, the frictional heat will cause the tip of the bit to actually melt the material being drilled and cause it to stick inside the bit's grooves at the tip. The melted material "fuses" into the grooves of the bit's cutting edge; and, since the bit can't cut into the material anymore, quickly increases the frictional heat of the bit's tip, softens it, and instantly dulls it.

6. For hardened/tempered steel - FORGET IT! Any hardened or tempered steel, which contains a hole, had the hole drilled while the steel was soft (BEFORE it was tempered). If you're terribly desperate, have a cheap bit (for a one-time use), and a nice torch, you can set the drill on high speed - heat the tempered steel to a bright orange color - then punch the bit through hard and fast. Of course, this will destroy the bit and the temper of the material that was heated; but you'll have your hole - LOL. Brent

From:  "Laura" <whypunkwhy@yahoo.com>
Subject:  Re: Awesome find......

I wish I woulda caught this thread earlier, but I was away for a few days. When you wanna buy some new bits consider this website http://www.kingsleynorth.com/drillbits.html
Just scroll down that page till you get to the bits specified for glass, ceramics, etc. The company is great to deal with and the bits are awesome. The average time for drilling holes in glass is 2.5 minutes. It all depends on what brand and color glass you're using. I get the 3mm bits so my holes are just large enough to thread copper wiring through. Sometimes I use fishing line instead of copper cuz I think you get more sound that way. Anywho, they do have a $25 minimum order so I just bought the 25 pack of bits. They last anywhere from 10 to 50 holes. You do have to keep the glass under water so I went to the dollar store and bought an aluminum baking pan that was resting in a thin plastic tub. I took the aluminum out and put just enough water in the plastic tub to cover my glass. I put a piece of cardboard under the glass too that way you dont puncture the tub, learned that the hard way LOL. Just make sure when you're drilling you don’t press hard, let the drill do the work. If you force it the glass may break.

From:  "bmh1944" <bmh1944@yahoo.com>
Subject:  Re: Cleaning Aluminum

Robin;

The main ingredients in cleaning or polishing any old metal are "patience" and "elbow grease" - LOL. Providing that the aluminum tubing you get from any old lawn chairs isn't badly pitted with white corrosion from too much exposure to damp conditions, you can clean and/or polish aluminum up easier than many metals. If you're going to do very much work in building anything (especially out of metal) I'd first recommend buying two, cheap, dual-wheel electric bench grinders. Home Depot sells a Ryobi for $35 and Wal-Mart has the same thing with the Black & Decker logo for $40. They come with a fine
grinding wheel on one side and a coarse wheel on the other. At such a cheap price, get a second grinder, remove the grinding wheels (save them as replacements for the first grinder) then put a very fine wire wheel on one side - and a cloth buffing wheel on the other (bboth can be obtained from Home Depot, Lowes, or any hardware store.

As Rick has already described, the fine wire wheel will remove oxidization and rust very quickly; but a wire wheel leaves the surface clean - but scuffed up in a "matte" appearance. If you are looking to make the aluminum tubing nice and shiny, the following will work very well.

1. Use "0000" grade (extremely fine) steel wool, wrap a pad around the tubing, and make long strokes back and forth down the length of the tubing. This will remove just about anything on the tube and leave it looking pretty shiny.

2. If you want it even shinier, apply a little fine polishing compound (jeweler's rouge or automobile polishing compound) to the cloth buffing wheel; then lightly move the tube back and forth against the cloth wheel. Don't use too much polishing compound and keep the pressure against the wheel very light to prevent scarring the tube's surface - only polish it.

3. If you're going for a mirror finish, there are many good metal polishing compounds made for hand application "elbow grease". You can find this stuff anywhere, but be sure to read the label because many metal polishes (like Brasso) work great for most stuff, but will discolor aluminum. Just about any polish that's good for silver will also work well with aluminum. Apply a little polish to a soft rag and work it lengthwise on the tube like you did with the steel wool. It
won't take long before the tube is so shiny you can see the cracks between you teeth in it. Some of the best I've found are:

Happich Semi-chrome polish - (very expensive but very good)
MAAS metal polish - from Lowes or Home Depot
Blue Magic - from just about any auto parts store. I prefer using this one on most stuff because it works great (especially on aluminum) and isn't very expensive.

