Pipe cutting tool for pie cut bends

Pipe cutting tool for pie cut bends

March 5, 2019 Off By Marcus

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Today I will share with you the ultimate pipe cutting tool for pie cut bends. With this you can make your own pie cut bends without the need of any advanced tools.

The infamous pie cut bend, you have probably both seen and heard about it. It’s almost impossible to miss, if you are following car people on Instagram you can’t avoid it. This get’s you all inspired to go out in the shed and start making some pie cuts, only to realize that it was hard to do. You search all over the net to find a guide on how to do it, but there is one problem. You don’t own an adjustable pipe cutter which seems to be what you need. Worry no more, I will share with you the ultimate pipe cutting tool for pie cut bends.

Note: This guide is not for those of you out there with a fancy cutting machine with 360 degree adjustment and laser cannons. This is for us that only has simple tools like a grinder or a hacksaw.

Here is what you’ll need

  • A piece of straight pipe.
  • Angle grinder or hacksaw. (hacksaw is recommended for aluminium)
  • One good file.
  • A computer with a simple cad program like LibreCAD.
  • Printer.
  • Tape.
  • Fine tip marker pen.
  • Download Flat Pattern to android.
  • A scissor, non child safe one if you feel brave.

Start using the pipe cutting tool

The ultimate guide to pie cut bends caveman style.

  1. Download the app

    The first thing you need to do is to download and install Flatt Patten app on you phone. Once that is done open it and find the icon that looks like a pie cut bend and click on it.

  2. How to use the app

    Once in you need to enter some data about the pipe you want to make a pie cut from. Here is what you need to enter explained, All measures in mm.
    R = Radius of your desired bend.
    Alpha = Angle.
    D =Diameter.
    s = Wall thickness. Add the thickness of your printer’s paper.
    N = How many sectors you want.
    n = Number of divisions. More = better resolution

  3. Put it all in CAD

    Once all the data is entered, hit calculate and scroll down. Here you’ll see some squiggly lines and a bunch of number stacked on each other.
    Now you open your CAD program and do a 2D drawing of the numbers, do it so it look like the image in the app. Remember to do both of them since on is the end piece and one is the center piece.
    Save them and print them out on a paper in scale 1:1.

  4. Cut out the templates

    Using your best scissor, cut out the shapes and tape the ends together. This is what you should end up with.Pipe cutting tool templates

  5. Mark the centerline of the pipe

    Go get your pipe and draw a straight line along its side. This is so we have a reference point for the future. It will help you align the templates and as a reference mark when welding. It should look something like this.

  6. Put the templates to use

    Using the templates, start with the end piece. Gently put the template onto the pipe and alight it with the line you made above. Start tracing around the pipe so you end up with something like this.

  7. Cut out the individual pie cuts

    Start chopping. I find it easiest to use a hacksaw when working with aluminium, because an angle grinder can make the aluminium so hot it gets sticky. When this happens the material will start to absorb the dirt coming from the cutting disc. This is hard to remove and if you don’t, chances are that you will end up with a bad weld. pipe cutting tool pie cuts

  8. Weld em up

    Clean up the edges with a file and start aligning them in the position you want for your bend. Use tape for fixing the pieces together.
    Sometimes its easier to weld a couple of pieces at the time, especially if it’s a tricky bend. pie cut bend done using the pipe cutting tool

Now YOU too can make pie cut pipes

If you are looking for the fastest way to do pie cut bends, just buy them precut from a supplier and weld them together. Although this shows that you don’t need a fancy cutting machine to do it. One thing to mention is that the more resolution you have on the templates, the better the end result will be. This is also a great way to practice your angle grinder skills. Take your time and master this, I promise that it will open a whole new world of possibilities. 

That’s it for this time. Enjoy you freshly baked pie cut pipe.

Here is a picture of a pie cut bend for my charge system on the TurdBird. It might look like a 180 but it’s actually a 180 with a slight twist.

CategoryTech
TagsFabrication Precision Skills Tech Welding