Slicing off SS ring

Submitted by Greg_Esres t3_104ykkg in DIY

I have a stainless steel "tube" only 1 3/4 inches long and I'd like to cut it into several shorter tubes/rings, maybe 1/4 inches long. Ideally, I'd love to get a half dozen from this one tube. I have a cutoff saw that should cut these fine, but the tube isn't long enough to for the saw to clamp it to be cut. Any thoughts on the best way to cut off these slivers of tube?

(I'd actually rather buy rings that meet my specification, but I can't find them anywhere.)

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veryspicypickle t1_j38rbwd wrote

For a moment, SS meant something so different.

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Car-face t1_j39jwd6 wrote

"So there was this youth league I used to be in and they gave me this ring I'm trying to get off"

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Bn_scarpia t1_j39lb8h wrote

"I used to work as a camp counselor and they gave me this ring I'm trying to get off."

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Greg_Esres OP t1_j396d0s wrote

Could have attracted a very different audience!

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Verneke t1_j37puzj wrote

If it can be done safely... could you secure the tube around a sacrificial, longer core (i.e. maybe pressure fit a wooden dowel) and clamp that in the saw to then cut the tube?

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Greg_Esres OP t1_j37qydn wrote

The ID is 2.5", so a dowel would be too small. I left out the ID, because I didn't think relevant, but suddenly it is. :-)

But, yeah, I was trying to think of some way to make it effectively longer. Didn't think of something on the inside. Might be able to insert a 2x4 or something.

​

(McMaster-Carr does have a SS tube with thin walls I could buy that might work, but 1 ft length is about $100. And I might be only able to use half of it, because of clamping length requirements.)

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LearningIsTheBest t1_j3836ct wrote

Doesn't have to be a dowel. You can put a square peg in a round hole lol. Just size it so the square peg hits all 4 corners a little bit. When you tap it in with a hammer the corners shave off and you have a tight fit.

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king-one-two t1_j37wxko wrote

Make a wooden plug that fits inside. Use a lathe if you have one, but hole saw, bandsaw, hand tools, whatever. Glue it to the end grain of 2x4, then you can just slip the tube over the plug and clamp the 2x4

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CmdrShepard831 t1_j3aiitg wrote

If OP had a lathe couldn't they just use that to cut the tube into pieces without anything extra?

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king-one-two t1_j3aqzhy wrote

If he had a metal lathe yes. Clearly he's not a metalworker. But it was still possible he had a wood lathe.

I guess you could cut stainless steel tube on a wood lathe, slowly, maybe? But you'd have to make that plug to hold it on the lathe anyway, at which point it's faster to take it out and use it as your clamping jig on the cutoff saw. Not to mention safer

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mr78rpm t1_j38pt94 wrote

I'm not sure this is well expressed, but try to imagine the steps and how it all fits together.

If gluing doesn't work, try this: smack in the middle of the length of the tube, drill two holes, one on each side of the tube, and run a screw into the wood through each hole. You'll then have a wood piece with SS material over it, with screws going through the SS ring into the wood. The screws keep the ring from rotating.

To cut, clamp the whole thing in a lathe. Turn the lathe and cut the far end of the ring so it has a perfect edge. Then move that tool/blade closer to the mounting screws and cut through the SS. That will give you your first ring. Move the blade one step closer to the mounting screws and make another cut: this will give you your second ring. Continue until you've run out of material.

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king-one-two t1_j39aqmj wrote

Well yeah if he has a metal lathe he could just do the whole job there... I'm assuming he doesn't because nobody who owns a metal lathe would ask this question.

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Scooter_127 t1_j38al0b wrote

>Glue it to the end grain of 2x4

Gluing to end grain never makes a solid joint.

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tilhow2reddit t1_j38t8fs wrote

Probably solid enough for OP's needs. I wouldn't do it on a chair I planned on sitting in, but for this it should work.

Honestly I'd just cut the end of a 2x4 to get a pressure fit from the ring, but anything big enough to hit the 2.5" ID of the ring should have enough surface area that even end grain to end grain you'd still have some decent hold.

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king-one-two t1_j39aet9 wrote

Good thing this is a sacrificial piece of wood that will get thrown out

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Scooter_127 t1_j39cpln wrote

Sacrificial or not, what good will it be when it breaks off while OP is cutting?

End grain joints are super, super weak.

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mdjubasak t1_j39mpvm wrote

I would never do this in furniture, but there is evidence that an end grain joint is not as weak as it traditional joinery topology has made it out to be. Modern wood glues are a lot better than traditional hide glues and end grain joints can be surprisingly strong. Rob cosman on the subject: https://youtu.be/l_w_or3KhH4

For a temporary, practical use, I think you could get away with it.