Of course, if you put a mirror finish on any metal, the only way it will remain that way out in the weather is to apply a very light coat of liquid polyurethane (clear gloss) varnish to the surface after you've cleaned it well to remove any oil residue or fingerprints. Brent

From:  "Archie" <archie97@earthlink.net>
Subject:  Re: Newbie with stainless?

Stainless steel probably produces the best sound one could expect from windchimes because it is usually a very hard metal alloy; unfortunately, depending on it's degree of hardness, it can be extremely difficult to work with. Unlike most "annealed" (softer) or "drawn" (mechanically hardened) tubing of most metals, stainless steel tubing is usually heat tempered to obtain a much higher degree of hardness. The "hardness factor" of metals and alloys is typically measured using the "Rockwell Standard" with soft metal being a very low number and hard metal being a higher number.

As I recall from a metal-guru friend of mine, here's "ballpark" estimates of what I remember:

1. Hard "drawn" copper (plumbing) tubing = (approx) Rockwell 58

2. Most aluminum alloy tubing = (approx) Rockwell 55 to 85

3. Steel EMT (electrical conduit) = (approx) Rockwell 90 to 100

4. Stainless Steel (depending on manufactured application) can easily have a heat-tempered hardness running from Rockwell 200 to 440.

Applications requiring stainless steel are usually along the lines of high-carbon steel - but much greater resistant to rust and corrosion. Most stainless steel products with holes or other machine work done had such completed BEFORE it was heat-tempered. Depending on the hardness of the tubing you have now, drilling it or hack sawing it may range from very difficult to virtually impossible; so, you may want to first experiment with such close to the end of one of your tubing
sections.

Considering the relatively short pieces of tubing you have to work with (with respect to it's 2" diameter), I'd personally suggest not worrying about cutting or "tuning" each piece to some desired musical note. Windchimes are struck at random anyway; so, as long as each tube is of enough difference in length to produce a noticeably different pitch, Fred Flintstone (yours truly) finds great aesthetics in beautiful sounds, which may or may not be "tuned" to any particular note.

Go to the "links" section here and read Jim Haworth's "Article On Making Windchimes". He has a very simple mathematical formula by which you can cut a tube to ANY length, use it as a "base" to work from, and cut the other tubes to get very close to a (one note at a time) chromatic musical note progression if you so choose. Otherwise, I would personally recommend figuring how many tubes you wish to have in your windchime set, allow about a 2.5" length difference between
each tube, divide up what you have to get the least amount of waste, don't worry about "tuning", and just enjoy the audible aesthetics of their diverse sounds. Brent

From:  "bmh1944" <bmh1944@yahoo.com>
Subject:  Re: Cutting conduit

If you're really into the laborious area of hack sawing, I've taken a piece of masking tape and wrapped the tube with the edge of the tape at the cutting line, and it's pretty easy to see that the tape is straight by it's overlap when you complete the wrap. That makes a nice guide for a reasonably straight cut. But, if you do enough cutting of thicker walled tubing (and can justify the $160 price to your wife), Delta and Ryobi both make a nice metal-cutting band saw that works a lot like a chop saw in action - but the whole band assembly comes down on the work when you lower it by the handle.
Compared to other brands, both are relatively inexpensive; and a little online shopping can sometimes get you a refurbished one at a better price.

Of course, you still have a little deburring and smoothing to do, but not nearly as much as with a standard metal chop-saw with an abrasive-composition blade. If the band-saw is fitted with a relatively fine-tooth blade, an old (dull) steel pocket knife only takes a couple of angled turns around the inside of the tube to make a nice chamfer; and a few hits with a fine tooth flat file around the outer edge does the same. For a few small, bench-top standard band saws (in the $100 range) you can still find a few places that stock metal cutting blades; but they're getting harder to find as the
chop-type band saws are gaining in popularity and coming down in price. Brent

If one uses Chuck's calculator (at the FIRST natural frequency) to figure any optimum/ideal range for a particular tubing OD and metal composition, you will find that it is in very close agreement with the physical characteristics of extremely expensive orchestra chimes.
If one thinks about this for a minute, these folks have been perfecting the art of producing a very accurate musical note and octave (acceptable to the human perception) for a few hundred years.
When I consider they use different OD's, wall thickness, and lengths to produce each note in a narrow respective range, I bow to their experience and don't question the fact that they DO NOT try to produce every note and octave using the same tubing - obviously, they too have found it doesn't work!! Brent

From:  planerends
Subject:  Ideas from a new chimer

Hi everyone,
This is from Jim Keck of North Pole, Alaska. No we're not at the top of the world. We live in a nice small town about 20 miles South of Fairbanks, Alaska.
 I am a retired shop teacher (6 years now) so this will be a long and wordy message. I thought that I might be able to help other new chimers with some short cuts and ideas from shop experiences.

