Thread: Splice-Fitting for Pipes?.. (external bolt-together halves...)

Mein Fellow-Googlers,

I'm just wondering whether there is such a thing as some sort of "clam-shell" type of pipe-fitting (most probably for the purpose of splicing) that is like a short length of pipe itself, that has been cut down its middle into two halves - along its axis - so as to end up with two long semi-circular halves. Each half has a flange running down each of its sides, through which the clamping bolts are tightened. Hopefully the thing has been "stamped"-out (and is thus easily weldable), rather than cast...

Seen 'Em? (if they exist, that is...) Don't suppose you remember the brand?...

Many Thanks,
Batpig.

What about a scaffold fitting?

Tools

http://www.bbnscaffolding.com.au/Sub...NT%20PIN%20%27

Dear Tools,

Close, I'd say... The only thing is - it looks like maybe that bolt goes right through the thing from one side to the other (which I wont be able to do...). But the way it has been halved along its central axis is true to the basic form of what I had in mind. Just needs flanges down each side on each half...

Thanks all the same for the response ,
Batpig.

BP .
Tell us what yer doin' mate!,

There may well be another way to achieve what you want to do.
Grahame

Does batpig mean those pipe fittings that let you break into a water pipe without cutting the pipe....You clamp the item over the pipe then drill a hole into the pipe through the fitting to get access to the water...

Dunno what they are called though..

Dear Grahame,

Originally Posted by Grahame Collins

Tell us what yer doin' mate!

I'm, ...ahhh... I'm actually trying to fit a pair of wheels to the back of a 230mm Angle Grinder... (I can hear you thinking "Ohhkkaaayyyy... I'll just call these guys I know... They're very nice, and they just want to help you..." . I know it sounds "Nuts", but it's for a Good Cause: http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=99797)...

The required Clamp has to go around the rear handle of the Angle-Grinder - that's why the tightening-bolts can't go through the "guts" of the fitting, but rather only through flanges off on each side of it. And it needs to be stamped or forged - rather than cast - so that I can weld a plate to one of the halves in order to mount the wheels on.

At worst - if I have to make a whole trolley up - I will still need the same type of Clamp so as to be able to set the vertical position of the Grinder's rear handle, so that the Diamond-Cup Wheel will end up sitting dead-flat on the floor.

Originally Posted by Grahame Collins

There may well be another way to achieve what you want to do.

I could probably do the clamping with some U-bolts through a flat plate Grahame, but I'd prefer the more snug fit that the sort of Clamp I'm asking about would give (if they're available, that is...)

Dear RC,

Originally Posted by .RC.

Does batpig mean those pipe fittings that let you break into a water pipe without cutting the pipe....You clamp the item over the pipe then drill a hole into the pipe through the fitting to get access to the water...

Hmmm... Maybe Baby, Maybe...! (Imagine an "Elvis" smiley here...) It would all depend on what sizes they were, and how they clamped together. I might ring K&R Plumbing tomorrow morning to see if they've got anything along the lines of what you're describing...

Many Thanks Gents,
Batpig.

http://www.dragonscaffolding.com/pre...ve_coupler.php

Tools

Hi Batpig,

I did something similar on a smaller scale with my die grinder.
I used a piece of flat steel about 3/4" thick. Drilled a hole to suit the drill body diameter, then cut it in half, drilled and tapped one half and used bolts to pull up. goes around the outside and can be further drilled welded etc to suit. If you think that might work I'll scratch up a photo.

Ian

Dear Tools,

Not bad, not bad at all... Only thing is - because it's not in two halves, it might not be able to slip over and past the little downturned knuckle that you can see at the very end of the Grinder's handle. I might slip over to that Dragon Scaffolding website that you're getting this stuff from and have a look around for myself...

Attachment 110530

Dear Godzilla,

Thanks for the offer of the photo, but only if it's not too much trouble because I think I'm getting the mental picture of what you did. That would have been quite a little lump of steel you machined! I just don't have the necessary facilities to tackle it. I'd probably be better off instead welding some flanges of my own onto some pipe that I cut in half.

Thanks both,
Batpig.

P.S. Sorry Tools - I only just realised that without the bolts through the bottom of your suggested clamp, the thing's "split" would probably be able to slide past the Grinder handle's knuckle. So it could be a "Goer!" I'll go and have a measure of the approximate diameter of the handle...

what about a clamp made from angle iron .I would say 35 to 50 mm angle section, but its hard to get a scale. 3mm thick will do.

Two pieces opposing each other are hinged at one edge, the other has welded on tabs to take a wing nut or bolt.

Wrap the handle in glad wrap and fill it cavity with builders bog for an exact fit.
See below for a poorly drawn section view.

Grahame

Dear Grahame,

Yes, not a bad suggestion - especially if I go the "full-trolley" route and therefore end up having to buy some decent sized angle. It would offer the advantage too of having at least one flat surface to which I could weld a cross-member of some sort, for the purposes of height-adjustment. I might ring a couple of Plumbing and Scaffolding places first, though, because RC and Tools might be on to something with their suggestions of "off the shelf" products.

I will know a bit more about which way I need to go by tomorrow afternoon, because in the morning I will give the Big Mutha a trial run on the floor in question in order to see how much it wants to "wander" around the floor on the Diamond Cup disk. If not much, then handlebars down to the front, with a couple of castors at the back - somehow attached directly to the Grinder's handle - will suffice. On the other hand, if she wants to seriously move around (due to the substantial "grunt" on offer), then I will need to go more the way of a trolley, with a frame to the front, axled wheels at the back, and handlebars coming up from behind the axle...

Anyhow, we shall see anon...

Many Thanks,
Batpig.

Dear Chaps,

Done! Here are some photos:

This first shot is of the Clamp that did the job. It is a Fencing Clamp of sorts for 32mm Pipe (You can see its label in the 2nd photo if you're "nuts" enough to want to do the same thing... )

Attachment 111039

This second photo shows how the Clamp in standard form sits on the handle of the Angle Grinder. Okay, but... hmmm?...

Attachment 111040

Ahhh! That's better... As can be seen in the next photo, a little bit of targetted grinding of the Clamp's "Captive Cradle" with a small Angle Grinder allowed a much more "snug" fit to be achieved... (don't worry - I chamfered the grind-face so that it wouldn't dig into the Grinder's rubber handle-cover )

Attachment 111041

This last photo gives a better idea of what I wanted to achieve:

Attachment 111042

Many Thanks to all respondents,
Batpig.