Tools for getting the right angles and profiles

[gordonendersby]

Hi all,

What tools should I be looking at for setting out work pieces.
Ive got an engineers square on the way for xmas as the wooden woodworking one was looking a bit fragile around hot steel.
Ive got a couple of arrow head magnets for 90 and 45 degrees.
and obviously an assortment of clamps. I should imagine you can never have enough.

What do you use as a protractor for varied angles?

Is there anything for helping out with the sort of ellipses you get when butting up against tubes at angles? Small stuff I could imagine doing by eye and trial and error. Do you use something like a profile gauge decorators use?
Which is a row of rods in a holder that can form around an irregular shape.

Are there any other tools for setting out hobby projects that I should consider?

For example Im going to make a stand for the wife's bird feeder, as a practice piece, which is going to involve some 20mm box section butted to 25mm or there abouts tube at right angles and 45 degrees. So there are ellipses to be cut into the box section to weld to the tube. I could do it by eye or make a template and do some maths to get the ellipse correct.
Or is it all just bits of cardboard and trial and error before cutting the metal?

Thanks

Gordon

 

[Engineer1964]

Hi Gordon,

I have a Moore & Wright set, It cost me over £200, but i use it every day, a few months back i bought a newer set from ebay, 2nd hand for £70, so i keep that as backup

The only problem are the small pins in the turnscrew, they have a habit of coming off if you ever drop it, new service packs cost about £13 a pop

Having used Moore and Wright and having it calibrated at work i can't imagine ever using anything else, I can't understand people when they come for a job with their £4.99 B&Q square

Magnets are handy, the Strong Arm ones with a switch are ideal if you can get them (USA Made)

Don't forget your Tungsten tipped Scriber

 

[Welderpaul]

As an idea, the marking out tools i use day in, day out as a fabricator:

Moore and Wright combination squares (2 of them)
Steel rules, 300 long, 600 long and 1000 long
Mitutoyo bevel protractor
6" square, 8" square, 12" square and bigger
Chalk
Scriber
Centre punch
Set of trammels

90% of jobs can be done with the above. Buy decent quality and they will last a lifetime.


Don't go mad buying a load of stuff you may never use. Start with the basics and buy as you need them.

 

[KemppiFrog]

If you look around this site, there are programs to project the joints for tubes.
Personally, I just eye it for most situations in small tubes (circ 25mm). When it gets to big conic sections, I work it out by drawing, then transfere it to the sheet. Or just draw it on the sheet. This is for stuff in the 1mtr diameter or bigger. Like suspended fire hoods.

 

[gordonendersby]

That was quick,
Forgot about actually marking the metal.
Ive been using a sharpie, obviously a bit wide for accurate marking out.
A decent hard scriber is going on the list.
Ill see what I can find on the other stuff youve recommended.
The moore and wright set is pure tool porn, might be a while till I can justify that.

Thanks

Gordon

 

[KemppiFrog]

Welder Paul's list is spot on. When you get some practice, the simple tools can be used for more complicated jobs.

 

[reedx]

Magnets are handy, the Strong Arm ones with a switch are ideal if you can get them (USA Made)

If you meant StrongHand, Stakesy sell them. They make some really useful welding accessories (3 pages in total)

http://www.stakesys.co.uk/department/other_tools/page/1/

Colin

 

[chrismac]

something like this is what you could be after just a bit cheaper, its quite pricey depending on how much you would use it.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ARC-RITE-...103?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4d04660307

chris

 

[Welderpaul]

Be careful of a lot of the 'gimicky' welders accessories stuff.
Generally not as useful as they would have you believe.

Welders magnets should be used for holding drawings up on machines only

 

[Lewis Medlock]

My marking out kit

 

[chevy2]

A tool i like for setting out tubes and section on car chassis work is a digital level,
I bought the one i found with the finest accuracy down to 0.05 degrees which works out to be under 1mm over 1 metre.

 

[gordonendersby]

Ive now got a decent scribe on its way.
Some proper eye protection after reading another thread on the forum.
Ive always used protective glasses but been frightened into full protection.
A cheap combination protractor angle set. It was either cheap or astronomic.
I couldnt find any within my budget like the Moore and Wright set so Ill use these for hobby stuff for now till I need something better.
Deburring tool, Been meaning to get one of these for ages but never got round to it.
Already got some decent steel rules.

That profile gauge looks interesting but, thinking about it, I reckon I could make something in my pillar drill to do the job of square against tube.
It would be interesting to see how fine grained I could make it.

Thanks

Gordon

 

[Paul G]

Ive now got a decent scribe on its way.

A cheap combination protractor angle set. It was either cheap or astronomic.
I couldnt find any within my budget like the Moore and Wright set so Ill use these for hobby stuff for now till I need something better.


Gordon

If you want something between a cheapo ally set and a Moore & Wright/Mitutoyo
then a Clarke CM170 might be within your budget.
They are made of cast iron and are good value at around £35. (Machine Mart?)


On the subject of scribers I never throw away a broken or blunt tap.
My own is a bit of 10mm dia bar tapped M8 (with a good tap) in the end,
then a worn out tap screwed in till it bottoms. The square drive end is then sharpened to a point.
I've never had to replace the tap as I tend to lose them before they get to that stage.

Cheers,
Paul G

 

[Hitch]

Marking out, I tend to use a carbide tip scriber, On one of these at the moment since i miss-placed me other one. Then a bit of chalk for rough marking.


Squares, i use a 6" and a 12" engineers square for nearly everything.
Steel rules, 300 and 600 mostly, with a rule stop.
Decent sized pair of dividers

Protractor, i use this style....

 

[gordonendersby]

The cheap ally combination set turned up today.
Its good enough for now. But I can see where the errors could creep in.
Feels light even for aluminium. Probably some really nasty cheap alloy.
Ill look out for the Clarke one.

That rule stop looks useful.
I can think of a few times I could have used that.
Its on the list.

Gordon

 

[Welderpaul]

The cheap ally ones are reasonable, if slightly inaccurate. First time you drop it on the floor you can guarantee the pin will break or part of the square snap.

 

[snowcat]

As an idea, the marking out tools i use day in, day out as a fabricator:

Moore and Wright combination squares (2 of them)
Steel rules, 300 long, 600 long and 1000 long
Mitutoyo bevel protractor
6" square, 8" square, 12" square and bigger
Chalk
Scriber
Centre punch
Set of trammels

90% of jobs can be done with the above. Buy decent quality and they will last a lifetime.


Don't go mad buying a load of stuff you may never use. Start with the basics and buy as you need them.

I would add a couple of engineers levels to the list.

 

[dan.taylor.1]

Hi there,

Just wondering what brand squares you guys would reccommend? also im after a combination square set, are starrett or linear ones on a par with M and W?

cheers, Dan

 

[Robotstar5]

Keep an eye on eblag, I got a couple of M&W squares for a few quid, good condition, still boxed.

 

[chevy2]

A lathe morse taper dead centre make a nice heavy duty centre punch.