 Lets start with the vise. Most heavy-duty vises, even those having the pipe jaws located below the flat jaws, will score and scratch your costly pipe. Take a 4"x4" hunk of wood and cut it across the grain to the length of the jaws. Slice this in half in the direction of the wood grain. This gives you two blocks thicker than a regular 2"x4".
Cut a 'V' into one block starting about 1/2 " from the top. Cut with the grain. This will be a notch with sides at 90 degrees to each other. Go about7/8" deep. I use a band saw. You could use a table saw or even a handsaw. If using a hand saw better go get several cans of your favorite beverage and send the kids to the movies.
Move down about 3/4" and cut another 'V'. This one about 3/8" deep. On the other piece cut the top 'V' about3/4" deep and the second one about1/2 deep. By flipping these blocks back and forth you have soft jaws that will not scratch your tubes. (the above measurements are not critical, just so they are at a different depth) Long pipes must be supported several feet away from the vise. Use an adjustable stand with a roller, many different size empty boxes or even suspended from the ceiling.

I like to use a pipe cutter. Someone still has mine so I went to the store. What's happened to the prices!
Harbor Freight sells a mid size cutter (1/8" to about 1 1/4" for $9.99 ( 00136-oheh) and I also ordered a nice dial calipers at $ 9.99. (31337-6heb) Tele. # 800-423-2567 FAX 800-905-5220

Adding this tiny tip that might help a few people. Pipe cutters, especially brand new ones, can scratch or mar the
surface being cut.
Find some 200 or 300 wet/dry sandpaper and smooth out the edges of the two rollers that are opposite from the cutting wheel.
Then take about twelve inches of duct tape, about a half inch wide and wrap it around the tube as close to the cut off mark as possible. Wrap another piece on the other side, close to the mark. Wrap these in the same direction that you will naturally turn the cutter.
The residue left by the tape cleans up easily.
If you are using a hacksaw place the pipe as close to the vise as you can. Use a cheap level so that the cut will be at 90 degrees.
Buy a handful of good quality blades. Very fine teeth. Make sure the blade is installed properly. If there's no arrow pointing to the 'front', have the teeth point forward. The cutting takes place on the forward stroke.
I've found that holding a pipe, hooking the end of a metric tape measure and holding a felt pen takes more hands than I have. To solve this get an aluminum yard stick from Home Depot. Mount a tiny hook on the exact '0' with duct tape. Visit the sewing section of Wal-mart and get a metric plastic pressure sensitive scale. This has MM in between the CM marks. Stick this over the duct tape and smoothly press it into place.

Using this on the pipe make a tiny dot at the cut off spot. Now you can check you work with the metric tape measure.
Back to the vise. Hold the blade directly on top of the mark. Place your thumb against the blade, just above the teeth. Lightly pull back on the saw. Place it in the tiny groove and pull it back three more times. This will give you a nice starting spot. Add a few drops of cutting oil. (They also have cutting oil for aluminum) Remove poor scared thumb and hold the saw by the far end. This first forward cut is rather critical. Go easy so it doesn’t jump out. At the end of this first forward stroke slightly lift the saw, as you pull it back, so as not to dull the blades with a forward 'curl'.
Cut easy, letting the saw cut without any downward pressure. As you get to the end of the cut use slow 'baby' cuts and you'll have a great cut.

There will be a burr on the inside of the pipe that can be removed with a round 'rat-tail' file or a half round metal file. When buying new files select one made for metal. Wood rasps just won't do it. Harbor Freight has a set of ten files at $4.99. Some are for wood. (00924-oheb)
When mounting a file on to a handle, NEVER, NEVER, strike the file with a metal hammer. Files are brittle and may shatter. Put it in place and slam the handle against some solid object. Some file handles have threads cut into the opening, merely thread the file in place. Now that you know how to cut a 'V' in wood, make yourself a third block. You can use a 2"x4" for this a six inch chunk will do. Cut a 'V' across the board about 1 1/4" deep. This will be a cradle to center your pipe as you drill the node holes. Buy several new, high grade 1/8 inch drill bits. Using a felt pen color the shafts with a bright red or blue. Don't use these special bits on any other work. A dull drill bit can get you in trouble. Take a piece of scrap pipe and make a practice hole. The small diameter of the 1/8" will allow the bit to bend and wander looking for a starting spot near your mark! Use a 'center drill'. These have their flutes cut at 82 degrees and they just love to cut into the rounded surface of pipes and tubes. These can also be used as counter sinks. Harbor Freight has a set of four for $6.99. (42279-oheh)

