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Metalworking (rec.crafts.metalworking) Discuss various aspects of working with metal, such as machining, welding, metal joining, screwing, casting, hardening/tempering, blacksmithing/forging, spinning and hammer work, sheet metal work. |
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#1
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Drilling Alignment Problem
I'm making a rack out of several ~ 9" long sections of 2 1/2" PVC pipe.
Each section of pipe is cut square on the bottom, and at a 45 degree angle on the top end. The idea is to fasten them to a pair of horizontal rails, using a through bolt on the bottom (which will prevent the objects from falling out), and a short bolt through the back of the top wall with the angle cut sloping forward & down. I have the tubes all cut, and now I need to drill them. The thing I'm pondering is how to best align the slopes so that I can drill the holes on my mill. I can clamp the tubes horizontally using a V-jaw in my vise, but I'd like to come up with a repeatable way of making sure the holes are "square" to the sloping section. I need to make sure the two holes in each tube are parallel to mate well with the rails. IF I could be assured of repeatable rotational alignment, I could drill all the holes in the square ends, and then all the holes in the beveled end. This would be a lot faster than clamping each piece & cranking back & forth 8 inches to drill both holes without removing each piece from the vise. The best idea I've come up with so far is to clamp a rod horizontally at the approximate height of the middle of the tube. If the rod is square to the mill, the rod can serve as a "stop" to push the tube against, and it should force the slope to rotate & align correctly. I have one of these that I could use: http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?PMAKA=TN337-9322 My only concern is if it's rigid enough & getting it aligned in the first place. I have a gut feeling that there ought to be a better way, either simpler or more accurate, but I'm damned if I can think of one. Any ideas? Thanks! Doug White |
#2
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Drilling Alignment Problem
On 26-Jul-2011 21:50, Doug White wrote:
The thing I'm pondering is how to best align the slopes so that I can drill the holes on my mill. The only thing about the part the way it's cut that is not radially symmetrical is the 45-degree cut on one end. Whatever you come up with is going to have to index that somehow. If it were me, I would make a plywood box jig with sides to locate the pipe, with one end cut at 45-degrees and boxed in. Shove the pipe into the 45 wedge section and it is forced into alignment for drilling. __________________________________________________ __________________ Gardner Buchanan gbuchana(a)teksavvy(dot)com FreeBSD: Where you want to go. Today. |
#3
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Drilling Alignment Problem
On Jul 26, 9:50*pm, Doug White wrote:
I'm making a rack out of several ~ 9" long sections of 2 1/2" PVC pipe. * Each section of pipe is cut square on the bottom, and at a 45 degree angle on the top end. *The idea is to fasten them to a pair of horizontal rails, using a through bolt on the bottom (which will prevent the objects from falling out), and a short bolt through the back of the top wall with the angle cut sloping forward & down. *I have the tubes all cut, and now I need to drill them. The thing I'm pondering is how to best align the slopes so that I can drill the holes on my mill. *I can clamp the tubes horizontally using a V-jaw in my vise, but I'd like to come up with a repeatable way of making sure the holes are "square" to the sloping section. *I need to make sure the two holes in each tube are parallel to mate well with the rails. *IF I could be assured of repeatable rotational alignment, I could drill all the holes in the square ends, and then all the holes in the beveled end. * This would be a lot faster than clamping each piece & cranking back & forth 8 inches to drill both holes without removing each piece from the vise. The best idea I've come up with so far is to clamp a rod horizontally at the approximate height of the middle of the tube. *If the rod is square to the mill, the rod can serve as a "stop" to push the tube against, and it should force the slope to rotate & align correctly. *I have one of these that I could use: http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?PMAKA=TN337-9322 My only concern is if it's rigid enough & getting it aligned in the first place. I have a gut feeling that there ought to be a better way, either simpler or more accurate, but I'm damned if I can think of one. * Any ideas? Thanks! Doug White I would try to use an angle plate for the stop to drill the first hole, then set up a vertical peg to locate the pipe for the second one. Perhaps you could clamp a bar across the top of the vise and jam the angled end of the pipe under it. jsw |
#4
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Drilling Alignment Problem
Doug White wrote:
I'm making a rack out of several ~ 9" long sections of 2 1/2" PVC pipe. Each section of pipe is cut square on the bottom, and at a 45 degree angle on the top end. The idea is to fasten them to a pair of horizontal rails, using a through bolt on the bottom (which will prevent the objects from falling out), and a short bolt through the back of the top wall with the angle cut sloping forward & down. I have the tubes all cut, and now I need to drill them. The thing I'm pondering is how to best align the slopes so that I can drill the holes on my mill. I can clamp the tubes horizontally using a V-jaw in my vise, but I'd like to come up with a repeatable way of making sure the holes are "square" to the sloping section. I need to make sure the two holes in each tube are parallel to mate well with the rails. IF I could be assured of repeatable rotational alignment, I could drill all the holes in the square ends, and then all the holes in the beveled end. This would be a lot faster than clamping each piece & cranking back & forth 8 inches to drill both holes without removing each piece from the vise. The best idea I've come up with so far is to clamp a rod horizontally at the approximate height of the middle of the tube. If the rod is square to the mill, the rod can serve as a "stop" to push the tube against, and it should force the slope to rotate & align correctly. I have one of these that I could use: http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?PMAKA=TN337-9322 My only concern is if it's rigid enough & getting it aligned in the first place. I have a gut feeling that there ought to be a better way, either simpler or more accurate, but I'm damned if I can think of one. Any ideas? How about just a rectangular piece of scrap? Or a few-inch long piece of square tube the right size? Good Luck! Rich |
#5
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Drilling Alignment Problem
On Wed, 27 Jul 2011 21:48:38 +0000, Doug White wrote:
I must not have described it clearly enough. The holes are perpendicular to the pipe, so I don't need to rotate the axis of the pipe in any odd direction. I just need to ensure that when I clamp the pipe in the V-jaw that the 45 degree cut is facing up, and not tilted slightly one way or the other. Drill all the holes first, use them to index your 45 degree cuts. ....next time... |
#6
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Drilling Alignment Problem
xpzzzz wrote in :
On Wed, 27 Jul 2011 21:48:38 +0000, Doug White wrote: I must not have described it clearly enough. The holes are perpendicular to the pipe, so I don't need to rotate the axis of the pipe in any odd direction. I just need to ensure that when I clamp the pipe in the V-jaw that the 45 degree cut is facing up, and not tilted slightly one way or the other. Drill all the holes first, use them to index your 45 degree cuts. ...next time... Yup. I figured that one out just about when I cut the last one... As it turns out, I had a piece of pipe JUST long enough so that I could get all the sections I need, but ONLY if I made the 45 degree cuts to separate them. If I cut them square to separate & drill before beveling the ends, I would have had to go buy more pipe. I probably could have done them in pairs cut with the ends square, drilled them, and then separated them at 45 degrees. Live & learn... Doug White |
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