Tube Notchers

[deutschman]

I am looking for an affordable tube notcher. I need something that can notch some DOM tubing for a roll cage, how ever I am a DIY guy and do not plan on building a ton of cages or using this tool a lot so I don't really need anything really heavy duty or professional.
I am looking to spend under or at $100.
Do any of you know if this would work for me? Maybe some one has experience with this tool?
TD Industrial 0-60 Degree Tube and Pipe Notcher

Amazon

Amazon

Super heavy duty steel construction
Notches from 0 to 60 degrees in 1 degree increments
Sits secure on your drill press or use with a 1/2" hand drill
Use with a 1/2" chuck
3/4" spindle accepts 1/2" x 20 thread or 5/8" x 18 thread, bi-metal arbor hole saws
Thanks!

[Ken Smith]

I'm planning to get this by the end of the month.
http://www.harborfreight.com/pipe-tu...her-42324.html

If you are member of their Inside Track Club, they are 29.99 till 1/31. Can't vouch for quality, as never used one of theirs, but has four decent reviews. I'll take the chance.

[Rbeckett]

If you ever plan to do more than justa few tube copes you should probably avoid the HF unit. It wears the shaft and allows the blades to wander. The Pro tools and notchers from Van Sant tools are a little more than your budget but well worth the extra in accuracy and durability. Just my .02
Bob

[brucer]

I bought one from speedway motors years ago, it lasted well enough, I did 8 cages with it..

seems they have went up a bit, I remember giving like $79.99 for mine.. mine finally give up and one of the bolt holes stripped out in it, I might get it out and weld it up and retap the hole and sell it..

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Speedw...cher,3482.html

[lewray]

Those style are cheaper and work fine, but.... BUT there are some serious differences in good ones and poor ones.

Hey just go to the pro tools web site or JD and be done.. I have been using the pro tools brand for years!

[brucer]

Originally Posted by lewray

Those style are cheaper and work fine, but.... BUT there are some serious differences in good ones and poor ones.

Hey just go to the pro tools web site or JD and be done.. I have been using the pro tools brand for years!

I agree, mine (like the one pictured above) lasted about a year and half... If i were to buy a new one, I would probably get the JD Squared Notchmaster, but they are better than double his budget.. and yes you get what you pay for in a notcher..

[trackbird]

Originally Posted by brucer

If i were to buy a new one, I would probably get the JD Squared Notchmaster, but they are better than double his budget.. and yes you get what you pay for in a notcher..

I tossed my Harbor Freight notcher after the first 20 cuts pretty much wore it out. The replacement was a JD Squared Notchmaster. It's a seriously stout tubing notcher (there are many truly good ones available, this is one of them). I have been amazed at how well it works and how durable it is. We've done a couple cages and some roll bars with it and it's as solid as the day I assembled it. If you can stretch your budget a bit, buy one...you won't be sorry.

[deutschman]

Maybe I'll just have to go with a more expensive modle then. Thanks for the thoughts guys!

[Ken Smith]

Thank you also....the poor reviews on the HF notcher tell me to not go that route.

[trackbird]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

Thank you also....the poor reviews on the HF notcher tell me to not go that route.

I even tried lubing my HF notcher with Mobile 1 gear lube to help reduce wear. The bushings were "junk" in no time flat. The torque on the hole saw basically just ground the bushings until they were extra sloppy. Each cut after that got worse and worse. I was going to buy a couple of them to get through my cage project. A couple of them combined costs the same as the JD2 I bought. That seemed like a much better investment and it was.

[Ken Smith]

I am vacillating. I watched a couple utube videos of the HF notcher in action. I see the weaknesses and some fixes. For one, using a drill press like I intend instead of a 1/2 drill, will put less stress on the shaft bushings. Good axial alignment with the drill press. Also, I will be using a good bimetal saw, and using grease on the shaft. I will only be doing light, occasional use, and am on a limited budget. So, I am going to take a chance and buy the HF tool for 29.99 with my discount.

Kevin, were you using a drill press or a handheld drill?

[trackbird]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

I am vacillating. I watched a couple utube videos of the HF notcher in action. I see the weaknesses and some fixes. For one, using a drill press like I intend instead of a 1/2 drill, will put less stress on the shaft bushings. Good axial alignment with the drill press. Also, I will be using a good bimetal saw, and using grease on the shaft. I will only be doing light, occasional use, and am on a limited budget. So, I am going to take a chance and buy the HF tool for 29.99 with my discount.

Kevin, were you using a drill press or a handheld drill?

I used an 8 amp Milwaukee 1/2" drill (rated at like 52 ft lbs of torque, it's a monster). I ran good quality bi-metal hole saws and lubed the teeth while cutting. I coated the shaft in synthetic gear lube...didn't matter. I also had to shim mine with washers so it would cut the tube at the actual centerline of the tube. And, one of the bolt holes stripped out of it about the third day of use.

Using a drill press isn't going to do much for the torque. The shaft is long enough that it's going to potentially flex. What I was more concerned about was the binding between the drill press and the notcher if it wasn't absolutely square and centered in the drill press. It might help it live a little longer, but it won't be all that long based on my experience.

For $30 you can't get hurt too bad (on the price), but if you use it much it will just tell you that it's worth buying a better quality unit. If you never seem to use it, then you probably don't need a good one either.

[brucer]

When i was using a tube notcher a bunch, I found it much easier to use a drill motor and bench vise.

Seems like I seen some place selling a finer tooth and deep holesaw made for tube notching... might have been mittler bros. or medfordtools... They might be worth a try of they arent priced stupid.

[Ken Smith]

Enco has a good selection of bimetal hole saws. Also, McMaster-Carr. Various styles.

[mebuildit]

Pro Tools make some affordable ones as well.

[carsonc1974]

best manual notcher on the market.. that i have used is the baileigh tn250 IVe used JD2 Protools etc, and the TN250 takes the cake. im on cage number 3 with the same holesaw... the thing is built so stout and doesnt allow any flex... plus the radial vise is very nice for notching in bends.

[worm122]

JD2 notchmaster is a great unit and well worth the price.

[trackbird]

Originally Posted by carsonc1974

best manual notcher on the market.. that i have used is the baileigh tn250 IVe used JD2 Protools etc, and the TN250 takes the cake. im on cage number 3 with the same holesaw... the thing is built so stout and doesnt allow any flex... plus the radial vise is very nice for notching in bends.

I found that cutting slow in the beginning and using lots of motor oil seems to harden the hole saws. Once you use one enough, they seem to be nearly indestructable. It appears that they just get tougher and tougher as they get hot and coated with oil. Eventually (if you don't destroy it in the process of getting to that point) you'll get multiple cages out of one hole saw. When you finally destroy that one and switch to the next one, you're almost guarenteed to destroy it ASAP (it won't cut like the old one). I did this once or twice now.

[Baileigh inc]

Originally Posted by carsonc1974

best manual notcher on the market.. that i have used is the baileigh tn250 IVe used JD2 Protools etc, and the TN250 takes the cake. im on cage number 3 with the same holesaw... the thing is built so stout and doesnt allow any flex... plus the radial vise is very nice for notching in bends.

Are you using lube to get that many notches off one holesaw?

[carsonc1974]

Originally Posted by Baileigh inc

Are you using lube to get that many notches off one holesaw?

ya i use "Rapid Tap" cutting oil... maybe i should clarify...ive done two rhino cages and am finishing up my trucks cage. all 1.75 x .120 wall DOM. I use a lowspeed drill with a trigger lock and that seems to really help.

really impressed with your products... I wish i had more money to try out some other products you have.