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Re: Dumpster diving, tube cutting

Tesla List wrote:
> 
> >From chip-at-poodle.pupman-dot-comThu Nov 21 21:56:47 1996
> Date: Thu, 21 Nov 1996 21:56:20 -0700 (MST)
> From: Chip Atkinson <chip-at-poodle.pupman-dot-com>
> To: Tesla List <tesla-at-poodle.pupman-dot-com>
> Subject: Dumpster diving, tube cutting
> 
> Greetings,
> 
> Today I went to the local plastics store to get some scrap.  I left with
> enough, but on the way out I had an idea.  I went around back and looked
> in their dumpster.  Bonanza!  I found a bunch of odd pieces with busted
> corners, etc. that were not useful as saleable scrap, but work well for
> HV insulation, etc.  Now I have a bunch more acrylic sheet for future
> projects.
> 
> I recently obtained a 9.5" OD PVC pipe (heavy wall) that I was thinking
> of making into a coil form.  The problem that I face is cutting the thing
> off squarely.  Does anyone have any tips?  At this point I think the best
> course of action is to mark it carefully and use a hand saw.
> 
> Chip
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
>  Chip Atkinson
>  http://bhs.broo.k12.wv.us/homepage/chip/info.htm
>  --- Everyone is someone else's weirdo. ---
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Chip

Chip

The way I usually cut PVC tube or even Polycarbonate or Plexiglas, is to
cut a piece of wood in a circle to just fit inside the tube.  A belt
sander is good for this type of fitting.  Just scribe a circle, cut on
band saw and sand to fit tight inside of tube.  Then you can cut it 
(the tube) off in the band saw with ease.  Cut out another disk and
force it in the other end and you can put the whole thing in a lathe and
clamp one end in a three or four jaw chuck.

If you put a spacer in between, you can push on one of the wood circles
with a live center and machine the ends of the tube very square.  By
spacer I mean something like a 2x4 to keep the circles from being driven
in the tube any further.  The best wood I have found for this job is the
fake stuff!  The very dense stuff.  The compressed wood that has very
small particles is stronger then the regular construction stuff for
housing.

This arrangement also makes for a good way to hold the form if you are
winding your secondary.

-- 
Gary Jarrette
Instrument Designer
Mechanical Instrument Shop
Department of Physics & Astronomy
Arizona State University
Tempe, Arizona