Home Made Tube Notcher

[ByzMax]

I've wanted a tube notcher for ages!

The thing is the reports I read about the ones I could afford are not great and having read a write up I thought I'd be better off making my own. So I did over the Christmas period.


I've got holesaws but they are expensive to buy and get eaten up quite quickly when I've used them in the past. As luck would have it I own  a Mag Drill. I was given this a few years ago along with some cutters by a chap who was closing down his business making ornamental staircases.

I've also found a chap who supplies me with Mag drill broaches/bits at prices lower than I'd pay for a high quality holesaw.  

I did not know if this would work but I thought I'd give it a go anyhow.

I've used the drill before but it is, by design, a mobile tool and as such setting it up to cut stuff with any degree of accuracy is a pain and quite time consuming so a jig need to be built that would allow be to quickly produce scalloped tubes etc but still allow me to use the mag drill for other stuff.
  
It's nothing spectcular but it works and is accurate. It will a the current time cut upto 63 degrees and when I need too i'll make further attachments and modifications to suit what I require at the time but for now it will do what I need Which is to do round tube/solid and box section.

It's mostly made from  off cuts and bit's  I had lying around.

Home Made Tube Notcher

Home Made Tube Notcher

I've mounted it on top of some plate which is welded to a 90mm square box 5mm wall box section. This ensures the magnet has plenty to latch onto.

The drill is also bolted down because it will move when the power is off but more important than that if you have a power failure mid cut you could knacker the bit and or work piece and have shrapnel flying around.
 
I used a "V"  block that slides to hold the tube square and steady and threaded some 16mm en16mt to a 1mm thread bored out and threaded a corresponding bit of bar as it's guide. All parts a removable to allow for different shaped items to be held.

It pivots on a pin you can see behind the bit in the second picture. The arm can be repositioned as can the drill to make maximum use of the tool.

I'll probably change the pin set up to make that area flat to increase capacity.


I've now aligned the drill and done my first proper cut.

Home Made Tube Notcher

Well happy with that. 1.1/4" cds 4.88 wall and it cut through it very quickly. Perfect!

[Manky Monkey]

Forgive my ignorance Iain, but what's a Mag drill?

[spanners]

Forgive my ignorance Iain, but what's a Mag drill?

magnetic drill by any chance 

[mouse]

i think its a drill with an electro-magnetic base that can be switched on and off to hold it in place
so you can drill a hole on a work piece without moving the work piece if ya get me lol

[ByzMax]

i think its a drill with an electro-magnetic base that can be switched on and off to hold it in place
so you can drill a hole on a work piece without moving the work piece if ya get me lol

Yep thats it.

They are used when holes are required in steel girders etc that are are too big to move or are already in situ in a building.

They use a hollow drill bit that works like a hole saw but will cut through very thick steel very quickly and very accurately

The main thing when using them when only the electro magnet is holding it in place is to also secure a chain around it in case of a power failure. 

[Chevy Rick]

In the steal erecting trade we know these drills as a Rotabroach.

[spanners]

i think its a drill with an electro-magnetic base that can be switched on and off to hold it in place
so you can drill a hole on a work piece without moving the work piece if ya get me lol

Yep thats it.

They are used when holes are required in steel girders etc that are are too big to move or are already in situ in a building.

They use a hollow drill bit that works like a hole saw but will cut through very thick steel very quickly and very accurately

The main thing when using them when only the electro magnet is holding it in place is to also secure a chain around it in case of a power failure. 

yep chain or safety strap highly recomended when working with one in situ at height  i remember one passing me when i was going up scaffolding many years ago it was on its way down   because the site genny failed  (ran out of fuel)   it made a big hole in the floor 

[dobber]

looks the bussiness that. spent ages fu messing with a cut off disc and power  file.