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Scooter_127 t1_j3agqsi wrote

I am well aware how strong modern wood glues are but end grain joints are weaker than shit. I make money woodworking, I've seen enough "idiot customer requests" that I knew would have failed joints that this idiot woodworker thought, again, a warning that they would fail would mean the customer wouldn't come back at me as though it was my fault.

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king-one-two t1_j39mefl wrote

>End grain joints are super, super weak.

They really aren't. They're a little weaker than a side-grain glue joint. Maybe.

Get a couple chunks of 2x4, glue them end to end properly with wood glue and clamps, and I bet you $1000 you cannot break that joint. The wood will break first.

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Scooter_127 t1_j3ah25y wrote

Did Google tell you that? I bet it did.

Google should also tell you how easily end grain tears right the fuck out which is why you don't make end grain joints and don't put screws into end grain.

I see I'm up against the Googlers tonight. Y'all have a good weekend, I'm gonna go turn some maple bowls.

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king-one-two t1_j3apyfu wrote

Screws and nails into end grain, never. That is super weak.

Glue into end grain... not recommended by master carpenters I guess but for holding a jig together it's fine. Especially if it's a short fat piece of wood like a chunk of 2x4. I've done it before, and when the glue cures, it's near enough unbreakable. It's not "super super weak" like you were saying... you're thinking of screws into end grain.

I hadn't bothered googling it, was just talking from experience, but since you rudely called me a googler I went ahead and found this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7HxBa9WVis It shows that you can break the end-grain glue up at the glue joint, BUT it takes more force to break the glue joint than it does to break the wood on a side-glued joint. So I was partially wrong, the glue will break before the wood if you glue end grain to end, but it is still super strong.

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Few_Ad_5677 t1_j3bsm34 wrote

Don’t bother with mcmastercarr— waste of money for a hobbyist.

They charge a lot extra for materials because their business model revolves around supplying materials ASAP — overnight delivery to most industrially zoned addresses.

Residentialsndont get overnight delivery so you’re just paying a lot for something you can get anywhere else (McMaster carr makes 0 products)

Look into a metal supply in your area

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Gothmog_LordOBalrogs t1_j39lng7 wrote

I got you.. get some pack-n-fill packs and break a hole in each side. Put in a large garbage bag so they have room to extrude. Fill them within the tube outside the garbage bag. It makes a big rigid expanded foam used in delicate shipping. They expand massively!

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CloneEngineer t1_j39w3ry wrote

2" diameter PVC pipe gas a 2.375" OD and is cheap. Use something to take up the extra 1/16" each side.

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mountainman77777 t1_j39xkkf wrote

How thick of a wall do you need? Just get a foot long piece of straight stainless exhaust tubing from summit racing and make them from that.

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OptiGuy4u t1_j37weou wrote

A machine shop would do it in a lathe for probably very little money.

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Greg_Esres OP t1_j37ybs2 wrote

I was afraid of annoying them with such a little thing. Small $ customers can be so aggravating...

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1998f1504x4 t1_j384kwz wrote

Find a high school or college with a machine shop program. I could do this for you in five minutes if you walked into my classroom.

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OptiGuy4u t1_j37z9lt wrote

If it's a slow day at a small local shop they might just knock it out for something to do. Maybe go drop it off and let them decide when they have down time ....unless you're in a rush for it.

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Ichthius t1_j3903dv wrote

Sometimes it’s nice for them to have an easy job and it makes future customers.

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redirdamon t1_j38q15t wrote

Tubing Cutter

Run a dowel through the tube leaving enough to hold on to, then use a tubing cutter.

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Verneke t1_j37op9l wrote

What's the application, and does it have to be stainless? Depending on what you're looking for possible source here
https://www.mcmaster.com/rings/material~stainless-steel/

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Greg_Esres OP t1_j37pvms wrote

Doesn't have to be SS, but wanted to make sure the substance is food safe. I'm making some baking molds. I've ordered some hose clamps that might work, but those have perforations in the metal, which might make removing the items after baking difficult.

Searching on "rings" produces a lot of hits that are actual rings, cylindrical metal formed into a ring, which probably wouldn't work, since, again, the material would be hard to remove after baking. (And wouldn't produce a flat edge.)

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Verneke t1_j37thhl wrote

Hose clamps for baking molds is definitely a cost effective approach, and would save you a lot of the work of cutting things. Maybe just a liner of aluminum foil or parchment paper inside the clamps would do the trick

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Greg_Esres OP t1_j37u8rf wrote

Yep, I was thinking along those lines. Would hate to have to cut parchment every time, though. I do have some silicone bands that are too thin to hold a round shape, but might be able to line the clamps with those.