Just drill a small hole (About 1/16" deep). Put several drops of cutting oil on to the drill bit and into the pilot hole.
I use about 600 to 800 RPMs. Charts call for higher speeds for small bits but when they break there's no way of ducking!
Try to find a foot control for you drill press. This frees both hands. If you do use a foot switch mount it inside of a gallon can so it doesn't get turned on as you are fiddling with the drill chuck.

Center your pipe on your new 'V' block holding firmly to the pipe. As you start drilling if you can see the bit bending slightly, Stop. This means the pilot hole is not centered. As you happily drill away pull down in a steady motion.
When drilling heavy metal if you use a dull bit and don't move smoothly through the metal you'll heat it up enough to re-temper it and you'll never get through! Ease up as you feel you are about to break through. Taking a deep
breath, move down until the bit touches the other side of the pipe. Visualize this poor tiny drill bit hunting for a place to get started. It’s dark in there and nobody to see what's happening.

The bit will find the lowest section of pipe so go ahead and press on through, easing up as you think it's about to break through. If you are using a hand held drill, I hope have your safety goggles on. Actually anyone drilling metal must have goggles in place. Losing an eye to a shattered drill bit would never be worth any wind chime! Carefully grind the burrs off the outside of the pipe. To reach the inside burrs, mount your rat-tail file on a 1/2" wooden dowel. Press down with the file on the forward stroke only. Pulling back, lift the file slightly. (same reason as the hack saw blade-- to keep from
rounding over the teeth. Use a 'file card' to clean out the file's teeth when they get loaded up with material, especially aluminum.

In my shop I came upon some stuff that might help mounting the tubes. We used to make door harps. It's a simple sound box with steel strings tightened, and struck with 1/2 inch wooden balls. The useful part is the tuning pins. They are about 1 1/4 long. Have very fine threads cut into the shaft (maybe 50 threads /inch) There's a 1/16" hole drilled through just above these threads. The head is square. Using a special tool you twist the pin into place.

If you mounted the pin at an angle of about 20 degrees above the horizontal plane, they should hold hundreds of pounds. I de-burr the drilled holes using a small Dremel cone. Harbor Freight has a very lightweight set for $9.99. (41695-2heb)
The set includes about two dozen bits and runs at 110v. through a small transformer. A real nice buy!

 I forgot to tell where you can buy those tuning pins, if anyone wants them. They come from 'Cherry Tree Toys' 800-848-4363.FAX-1-888-848-4388 E-mail is sales@cherrytreetoys.com Web site: http://cherrytreetoys.com
The steel tuning pins come in 100 piece packs @ $19.00.(part #6010) They also sell a 50 pack or by the dozen, but I don't have those prices.

You should order a tuning wrench @ $7.95. (part #6100 ) This is what you need to screw the pins in place. A tiny metric socket may also work.
I forgot to tell you that these pins screw nicely into ½” plywood (Marine type), or any hardwood. There is a lot of birch up here, which is very hard, so that's what I've used. And again, if you mount these pins in an upward slope, about 20 degrees from the horizon, they should hold up to 100 # and not pull out. This place also sells stainless steel wire for the door harps in three different gauges. I don't have the price per roll but it's not very expensive. They might be useful to hang tubes and strikers. Now for a simple rig that may help new chimers hang up their tubes.

Start at your hardware store and select some threaded stock. 1/2" for lighter chimes, 5/8" for heavier ones or 3/4" for real heavy stuff. Get a piece about 4 feet long. Tenderly put it in your cart and go over to the bolt section. Thread
about five or six bolts on it from each end. This does two things. It tells you the starting threads on both ends are OK and not bent. Then if you drop the piece on either end, the threads will be realigned as you back off the bolts.
Get 8 or so flat washers. Then go to the chain section and select two pieces of that decorative brass large linked chain. (The stuff that's used for hanging swag lamps). Select the ones that have almost 1 " links.

