Tried a different bevel prep on a 2-inch tube last Friday

I switched from a grinder to a band file for my saddle cuts on a tight stainless job and the fit-up was way cleaner than I expected. The whole thing took maybe 20 minutes less than usual and the weld passed X-ray on the first go. Anybody else tried swapping out your standard tool for something random and had it work out better than you thought?

2 comments

2 Comments

ellis.diana19d ago

That 2-inch stainless tube is tricky, I've had my share of bad saddle fits with a grinder. I swapped to a band file last year for a tight 4-inch sanitary line and the bevel was so clean I didn't even need to grind the root pass. Honestly, I think people sleep on the band file because they're used to the grinder being faster, but once you get the hang of it the fit-up is way more consistent. It saved me from reaming out a bad weld on a high-pressure line, which was a huge pain. The X-ray passing first time is a nice bonus, that doesn't happen often enough with stainless.

mason20919d ago

You reminded me of a time I swapped my standard MIG gun for a push-pull setup on an aluminum job. The difference in feed consistency was night and day, cuts down on birdnests and saved a pile of filler rod. Sometimes the offbeat tool changes make all the difference in the world.

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