There was a point in time where I found myself needed to accurately join round tubes in many configurations. The "drill-press jig" for cutting pipes helped, but did not seem safe. Also, to allow for flow, the adjoining tube was usually just drilled, however the actual mating surface was not round.
Keywords: fishmouth tube joining VB .NET
Project Detail
Consultation with an old drafting professor led me to a discrete method for laying out the path for a right-angle joint between two pipes. With some modification, this was made to work for axial offsets and the full range of contact angles.
Specifications
- Meet the full range of contact angles
- Accommodate axial offset between mating tubes
- Simple interface in both metric and standard units
- Be calibrated to any printer
Final Design
The final program worked impressively well and have used it on many projects. After printing out the drawing, the lines where cut with an xacto blade and traced onto the pipes. These are then cut with an angle-grinder or plasma cutter and filed smooth.
Design Validation and Testing
Will try to post some pictures of projects this was used on, but don't currently have any uploaded.