I hung this long threaded stock on an adjustable chrome medical hanger. The kind they hang blood bags and solutions on. It's adjustable so I can work sitting down or standing up. Washers and bolts secured it in place. You could make a stand out of 2"x4"s or even hang it from the ceiling. Get some soft steel stock, (about 1" or 1 1/2"wide) drill two pieces
to fit over the main piece of threaded stock. Bend it 90 degrees about three inches below the hole. Lock these in place facing each other, about 4 " apart.

Using some thin plywood to keep from scratching your top piece, clamp it tightly using small 'C' clamps. This will give you a stable top piece so you can now attach the tubes. Take a piece of scrap wood about 2"x5" long. Screw two large brass
cup holder hooks near the edge of the long part of the wood. Drill a hole into the center of this base and secure a 1/2 dowel in it, about 12 " long.

Hang the chain on either side of your clamped top piece. Hook the small wooden platform to each chain. It should hang nicely in place. Slip your pipe over the dowel and now adjust the chain so the tube's height is in the place you'd like. The pipe will flop over as it's top heavy. Tie it loosely with string or use long pieces of twisty wire.
Send the wife and kids shopping, lock the shop door and now your 'tube' will stay erect for as long as you want to fiddle with it!  Jim Keck

From:  "Brent" <bmh1944@yahoo.com>
Subject:  Re: cut-off saw blades

Hi Jim;

 I've gone almost exclusively to using a metal band saw (of chop-saw type design) for cutting tubing.

Seems like every manufacturer has some particular name for it; but it's configured much like a woodworker's chop-saw or power miter-saw - except it has a metal band saw instead of a woodworking circle saw that is pulled down into the material. The band saw-type metal cutting chop saw I have was about $150, but they can get a lot more pricey if you want those that use liquid coolant pump/recovery system for the blade and stock. Mine is not so fancy and you really don't need any coolant for cutting most tubing if you don't force the blade. They work great because it cuts very straight and leaves almost no burr at all. They're good for tuning as well because you can take off as little as one blade's with at a time and still have a nice cut. Brent

From:  "Brent" <bmh1944@yahoo.com>
Subject:  Re: Cut off saws

Jim (in Alaska);
 To answer you question about the metal-cutting band saw I use, I will first recommend that you don't spend that much money unless you plan to make a lot of windchimes or have other uses for it like butchering road-kill or fine-cutting lots of other long metal and wooden items. I've quickly discarded using hand tubing cutters because they swedge
down the end of the tube and create quite an internal burr that has to be removed; plus, they are no good for taking off very small amounts for tuning (which requires a grinder that also creates a mess of burring). A carborundum-bladed, metal cutting chop saw is equally as gruesome in the mess it makes during the cut (which also requires
much time consuming de-burring and smoothing). For the casual chime builder, I still prefer a very fine-toothed hacksaw guided by a piece of masking tape wrapped around the tube for an even cut; this requires only a quick couple of twists in a piece of steel wool to smooth (both internally and externally) fairly well. Unfortunately, using a hacksaw for much tuning or making many sets of chimes will leave your elbow looking and feeling like an NFL player's knees.

I first started with a cheapie $100 Ryobi, bench top band saw primarily made for woodcutting; but there were Bosch metal cutting blades available that would fit it just fine. Sadly, for some reason, they no longer make that size of metal-cutting band saw blade anymore, so that tool went back to cutting only wood. I looked into the hand-held
metal cutting band saws (like you found from Harbor Tools), but first experimented with my neighbor's nice Milwaukee 6238 hand-held model. I didn't like it because it bound up easily with tubing and was even more difficult to make a straight cut (even with the masking tape guide) than using a plain old hacksaw - so out went that thought along with the $$300 price tag.

Looking around at metal-cutting band saws quickly makes you realize the expense is usually around that of either keeping a mistress or maintaining a BMW; but I finally found one that's as neat as sliced bread (and you can even slice bread with it too). So here's the poop on a terrific little Asian import that's been around a long time and works great for the light-duty hobby person:

Brand: Jet
Model: HVBS-56M
Type: Floor standing, wheels on one end, leveling adjusters on other Attributes: Vertical or horizontal cutting ability
Motor: 1/2HP induction (both 120V or 220V operation)
Depth of Cut: 5"OD tubing @90 degrees / 3"OD tubing @45 degrees
This saw has a list price of around $400 and many places sell it for around $319, but you can currently get a new one from "www.southern-tool.com" for $269 with free shipping in most of North America. I did some online searching a number of months ago and found a rebuilt model for $189 that looked like new.

