Any Tips on Cutting Plates?

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Re: Any Tips on Cutting Plates?

Postby CaptainRedBeard » Tue Sep 23, 2014 6:34 am

bt1 wrote:Slight variation for my shed,

Same method for shotty end caps and plates for perf/cap plate trees for the columns.

piece of MDF pre cut to size with a hole saw to stabilise the saw, sandwich the copper with clamps between the pre cut and a scrap piece of MDF, load her up with lube and hole saw away.
Final sand and re check for fit and done :handgestures-thumbupleft:

bt1

I like the hole saw idea, but the price of the hole saws quite costly isn't it? +$100?
I think the wife will up me if I buy too much too quickly. Gotta spread the cost out over the long run
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Re: Any Tips on Cutting Plates?

Postby SX170 » Tue Sep 23, 2014 7:04 am

I found aviation snips to be the best.
The Wiss brand are very good and not too expensive at any hardware store.
Get a red pair and a green pair. (1 turns left 1 turns right).
I scribed the plates with a pair of sheetmetal dividers then cut away.
The final bit was to clamp plate between 2 slightly smaller bits of mdf sheet, put a bit of 10mm threaded rod throught the 10mm centre hole then put in a drill press. Then I used a file to get the perfect fit. (bit like a redneck lathe)

Cheers.
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Re: Any Tips on Cutting Plates?

Postby P3T3rPan » Tue Sep 23, 2014 7:39 am

Be careful using threaded rod in a drill press because the potential for copper to grab is just as great and rod will bend
bent thread.JPG

Grabbing your work and throwing it to the concrete making it out of shape
bent module (1280x960).jpg

Much better to use a high tensile bolt
honer - Copy (960x1280).jpg
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Re: Any Tips on Cutting Plates?

Postby CaptainRedBeard » Tue Sep 23, 2014 7:49 am

SX170 wrote:I found aviation snips to be the best.
The Wiss brand are very good and not too expensive at any hardware store.
Get a red pair and a green pair. (1 turns left 1 turns right).
I scribed the plates with a pair of sheetmetal dividers then cut away.
The final bit was to clamp plate between 2 slightly smaller bits of mdf sheet, put a bit of 10mm threaded rod throught the 10mm centre hole then put in a drill press. Then I used a file to get the perfect fit. (bit like a redneck lathe)

Cheers.

SX- the brand I got is Wiss, but I didn't get left cut or right cut, I got the straight blade that apparently cuts both ways.

I haven't got a drill press yet, I've got my eyes on one from bunnings, only $200, not a great piece of machinery but it will do the job. I can't get that for another fortnight though, the bills say no to more power tools :crying-blue:

I'd also have to find a safe and secure method to clamp it all, with the tools I have. Would hate to have a new post in the "Tell Us Your F-Ups" thread.
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Re: Any Tips on Cutting Plates?

Postby P3T3rPan » Tue Sep 23, 2014 7:57 am

:text-+1: on the Wiss snips
The drill press in my pic above is from Bunnings
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Re: Any Tips on Cutting Plates?

Postby CaptainRedBeard » Tue Sep 23, 2014 11:47 am

P3T3rPan wrote::text-+1: on the Wiss snips
The drill press in my pic above is from Bunnings

Yeah the press I'm looking at is an Ozito. Pretty poor quality, but should do the job
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Re: Any Tips on Cutting Plates?

Postby sp0rk » Tue Sep 23, 2014 11:55 am

IMHO, save for a couple more weeks and buy a better drill press from your local Gasweld it's only an extra $100
http://www.gasweld.com.au/532217-toolex

Looks like it's slightly taller too, so you should be able to use it for drilling kegs for installing your elements and whatnot
Last edited by sp0rk on Tue Sep 23, 2014 11:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Any Tips on Cutting Plates?

Postby CaptainRedBeard » Tue Sep 23, 2014 11:58 am

sp0rk wrote:IMHO, save for a couple more weeks and buy a better drill press from your local Gasweld it's only an extra $100
http://www.gasweld.com.au/532217-toolex

It looks good. I'll see how I go with the saving bit. Have a tendency to spend before I get it :think:
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Re: Any Tips on Cutting Plates?

Postby CaptainRedBeard » Wed Sep 24, 2014 8:30 am

Okay, so take 2 of the plates has been moderately successful. I screwed up my maths/measurements, so I won't be using 1/2" vapor tube anymore, it's down to a 3/8th tube. It's only a 2" pipe so I'm sure it'll work.
I started by making my own compass, seeing that bunnings don't sell beam compasses that small, and it worked a treat on my flattened tube.

Mounted the plates in the vice with a pine sleeper behind the plates, and gripped the plate as additional security. Drilled all the holes starting from 2mm, 3mm, 4mm etc, this is when I realized my maths was out :angry-banghead:
Once it was all drilled, annealed the plates using my torch, then flattened them between 2 bits of pine. Filed the edges tidy and now I've got my shotgun plates cut!

Thanks for all your help and ideas, and giving away some of your trade secrets :handgestures-thumbupleft:
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Re: Any Tips on Cutting Plates?

Postby Yummyrum » Wed Sep 24, 2014 8:55 am

well done CRB....they worked out great ...like the compass trick :handgestures-thumbupleft:

And congratulations on being the first builder to here to have footwear :laughing-rolling:
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Re: Any Tips on Cutting Plates?

Postby Zak Griffin » Wed Sep 24, 2014 9:01 am

Looks the goods mate. The shotty on my pot is the same, 7x 3/8" inside 2", and I can easily strip at 12L/hr :handgestures-thumbupleft:
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Re: Any Tips on Cutting Plates?

Postby CaptainRedBeard » Wed Sep 24, 2014 9:08 am

Yummyrum wrote:well done CRB....they worked out great ...like the compass trick :handgestures-thumbupleft:

And congratulations on being the first builder to here to have footwear :laughing-rolling:

Haha I cropped one of the other photos that had me and my thongs in the the pic :laughing-rolling:

Thanks guys, without your tips, wouldn't have gone this far. Was going to build a reducer next, but can't be assed! Only costs $13 from reece (2"-1/2")

Should have my pot still finished this arvo, not making any of it modular anymore, hard solder the lot of it! Wasn't happy with the flanges I made this time round. I'll try again on the next build.

Thanks again guys :handgestures-thumbupleft:
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