Fishmouths??

[wroughtn_harv]

You have to keep in mind that I've been doing this for almost forty years. I have an edge.

Last weekend I had to finish out an entryway. The material was ten foot sticks of 4 1/2 inch diameter EMT. It's about fourteen gauge. Gap welding isn't any fun with material that thin and galvanized to boot. So a good fit up is critical.

Step 1 is figuring out how deep to cut the notch. the way I figure that is place the pieces together and measure.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Once I have the depth of cut measurement then I do an arc to each side. That is followed by cutting it out. You can use a torch, plasma, sawsall, grinder, whatever. With this thin stuff I figured the easiest was with a cutter blade on an angle grinder.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

I've used this on pipe from half inch to twenty four inch. I get lucky with it just about a hundred percent of the time.

I have a Vogel notcher, just about all the sure-cuts, and a Williams Low Buck. I use the Vogel when I'm doing a lot of one size. I haven't used the sure-cuts in probably eight plus years. The Low Buck is the trickest, but that's just the way Williams' mind works.

But if you are building a gate or cutting in a once every now and then thing, this works slick and doesn't cost much at all. Plus if you're **** about fit up you can touch it up with a grinder and make it so tight that Ray Charles can sew it up, even if he's blind and dead.

 

[Rancher Ed]

Thanks guy. It sounds like it shouldn't be too hard to mark and then cut them with a cutting disc and then touch them up with the grinder. The pipe is 2" and has pretty thick walls, ~3/16" I think.

Can you use a hole saw at high speed? I was under the impression that steel had to be drilled at slower speeds (>350rpm), is this not the case?

Shield Arc, we don't have a chop saw right now Egon, we don't have a torch either.

wroughtn_harv, those fit very nicely, looks good. (like all your other projects) I am too young to know who Ray Charles is.:laughing::confused2:

Ed

 

[Shield Arc]

I am too young to know who Ray Charles is.

How about Stevie Wonder? :laughing:

 

[Rancher Ed]

How about Stevie Wonder? :laughing:

Nope

 

[Shield Arc]

Dam, what are you............5?

 

[tnjind]

I've never done it, but I have read where you can cut fish mouths with your chop saw. A guy posted these angle for the size pipe you're working with on another site.

Pipe / Tube bevels

2.0" to 2.0" tube, base angle of 30*

1.75" to 1.75" tube, base angle of 28*

1.5" to 1.5" tube, base angle of 26*

1.25" to 1.25" tube, base angle of 22.5*

1" to 1" tube, Base angle of 20*

Now to fit different size tubes together

1.75" to 2" tube, base angle of 25*

1.75" to 1.25" tube, base angle of 45*

1.25" to 1.75 tube, base angle of 20*

1" to 2" tube, base angle of 12*

Hello, I was going to post this from WW myself.

 

[Shield Arc]

Is that where I got it?

Here is how pipe fitters do it.

 

[crazyal]

Do you have a drill press? If so I know plenty of people who just clamp the pipe real good and use a hole saw at low speeds to cut the notch as required.