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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Greystanes
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    19

    Default Cutting stainless steel pipe

    I want to do a little job for my son who is a chef

    I need to cut some food grade stainless steel pipe , say 90mm dia into 50 mm lenghts

    He intends to use them like egg rings ( which are not big enough)

    I was going to use A 254MM RYOBIE drop saw with a 230mm metal cutting blade .

    Is it going to work , do I have to be careful of the thickness of the metal , is so what would be the maximum .

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    Perth WA
    Posts
    72

    Default

    Wouldn't it be easier and safer to have them cut/turned off in a metal lathe.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Garvoc VIC AUSTRALIA
    Posts
    1,656

    Default

    grit discs cut stanless ok but they wear out faster than than when cutting plain steel.
    Feed very slowly.
    Regards, Bob Thomas

    www.wombatsawmill.com

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Melbourne, Victoria
    Age
    49
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    150

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by rod1949
    Wouldn't it be easier and safer to have them cut/turned off in a metal lathe.
    Yep. Plus you can clean up (debur and remove sharp edge) each cut on the lathe, as you go.

    Dan
    Is there anything easier done than said?
    - Stacky. The bottom pub, Cobram.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Sydney,Australia
    Posts
    174

    Default

    You will find a problem with the tube remaining food grade after you have 'hot' cut them with an abrasive wheel - if you get stainless over 700 dergrees (I can't remember if thats C or F) the chrome selectively reacts with atmospheric gases & the steel is no longer stainless - that's why rudders and similar bits keep falling off yachts - here was a recent case on TV about a bodgy keel weld on one of the racing yachts.

    You really need to cut the stuff 'cold' - either on a lathe, or with one of the fine tooth metal cutting blades. I'll bet Henry Bros. could sell you a suitable blade for your bandsaw or power hacksaw.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Melbourne, Victoria
    Age
    49
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    150

    Default

    I've seen plenty of food grade stainless welded and have welded a few stainless food vats myself. Welding is a lot hotter that 700° so I can't believe that (unless a lot has changed in ten years).
    Is there anything easier done than said?
    - Stacky. The bottom pub, Cobram.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Whyalla SA
    Age
    58
    Posts
    1

    Default

    Can't imagine heat changing the properties of your stainless, I worked in an abbatoir for a while as a fitter/welder. everything was made from food grade stainless, the heat from welding never changed it at all.
    if it was me, I would go with the drop saw. just let the weight of the saw do the work dont try to force it through. then clean off the burrs with a file
    you never stop learning, till the day they shovel dirt on your face

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
    Posts
    6,446

    Default Rings from food grade stainless steel

    It sounds as though you have not got the pipe yet? If you haven't, the price of 90mm pipe may surprise you.
    I foresee some problems in addittion to those already mention. First an explanation re the yacht stainless failure. Food grade stainless is really 316L stainless steel. It also sometimes travels under the marine grade stainless steel and surgical stainless steel labels.The L designation stands for low carbon content.If a weld is not performed using the correct metalurgically matching electrode,the interface between the weld bead and the parent metal may suffer intergranular corrision due to the constant harsh marine environment. Anywhere the sparks from your saw land may cause corrosion if the environmment is harsh enough.( Not knowing exactly what is in the cooking makes it difficult to be more precise)

    Cutting the pipe using the friction dropsaw may create problems in keeping the cut square to the axis.The saw blade is very likely to run off vertical line.
    Ruining expensive stainless pipe in your saw is not a good way to find this out. May I suggest a simpler solution.Find a sheetmetal works ( one that specialises in kitchen bench tops would be ideal-316L again )

    They can cut and roll flat strips into rings and tig weld them. Ninety mm by 3.1614 will give about 284. Give them the height you want and you are set.

    Man that was long
    I think I have earned a cuppa.
    Cheers
    Grahame

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Seaton, South Australia
    Posts
    13

    Default

    Hi Ratchet,
    Not sure whether food grade aluminium tube is available, but if you have a choice about which material to work with then choose the ally for this job.
    Reasons are.....Tube wall will probably be thinner ie easier to cut and kinder to your machine.
    ......................Less expensive, much less expensive I should say.
    ......................Use a circular saw blade, in your dropsaw, go for one with lots of teeth, will leave less machining marks and less chance of tearing the material.
    ......................Quicker and easier, 5 minutes and your done.
    Regards,
    Gary.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    lancaster
    Posts
    1

    Smile

    Quote Originally Posted by Grahame Collins View Post
    It sounds as though you have not got the pipe yet? If you haven't, the price of 90mm pipe may surprise you.
    I foresee some problems in addittion to those already mention. First an explanation re the yacht stainless failure. Food grade stainless is really 316L stainless steel. It also sometimes travels under the marine grade stainless steel and surgical stainless steel labels.The L designation stands for low carbon content.If a weld is not performed using the correct metalurgically matching electrode,the interface between the weld bead and the parent metal may suffer intergranular corrision due to the constant harsh marine environment. Anywhere the sparks from your saw land may cause corrosion if the environmment is harsh enough.( Not knowing exactly what is in the cooking makes it difficult to be more precise)

    Cutting the pipe using the friction dropsaw may create problems in keeping the cut square to the axis.The saw blade is very likely to run off vertical line.
    Ruining expensive stainless pipe in your saw is not a good way to find this out. May I suggest a simpler solution.Find a sheetmetal works ( one that specialises in kitchen bench tops would be ideal-316L again )

    They can cut and roll flat strips into rings and tig weld them. Ninety mm by 3.1614 will give about 284. Give them the height you want and you are set.

    Man that was long
    I think I have earned a cuppa.
    Cheers
    Grahame

  11. #11
    Dave J Guest

    Default

    I am not sure where you are buying it from,but they maybe able to cut it for you for a little extra.
    Dave

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    57

    Default

    I used to cut a lot of stainless tube with a good bi metal blade on a import metal cutting band saw. The stuff wasn't food grade but it shouldn't make a difference. Stainless is strange stuff moved like crazy compared to carbon steel when we used tig weld it, and if you got it hot when you were drilling, it became so hard the bits would be absolutely destroyed. I never managed to destroy any bits myself but the guys I had working for me seemed to sure go through a lot.
    Darrell

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Alexandra Vic
    Age
    69
    Posts
    654

    Default

    However you cut it, you need to be able to secure it to the machine properly before you cut it. Round tube is very prone to trying to rotate during the cut, even in a brobo style saw. If it can, it will spiral (feed while rotating) spoiling the cut, the blade and possibly you day or week. Unless the saw has a decent vice system that caters for round materials very well, I would not try it.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Mid North Coast NSW
    Age
    45
    Posts
    177

    Default

    90NB schedule 5 has a wall thickness of 2.1mm so is pretty heavy. I have an 80mm long piece of sch10 here that I just went and had a look at and it seems to be a hefty bit of gear for tossing around a kitchen. I'd be rolling it up from 1.2 sheet and welding it.

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