A Neat Little Tool - Toy?

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Every time I have to cut a piece of the little brass tubing we use for one reason or another, I have trouble. When I tried the band saw no matter what size blade I used, it practically just shredded the tubing. When I tried a hacksaw or little hobby backsaw the results were little better. My best solution was just to use a tiny little pipe cutter which cost about $11 at the hardware store. It worked OK but left a depressed ring mark on the tube end and the end of the tube still had to be reamed out! I guess those those little circular blades are tough to sharpen.....

I was looking through the PSI catalog awhile back when I saw the listing for a little high speed cut-off saw. I thought that's just the ticket! Oops! That price seemed a bit high for something I only need occasionally, but it wasn't really too far out of range. I was seriously considering it when the "weekly" Harbor Freight flyer arrived with an item that appeared to be an exact duplicate of the PSI item. Well, some consider me a "tool nut"; but this I had to try!

Well, to make a long story slightly (LOL!) shorter, my new "toy" arrived today. I say "toy" because that's exactly what I thought I had gotten when I opened the box. It's just a dinky little plastic thing that just looks like a child's toy! However, I tested it on every size tube that I have(7,8,&10mm,& 3/8"); and it works like a charm!......

I will say, looks aside, this thing does the job better than I imagined. The tube end in the clamp/vise is cut square and clean. The offcut end is very nearly as good. It falls off before the saw can cut the last 1000th of an inch or so. You have to rub that end on a flat file to get rid of a tiny fragment of brass burr about 1/16" long and a whisker thick. I think that minor problem will be solved by putting a piece of 1/4" plywood under the offcut end so it can't fall away from the blade so fast. If you ever do much brass tubing cutting, I recommend this tool to you. A great value in my book!

Mini-CutOff Saw
PSI item #TUBESAW @$54.95, 2 extra blades @$12.95
Harbor Freight item #42307 @$23.99, 3 extra blades @$9.99

The above were the catalog prices last listed in my catalogs; they may, of course, have changed by now. I hope this helps anyone who needs to find a better tubing cutter like I did.

addendum: While PSI's price is more, they claim to add four tubing jigs with their set. I don't know but that may cure the offcut end's problem that I noted. And my saw came with one blade, I imagine that PSI's does too, though it isn't explicitly stated in their catalog.

Edit In:
Oops! I forgot to mention another item that I found at HF that may interest a few more folks. They were selling a magnetic base lamp, Item #90766 for $7.99 This is a terrific buy for a very useful item if your eyes are getting older and weaker like mine and you need good task lighting around your shop.... WoodCraft just sent an internet offering to me for what looks like the same lamp at $29.99. That was just about the best price I'd ever seen on these 'till this HF price buster!
FWIW.........
 
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Bob,

I have TWO of the lamps you speak of and for the price they simply can't be beat. I have one stuck to the head stock and one on the tail stock and I put the compact Flourescent bulbs in them to keep them from getting hot and they work great!
 
Bob,

I have TWO of the lamps you speak of and for the price they simply can't be beat. I have one stuck to the head stock and one on the tail stock and I put the compact Flourescent bulbs in them to keep them from getting hot and they work great!
 
I just purchased one yesterday at Harbor Freight along with one of those Pressure Paint pots. I saw it in someone’s explanation of making his cartridge pen. He used it to cut the angles on the wood and the cartridge. I was on the lookout for one and saw it in Harbor Freight.
 
I have two of the same kind of lamps from HF,
but I am using the highest wattage bulb I can and standing very close t them....it's coldddddd in Virginia

Originally posted by C. Scott
<br />Bob,

I have TWO of the lamps you speak of and for the price they simply can't be beat. I have one stuck to the head stock and one on the tail stock and I put the compact Flourescent bulbs in them to keep them from getting hot and they work great!
Click to expand...
 
I hate to shop... love going to a HF.. problem is, closest one is Chattanooga.. over an hour away... or Knoxville, about hour and 15 away and smaller than Chattanooga.

I get their catalog and emails, but I like to touch things before I buy.
 
I've used my dremel to cut off tubes when needed. It works in a pinch. Thanks for the info on the light. I have a 4 foot florencent mounted above my lathe currently and it seems to work fine, we will see if it's enough.
 
Originally posted by C. Scott
<br />Bob,

I have TWO of the lamps you speak of and for the price they simply can't be beat. I have one stuck to the head stock and one on the tail stock and I put the compact Flourescent bulbs in them to keep them from getting hot and they work great!
Click to expand...

Chris,

The magnets are strong enough for the lamp to be stable? Like I posted, the only magnetic product I got from HF was a couple of tool bars and the magnets are really inferior.
 
I had a HF coupon for the magnetic lamps. I had to wait til they came in but they were well worth it. The magnets are plenty powerful. Not rare earth quality but they certainly do the job. I hang one from the headstock and the tailstock at weird angles. I bought four of the lamps and use 100 watt bulbs in them.
 
Originally posted by DocStram
<br />I had a HF coupon for the magnetic lamps. I had to wait til they came in but they were well worth it. The magnets are plenty powerful. Not rare earth quality but they certainly do the job. I hang one from the headstock and the tailstock at weird angles. I bought four of the lamps and use 100 watt bulbs in them.
Click to expand...

And I'm supposed to take the word of a loser?!?!?!? [:D][:D][:D][:D]
 
I have never had a problem with cutting brass tubing with my band saw, even with 6T wood blade on occasion. I think the speed is the key. Slower tend to shred it more. I will say that I do have to clean up the cut but it is not bad. I touch it lightly to a belt sander and or ream it with a couple of light twists.
 
I wonder if one of those dremel tools, with a cut-off wheel would work. I have used them for screw and nail heads and they work fine, though it might leave some residue in the tube.
I bought one of those lamps for ten bucks on ebay and never used it, though I'll mount it onto my headstock, when I finally get my new lathe up and running.
Rob
 
I have been cutting tubes for quite a while. The bandsaw does not do a clean job for me. I use the xacto fine tooth saw blade with the big handle. This one looks like a little backsaw, has a piece of metal on the top to reinforce it.

I made a jig from a 3/4" sq. x 2" piece of softwood. I drilled a hole just like a pen blank. Then I cut lengthwise a slit to meet the hole. I put the tube in the hole, so the cut will be at the end of the wood, and put it in a vise. The vise compresses the wood so the tube will hold but not be deformed. Leaves an almost perfect edge and no deformity.
 
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