Grinding/sanding tubing ends flat

[Debriefer]

I have a good chop saw which I use to cut steel and aluminum tubes and bars. Of course, it does not cut perfectly flat, as seen in the sketch I attached.

I need to be able to grind or sand this stuff to be flat, and at an exact angle (perp or otherwise). A bench grinder is clearly not the right tool, because the work piece is held in hand. What is the proper tool for this job?

 

[WILD-BILL]

I've got one of the larger disc/belt sanders that I do it on.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_...Bench&StationaryPowerTools&sName=Sandersmv=rr

I was really researching the smaller one but the reviews were terrible and kept saying the motor would stall out even with wood work.

When I got it I thought it would be one of those tools that got used rarely but would be invaluable when I did need it.

However, it's been my goto machine for many of the tasks that I had been using my bench grinder for and does the job much better.

 

[ryoung]

This is definitely the realm of a large disc or belt sander. I do have a couple of questions though, (I assume this is a home shop) would you need to be able to set the angle or would it be done by hand? What is the material? And most importantly what is the budget? We use a LOT of Burr King equipment and it has never let us down, but it may be out of the realm of a home shop.

 

[steel 35]

12" delta / Rockwell disk sander.

 

[Kevin54]

Ditto on the disc sander. To help insure the ends are flat, I like to rotate the tube or bar while sanding it. But if you use a good square and make sure the table is square to the disc, you should be fine.

If your chop saw isn't cutting flat, it can be a combination of things. You could have a cheap wheel, you could have a loaded up wheel, your stock may not be laying square to the wheel, you could be either going too fast or too slow causing the blade to flex. Depending on what I cut, I like to keep the cutoff wheel dressed with a piece of Norbide.

Double check all of your setups. And what brand of cutoff wheel do you have on it?

 

[Debriefer]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I had considered a disc or belt sander but was put off by the price. I checked on Amazon and it seems that for working on metal, a lot of them are not up to the job unless you go to 3/4 horse or greater. Even then, it seems there are bearing life issues. The Burr King stuff looks great, but things without a list price are usually expensive ("if you have to ask, you can't afford it").

If your chop saw isn't cutting flat, it can be a combination of things. You could have a cheap wheel, you could have a loaded up wheel, your stock may not be laying square to the wheel, you could be either going too fast or too slow causing the blade to flex. Depending on what I cut, I like to keep the cutoff wheel dressed with a piece of Norbide.

I have a Ridgid 14" chop saw. I think maybe I press too hard on it which causes the flexing. I normally use 5/32" abrasive discs. I am not sure which brand they are. I usually get brands like Stanley or DeWalt or similar.

My next project is going to be using a lot of aluminum, which I have a steel blade to cut with. It probably won't flex much at all.

 

[Sureshot]

I found the Dewalt wheels to be terrible.

A square and file should easily fix things up or you have other issues.

 

[Jeff Ivers]

I have a Craftsman 6" disc/4" belt sander I have used for this for years. Cost me about $100 new. Sometimes I wish it was larger, but it has held up fine for the types of home shop fabrication projects I have done, including building a downhill racer with a fabbed metal tubing frame.

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I had considered a disc or belt sander but was put off by the price. I checked on Amazon and it seems that for working on metal, a lot of them are not up to the job unless you go to 3/4 horse or greater. Even then, it seems there are bearing life issues. The Burr King stuff looks great, but things without a list price are usually expensive ("if you have to ask, you can't afford it").



I have a Ridgid 14" chop saw. I think maybe I press too hard on it which causes the flexing. I normally use 5/32" abrasive discs. I am not sure which brand they are. I usually get brands like Stanley or DeWalt or similar.

My next project is going to be using a lot of aluminum, which I have a steel blade to cut with. It probably won't flex much at all.

 

[Zeke]

If you cut much slower, your cuts will be squarer. Also you can rotate the work and cut from 2 sides. I have even lightly dressed the work against the side of the cut off wheel.

But if you jam the wheel down on the work, it will deflect.

 

[BD1]

Check the table and blade for square. I bought a Rage 2 and ended up adding some shim stock to get square cuts.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Skip the "specialty" ones unless this is something you would use multiple times a day. Look for a used Craftsman or Delta 6" belt/9" disc. CL under $150. Stay away from the smaller ones.

 

[Kevin54]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I had considered a disc or belt sander but was put off by the price. I checked on Amazon and it seems that for working on metal, a lot of them are not up to the job unless you go to 3/4 horse or greater. Even then, it seems there are bearing life issues. The Burr King stuff looks great, but things without a list price are usually expensive ("if you have to ask, you can't afford it").



I have a Ridgid 14" chop saw. I think maybe I press too hard on it which causes the flexing. I normally use 5/32" abrasive discs. I am not sure which brand they are. I usually get brands like Stanley or DeWalt or similar.

My next project is going to be using a lot of aluminum, which I have a steel blade to cut with. It probably won't flex much at all.

Do you have a compound miter saw? I've cut aluminum on mine a number of times with success. I run a 60 tooth carbide blade on it.

 

[BWS]

Theres a ton of C-man 6x48 sanders.....often coming with 12" discs.But gotta say these smallish discs ain't exactly cut out for heavy grinding.You need a larger heavier disc.....for the flywheel effect.But,the 6X48 belt grinder is more than adequate.These sanders are notorious POS as deliver'd......heck they're POS even when fixed up....perfect!

Look for one with no motor.....it was likely undersized to begin with.You're wanting some real HP here,1 1/2 -3.The motorless sander should be less than 100$.Then drop around another hundred for a good used motor.Work on belt speed,and spend money for VG belts.....but only buy what you'll use in a year or so.The glue holding them together only lasts a cpl years.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belt_grinding

 

[BC1]

Angle grinder w/flap wheel. I can eye it near-perfect but you can always check it with a square. All the belt sander comments; well they work but you need a big *** one, not some re-purposed wood working tool. And if it's a long piece of tube good luck using a stationary sander.

 

[mjb]

I have a KMG that works great for this. The belt is only two inches wide, but the largest tubing I use is 1-1/2. I square up a piece of angle to the flat platen and clamp it down as a guide.

 

[retrobuilder]

Have tried a well built horizontal cut off band saw?

 

[Jack Olsen]

Harbor Freight's got a cheap one. I haven't found anything not to like on it so far. (It's even green.)

You can see there's a miter gauge for the 9" disc part.

 

[Milton Shaw]

It helps if everything is square and level. I keep a level by my cut saw to make sure the stock is level and the saw is level. Use a square to check the vice to blade for square. It makes for so much less cleanup if it's cut square to begin with.

 

[Herb]

If you end up with some type of sander that has a table that can be set at 90 deg. to the belt/ disc, use a set of v-blocks (for round tubing) and just rotate as you feed the tubing in.