Don't worry about buying a "refurbished" model because, at the price, I seriously doubt that anyone actually rebuilds a used saw. When I received mine, it looked brand new and had a full warranty; so I'm pretty sure the refurbished models are only those that were probably damaged in shipment, returned to the factory, had damaged parts replaced, but couldn't be legally imported or sold as "new" anymore. When I was searching for a refurbished/rebuilt model, there were a number of places that sold them for around $150, but nobody had free shipping. One place was as high as $50, and the cheapest I found was $30; so consider that fact into the total cost before deciding to buy one.

I've used the 45-degree cut on the lower tube ends to make some interesting looking chimes on occasion; but you have to cut them longer (by same length as short side to long side cut measurement) to get into the same tuning ballpark as straight-cut tubes would be. Brent

From:  "Brent" <bmh1944@yahoo.com>
Subject:  Re: lubricating metal saw blades

Jim;

Thanks for the info, and I'll probably try looking up the handbook online because it's probably there somewhere. As for treating saw blades and drill bits, you betcha! This may be a little help to some here, so I'll go ahead and spill it.

If you've ever been around a machine shop or are pretty experienced with cutting or drilling anything, you'll know that the major killer of saw blades and drill bits is frictional heat. Even with expensive carbide-tipped saw blades or drill bits, extreme heat from too much pressure or too much speed quickly "anneals" the blade or drill bit metal which removes it's temper, softens it, and instantly dulls it to the point it doesn't cut or drill anymore. When drilling or cutting hard metal like steel, you may have noticed something else that happens when you've burned up a drill bit halfway through a
hole, put in a new bit, and still had terrible trouble taking the hole the rest of the way through. That's because the same heat that annealed your previous drill bit, also case hardened the metal in and around the hole you started; when you try to finish drilling the hole; as a result, you're now drilling heat-tempered steel instead of the softer annealed stuff you started with.

So, the bottom line in cutting or drilling most material is to use only light pressure and very slow speed. High speed drilling or sawing is OK with a very light touch on certain thin materials; but, if you've ever witnessed any machine shop drilling, sawing, or turning, it's always done at a very slow speed and thick material usually has a constant flow of lubricant flooding the blade, bit, and material at the point of cutting or drilling. Slow cutting/drilling speed, very light pressure, and occasional lubricant or constant lubricant/coolant flow keeps down frictional heat that removes the
temper from the blade or bit and installs unwanted temper to the material. I'm not sure what the actual content of machine shop coolant/lubricant is, but it's a milky white petroleum distillate that contains other materials, and is constantly filtered and recirculated from a collection container back to the distribution nozzle.

Since the recirculating stuff is expensive and far beyond the needs of we tinkers, there are a few things I use that help. You can't control the speed of most wood-cutting table saws or band saws; so for the most part, the very light pressure and very slow material feed is the first thing to keep in mind. Using this method and a little occasional lubricant, I can keep even a cheap drill bit or saw blade viable and sharp long after most people have burned up an expensive tungsten carbide number.

When it comes to cutting wood, a little candle wax is OK on the saw blade occasionally, but it burns away pretty fast with even mild heat; instead, I use a bar of plain old bath soap (Dove is good because it also has a lanolin additive). My "soap application tool" is a one-foot long piece of wooden broom handle that I drilled a pilot hole into one end, cut the head off a 3"x1/4" lag screw, then screwed the headless end of the screw into the pilot hole with a pair of pliers (leaving about 2" of the screw tip protruding from the wooden handle). I screw the bar of soap onto the wooden handle and
(VERY CAREFULLY) lightly touch the soap to each side of my running band saw or table saw blade about every 10 minutes of continuous cutting.

Drilling wood is a case for moderately high speed and very light pressure. Hand power drills are OK for quickies and certain applications; but, many times the wood grain will "grab" a drill bit and either make a real mess of the hole, pull you off the intended drilling point, or jerk you far past your intended hole depth. So any hobbyist really needs to pop about $79 for a cheapie tabletop drill press. You can always get a perfectly vertical hole, easily control the drilling pressure, set the drilling speed for the material, set the depth of the hole, and always center the hole where it's supposed to be.

