How to draw straight lines on pipes

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Welcome fellow car builder. Today I want to show you how to draw straight lines on pipes.

Are you tired of having to redraw your line 5 times before it looks decent on your pipe. Or are you tired of you drawing a seemingly straight line on your pipe and it still ends up uneven surface after you cut. Making a straight line will not make the angle grinder cut straight.

What do you need to make a good cut.

• zip ties for smaller tubes. 
• Hose clamps for larger tubes.
• A good cutoff wheel (I prefer 1 mm thick stainless steel cutoff wheel).
• A tube to cut.
• Tape measure.
• Fine tip marker pen.

How to draw it on a pipe

1. Measure where you want to cut and mark it with a dot or a line.
2. Depending on the size of pipe you have, either use a zip tie or hose clamp. Place the edge of the zip tie so it aligns with the mark you made.
3. Take some reference measures before you draw around the pipe
4. When you are satisfied with the placement, go ahead and trace around the pipe.
5. Remove the zip tie and you’ve ended up with a laser sharp line around your pipe.
6. Start cutting.

Now you too know how to draw a super straight line on any pipe.

Pro tip: When cutting bent tubes the hose clamp and zip ties align them self better than on a straight pipe. So I use my trusted eyesight for reference measure.

Pro tip 2: when cutting a pipe with angle grinder, go several rounds. Only take a little material at the time. This limits the heat buildup and it also prevents aluminium from becoming soft and sticky.