Coping (notching) pipe with a portaband

[Sonora Iron]

What you want to do is divide the end of the pipe into thirds. So if you're cutting down from the mark you aim for one third down on the end of the pipe. If you're cutting up from the end then you start a third down and cut up to the mark.

I don’t think I understand when you say you divide the pipe into thirds. Do you have a picture of how you lay the pipe out?

This is my understanding of laying a pipe out into thirds.

[wroughtnharv]

Look at a circle. Now divide it into thirds with horizontal lines. The middle third would be the part of the end of the pipe that's not affected by the cutting process. The top third and the bottom third would be cut back by just slightly less than forty five degrees.

2 3/8" O.D. schedule forty pipe would have approximately thirteen sixteenths thirds. The cut back is five eighths of an inch.

If you're tigging in a piece of stainless or chromemoly then this method needs to be undercut and then finished out with a grinder to get a tight fit. If you're sticking or migging then the fit is good enough for Ray Charles to sew up on a good day.

[Sonora Iron]

This falls into the category of, can’t see the trees for the forest!

I got it now, thanks!

[wroughtnharv]

If I had your way with the cad I wouldn't have to use so many words.

[Sonora Iron]

CAD is easy; think of it as your toolbox. Each function is a tool, just have to keep track of what function / tool does what!

[wroughtnharv]

CAD is easy; think of it as your toolbox. Each function is a tool, just have to keep track of what function / tool does what!

That's easy for you to say. I'm sitting here now with a CAD image for the patent office that I'm going to have to revise by hand evidently. I tried to copy it and upload it as an attachment but its too big for Andy to swallow without choking. I thought I could get one of the CAD guys to modify it for me here.

Oh well.

What scares me about this is I'm 61 years old. Every time I use a bad word I shudder because I'm afraid that I'm near my limit and am not going to be able to use them anymore. It would be terrible to not have any access to a good bad word when flashed or burned or smashed because I used the last one on a stupid CAD image.

[Sonora Iron]

61, you’re just a spring chicken! Don’t buy into that old saying you can’t teach an old dog new tricks!

I probably only use about 2 % of the tools available, probably only know what about 8 % of them do! So many of them are redundant, so why load up your tool bars?
Here is a view of the tools I use, and I get along real well with just using these.

[wroughtnharv]

Here I was getting all upset and for no reason. All of my friends are much smarter than I am. I just remembered one of them is a CAD whiz and we're tight because he still has some tools he borrowed from me.

It's going to be okay.

[Sonora Iron]

Harv, track down a copy of this book, I’ll bet you can get it for next to nothing from an on line used book store. This guy talks where people like us can understand. I pitched the Auto Desk manual when I bought this book!

[wroughtnharv]

Thanks

I will.