I'm hoping the dough is too stiff to go through the perforations. Will just have to try it and see.

Thanks for kicking around the ideas.

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mountainman77777 t1_j39y5a1 wrote

Can you not just buy the baking molds you want? There has to be thousands to choose from on Amazon or similar

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Greg_Esres OP t1_j39zv8v wrote

No, I've spent hours looking. My purpose is non-standard--I'm going to use them for cookies and people don't use molds for cookies. That's why I wanted them about 1/4"H. I'm worried that taller ones will make them brown funny, but I won't know until I try. I did find some that were 2.5Dx 0.75H" high on a restaurant supply site. For 3.0" D, the height jumps to 1.0".

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Park_Particular t1_j3bu0s4 wrote

Silicone tubes would be a lot easier to cut, and cheap too. I just found some food grade ones at eBay... https://www.ebay.com/itm/Food-Grade-Clear-Silicone-Rubber-Hose-Tubing-Brew-Hose-ID-0-5mm-50mm-OD-1mm-60mm/144007235098?chn=ps&var=443290852298&_trkparms=ispr=1&amdata=enc:11Z4pf3TBRqyFO1Ws2h3DRA68&norover=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=443290852298_144007235098&device=t&mktype=pla&googleloc=1018251&campaignid=17597089569&abcId=9300988&merchantid=424807978&gclid=Cj0KCQiAzeSdBhC4ARIsACj36uFFOT6v2v3GhtCNUxa3Ifc2GcGljGgDZOIQveNnICwXjzmkH4TKsf0aArCmEALw_wcB&pageci=7c238ab5-83b2-4502-8695-b12a15b904e3&redirect=mobile

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Greg_Esres OP t1_j3cn2q3 wrote

I had no idea such things existed! This item doesn't come with a big enough ID, but I'll look around. Thanks!

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Old_timey_brain t1_j38fdh5 wrote

If I were doing this in my basement, with the tools on hand, I would do the following.

Insert a long bolt through the tube, add a washer and nut, then tighten firmly.

Clamp the exposed end of the bolt into the soft jaws on the vice.

Use my tubing cutter to portion off the pieces I need.

Disassemble and de-burr.

Failing that, de-burr and lube the tube, then jamb a wooden dowel through it, and take that to the cutoff saw.

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RedneckLover74 t1_j38qzr3 wrote

portable bandsaw. you can clamp the tube in place and cut with the band saw. The blade thickness is perfect for this type of work you wish to do.

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frankiek3 t1_j39fomn wrote

Definitely a bandsaw but a bench bandsaw would be better.

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[deleted] t1_j37toh2 wrote

You can’t do it without a vice. You will not be able to make a straight cut without one. Get a longer piece.

1/4” is very small. Unless you’re an expert at using a pipe cutter, you’re going to end up with pieces that are 1/4” +/- 1/8”. A longer piece will also let you practice several times to lower the tolerance.

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Greg_Esres OP t1_j37unre wrote

precision isn't that important...I'd be OK with 1/8" variation. I am considering a pipe cutter...wasn't sure how well it would with these rather flimsy tubes.

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[deleted] t1_j37uvsx wrote

It’s just the easiest tool to use. Shouldn’t deform anything sch5 or higher really, but you have to check.

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Greg_Esres OP t1_j37vg30 wrote

OK, I'll order one and experiment with it. Can't have too many tools. Thanks for the suggestion.

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Verneke t1_j37u6o3 wrote

Also google or amazon"baking ring molds" you've got a lot of options, these look fun :)

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Greg_Esres OP t1_j37yna0 wrote

That's where I got the ones that I want to slice up. :-)

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buildyourown t1_j381dfo wrote

Make a clamp block out of wood. Drill a hole in the wood the same size as the tube and then split the wood with a saw. Now you can clamp the block in a vise and cut the tube with a hack saw.

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Mildly_Angry_Biscuit t1_j39x85c wrote

For something that size, I'd probably just be patient with a dremel , cutoff wheels and a bunch of patience - especially if I'm trying to get as many rings out of it as I can. No form would be needed to hold it; you could mark the height you're cutting off on the tube and hold it with either vice grips or a good glove (it will get hot).

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AccomplishedEnergy24 t1_j3a7pa6 wrote

This is totally trivial with a lathe and cutoff/parting tool if you can find one - community colleges, maker spaces, etc. Also any metalworking shop, of course.