When drilling or cutting metal, the saw/drill speed is very slow, the pressure is very light, and the coolant/lubricant is a can of WD-40. OK, so it's not very exotic, but it works very well. Yes, there's a little mess to clean up, but sitting the saw or drill press on a little piece of visqueen leaves only the saw or drill to clean. An occasional toot of WD-40 while the metal band saw is running or the drill press is working on the hole will work miracles. The common problem with aluminum and copper is that frictional heat from the blade or bit actually starts melting the material instead of cutting
it; the results are seeing aluminum or copper actually fusing itself between the teeth of the saw blade or into the cutting relief channels of the drill bit. This bad result instantly compounds itself because it not only slows or stops the cutting action, but also instantly raises the frictional heat being produced to a China-syndrome level. When cutting or drilling any type of metal, the occasional squirt of WD-40 cools the cut/hole and blade/bit, lubes the area to minimize frictional heat, floats out cuttings, prevents blade/bit clogging, and will greatly increase the life of the blade or bit to your utter amazement. Brent

From:  "Brent" <bmh1944@yahoo.com>
Subject:  Saw Blade Lube Clarification

The "bar of soap on a stick" tool that I described in an earlier posting is indeed a great way to vastly increase the life of any table saw or band saw blade. However, since I was a bit vague in the application manner, I thought I should clarify the procedure to ensure there are no accidents. It should be obvious that allowing the soap bar's internal mounting screw or the tool handle to suddenly be snatched by an aggressively toothed table saw blade is going to result in instant damage to the blade and an immediate change in the previously pristine condition of your underwear.

The intent of occasional blade lubing (with soap or any other suitable compound) is directed primarily to the sides of the blade and NOT to it's cutting teeth. When material is fed gently and slowly into a good blade, there is very little frictional heat generated by the cutting process itself, and the blade's rapid motion through the air will provide considerable cooling to each tooth before it moves around for another cutting strike. Even though a blade with any life
at all left has enough teeth "set" to make the cutting kerfs wider than the body of the blade itself, there is still a tremendous amount of inherent material contact with the side of the blade - which is the primary cause for blade overheating and premature failure.

When making even gently curved cuts with a band saw, there is much material contact with the side of the blade. Most people also assume that a simple straight rip-cut along the rip fence of a table saw doesn't create much of a problem with material contact with the side of the blade. However, since most of the "good" lumber available on today's common market would have been (at best) classified as "firewood" 30 years ago; you'll notice that very little of it is straight to begin with, plus it tends to slightly bend or warp while it's being rip-cut and making a lot of side contact with the blade.
This material side contact rapidly heats the blade to the point of actually removing much of its original temper; so the very hot "softer" metal suddenly begins to dull at a very fast rate.

So, be sure to avoid the teeth of any running blade, and carefully apply the soap (on a stick) only to the sides of the blade directly behind the "set" of the teeth. When I'm doing a lot of cutting and almost continually feeding the saw, I try to give it a little soap lube every 2 to 10 minutes depending on the thickness of the material I am cutting.

Ballou Family <ballou.family@verizon.net>
Subject:  Re: I need some "coaching"

I tried something last night on a 2.25" steel tube I haven't seen posted here.

-- Drill a clean axle hole with a drill bit the same size as the axle. (Do not "wallow out" the hole.)
-- Put a little flux on the axle and in the holes.
-- Slide the axle in place.
-- Put a little (doesn't take much) upward force on the center of the axle.
. If you are using a support cable or chain, you can pull up on that or hang it and pull down on the tube.
. If you are attaching the support line later, slid a hardwood dowel, that had a wedge cut on the end, up from the bottom of the tube to the axle. While doing the next step, push down on the tube.
-- Squeeze the ends of the axle flush with the sides of the tube. I used a large pair of channellock pliers.
-- A torch and brazing rod fixed the axle in place.
-- A file cleaned up the tips of the axle that sprang back when I released the channellocks.
-- Paint or otherwise finish to suit.

This was surprisingly quick and easy.

I had previously used the following methods:
-- Position the axle pin, then use a hammer and hardwood dowel with a wedged end to pound the axle into an inverted V. This from the bottom of the tube.
-- Position the axle pin, and then use a hammer and long screwdriver to pound the axle into a V. This from the top of the tube, requiring rotating the axle 180 degrees for an inverted V.
-- Oversize the holes in the tube slightly and, using various tools, place a preformed axle inside the tube such that its "feet" slipped into the holes. This one was a lesson in patience! Very satisfying when it went well, but ....Mike

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Updated 3-24-05