Help building CNC pipecutting saw

[csomer]

Hi
My name is Chuck. I'm 55 years old and have been a fitter/welder/fabricator for 35 years. I started out in the structural steel industry fabricating handrails and always felt that they could be fabricated faster with CNC control.

Over the years I've learned enough about computers, CNC, some machining and industrial robotics to know it can be done. I know what I want the saw to do, I'm just not sure how to get there from here.

So, what I am wondering is what would be the best way to go about learning how to build a CNC controlled machine.

Are there any books or websites where I can go to get ideas on what parts are available. What has been done and how it was done?

There doesn't seem to be any ( How to build a cnc controlled machine ) courses around, so I'll take all the help I can get.

Thank You.

[RICHARD ZASTROW]

csomer, welcome aboard.

If you can list what you want to accomplish with your CNC saw, you'll get plenty of help on the 'Zone. (maybe more than you wanted. lol)

To get good advice you need to be more specific.

Dick Z

[csomer]

Dick Z

Thank you for your reply. Now if I can get whats in my head wrote down, I'll be doing good.

The saw would be used for the fabrication of handrails for commercial use. So it would need to be fairly heavy duty. The saw itself could be broke down into two sections. The head and I'm not sure what to call it, so I'll just call it the tail stock.

The head of the saw would be set up so that the saw blade cuts straight up and down. Not at an arc like most saws do and the blade would be able to pivot right or left x-amount of degrees. The vice would be self-centering like cold cut saws have. What this would do is keep the center of the blade on the center line of the pipe no mater what degree the head is set on. The vice would need to be pressure sensitive so I can run steel or aluminum pipe. The blade would also need to be able to stop quickly as needed.

The tail stock would be set up with a 4-jaw self-centering lathing chuck so I can run pipe or tubing. It would be able to move the pipe forward into the saw a preset distance and be able to rotate right or left x-degrees if needed to go around a corner. The pipe would be up to 2 inch sch 40 or 80 x 21 feet long. Tubing is 24 feet long. So it could be fairly heavy.

Now, the way I see this thing running is.

Most drawings are in cad anymore. So you can take the cad file and load it into a cad program (which I know vary little about). Clean it up and add what numbers I need. Load it into a cam program (which I know even less about) add the stops and whatever else is needed.

Load the pipe into the tail stock and start the program. The pipe moves forward. The vice closes. The blade rotates to the preset degree and cycles the cut. The vice opens and the program stops.

Take the cut piece out of the saw and push a button to start the second block of program. Pipe moves forward. If needed the pipe can rotate right or left 90 degrees. Vice closes. Head rotates to the next set of degrees. Blade cycles. Program stops.

Rinse and repeat.

I hope this all makes sense, as I can see this thing running in my mind if I can figure out how to put it all together. I know right now is not a good time to start a business. But with the way the economy is, I've got time to learn.

[RICHARD ZASTROW]

Circular saw? band saw? lengths of pipe? dry cutting or with coolant or mist system? Could you use a bar feeder off a turret lathe?

Think about one of those micro mister systems and a surplus bar feeder from ebay or used machinery outfit. There are self centering vices available, surplus, used as well as new.

Dick Z

[csomer]

I'm hoping to be able to use the metaldevil carbide tip circular saw blade for high speed - coolant free cutting. Most of the cutting would not be a problem with a carbide tip blade as the pipe would be held by the vice. But there will be times during the double bevel cuts where there is the possibility of small parts being slung. I've been trying to think of a lower guard assembly to eliminate this possibility. If I cant come up with something, I'll have to go with a cold cut circular saw blade and coolant.

Handrail pipe comes in stock lengths of 21 feet. Tubing 24 feet.

I appreciate any help I can get and was wondering if there are any courses that I should take to learn how to build and program a cnc machine.

Thank you