Lots an lots of places have maker spaces these days, so even if you didn't want to bug a local metal shop, i have to imagine it wouldn't be that tricky to find a maker space with a lathe that can handle this.

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Greg_Esres OP t1_j3aanb3 wrote

I was just pricing one at Harbor Freight....$800. If I had any other use for it, I might go for it. I understand they can be pretty dangerous, though, if you don't know what you're doing. And I don't. :-)

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AccomplishedEnergy24 t1_j3ac9hi wrote

Yeah, for a one-off it's easier to find someone with one.

If you are going to do stuff like this overall, i'd take a community college metalworking class. They are usually very cheap, and things like lathes/mills are very easy to learn. They often have ones you can use once you pass safety training.

Metalworking lathes, for simple things like this, are relatively safe. Definitely much safer than woodworking lathes.

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5degreenegativerake t1_j37zu1p wrote

I assume you know what a spring form pan is? You could make your own “rings” like a spring form pan using stainless steel shim stock. The shim stock is flat and you can cut it with good scissors, then roll it up and secure it with a piece of wire or something around the outside.

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Greg_Esres OP t1_j38198e wrote

I thought about something like this, but didn't know what to look for. Shim stock? Half of life is knowing what to Google on.

And I wasn't sure how to close the ring. I do have a MIG welder, but never got around to assembling it.

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5degreenegativerake t1_j383qy9 wrote

Yep. Amazon has lots of shim stock options. You probably want to be at 0.01in (0.25mm) thick or less to make it easier to cut.

I would just wrap the outside with stainless steel wire and twist the end like a bread tie.

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DasFreibier t1_j38avbi wrote

I'd probably go with a hacksaw and patience

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Likesdirt t1_j38e8wr wrote

A pipe cutter can do it but they're expensive.

Seems like there should be some biscuit or cookie cutters out there that will work.

Seamless tubing is hard to make, the price reflects the labor more than the material. Stainless strip with a spot weld to make a ring is a cheap process.

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Greg_Esres OP t1_j38lhna wrote

>Seems like there should be some biscuit or cookie cutters out there that will work.

They come in sets, so it's an expensive way to go. I'd need a couple of dozen. Biscuit cutters are also probably too deep, being 3/4+. I don't know yet how important the height is; there needs to be some airflow over the baking item so it will dry and brown.

>A pipe cutter can do it but they're expensive.

Yeah, the cheap ones can't handle the diameter and the ones that can seem to get pretty pricey.

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MetaverseRealty t1_j38nmad wrote

I would get a longer pipe and cut my small rounds from that

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HeWhoMakesBadComment t1_j38pnyo wrote

Try asking your local metal supply amd fab shop. You will get the best results this way

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No_Bass_9328 t1_j38sidj wrote

For Gd's sake, if you value your fingers or if you don't want to risk the tube kicking and flying around, then go buy a longer tube. Just not worth it.

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Xifer-2020 t1_j38ubvh wrote

If I'm following correctly based on all your comments etc.

"T bolt hose clamps" is what your looking for. 2.5inch is 64mm and a 10 pack on Amazon for 26$

Lmk if you can't find them and I'll get a link.

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Greg_Esres OP t1_j3962b1 wrote

Oh, yes, very, very close! I see something about a nylon insert locknut. That sounds like a problem in an oven. Is that just one particular design or are all brands likely to have that?

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Xifer-2020 t1_j396sjg wrote

So you'll see a "bolt" and "lock nut" the lock nut is the part with the nylon, it should be removable and swapped for a "jam nut" there may also be some with no nuts and just a threaded insert that will also be no problem.

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Greg_Esres OP t1_j397v3t wrote

Fantastic! I'll order a few of these. They seem to be thicker than I wanted, but they still might work fine; I won't know until I try them. Thanks for the idea.

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Xifer-2020 t1_j398gma wrote

When it comes in, take the nut off and swing by hardware store. I do not suggest galvanized nuts they can let off a smell when heated.

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Greg_Esres OP t1_j3998ny wrote

Hopefully I can find some SS ones, then. I'll have to bake them first to make sure there aren't other nasty substances hidden on them.

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arrowtron t1_j39qz8s wrote

Hammer a dowel rod into it. Clamp the dowel, cut away.

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Kauko_Buk t1_j3azrz6 wrote

Oh, I thought you had a SchutzStaffel ring and came here to advice against slicing it, but nvm carry on

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JfuckinC t1_j3b90ai wrote

Longer tube, stainless blade in drop saw, like this

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mynaneisjustguy t1_j3bdwz8 wrote

Hacksaw it with a thin blade. If you have any manual skill that it. Should be easy, as long as you can keep a straight cut line.

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