How to cut Biesemeyer rails & guide tube?

[Ron Kanter]

I have decided to shorten :eek: the Biesemeyer system on my Uni. My shop is just too narrow for the full length system.
Now that I have gotten past the horror of the planned surgery, the question is how to do it neatly and with as little pain (to me and the parts) as possible.
I have lots of tools, but other than a hack saw, nothing specifically for cutting steel.
Is this the perfect excuse to buy another tool? Should I take them to a metal shop? How should I do the deed?
Thanks for your help,
Ron

[Greg Peterson]

Hack saw would definitely get the job done. Two tools that come to mind, a portable metal cutting band saw and an angle grinder equipped with a metal cutting disk.

You could likely find a shop that could cut these parts to size. You may also be able find a place that rents one or both of these tools.

[David DeCristoforo]

"Is this the perfect excuse to buy another tool?"

Absolutely! A SawsAll with a metal cutting blade would be just the ticket. Of course, for the same dough, you could probably buy shorter rails. Then, when you expand your shop (this would also be a perfect excuse to do that!) you would have the longer rails intact.

[Paul Murphy]

You might even trade with someone who has the shorter rails, saving yourself the sawing, filing, grinding, and resizing of the right side support table.

That said, I like the larger shop plan;)

[glenn bradley]

I would say the trade option should be looked into, The guy getting the longer rails could pay shipping for both to even things out. Otherwise, in the absence of a metal cutoff saw, a quality hacksaw can do a fine job. If you only have a cheap-o frame, a real nice one is under $30 and a surprise to use if you haven't had the experience. Get some bi-metal blades and have at it.

[Steven J Corpstein]

I used a SawsAll then took it to a Buddy that had a mill and had him clean up and square the end. I then ordered some rectangular tubing caps, made it look factory when done. I did mine so I could add a Jessem slider.

[Vince Shriver]

I bought a WK Morse Metal Devil 7" blade and put it in my chop saw. It worked beautifully, but I did have to take a bit of time to clean up the saw from the metal shavings. Cuts clean, accurately & quickly. The blade runs about $50, but google it up and you can find cheaper prices. It's great to have for any metal cutting projects you might get in the future.

[Jim O'Dell]

Even a scrap metal shop might be able to cut them for you cheap. If you were closer, I'd trade you in a heart beat. I'm guessing you have the 52" rails? Maybe even look on CL in your area to see if anyone still has one of the Lowe's blowout 36" sets that would like the longer rails in a trade. I'm sure they would jump at the chance, just like me. Probably won't be, but you never know. Maybe see if your local woodworking store has a swap post in the store and list the exchange. Jim.

[Ron Kellison]

I had the same problem (lack of space) and cut the rails down to give me 30" on the right side of the blade. I have an old, cheap Delta chopsaw that blew the blade guard in a kickback incident. I couldn't find the right replacement parts but I also couldn't bring myself to throw it out. I finally purchased a 10" abrasive blade from HD, mounted it and found that it cuts metal like a champ! When I'm not using it I just put it in an empty corner until next time. I don't worry about the metal residue as the saw is set at 90 degrees all the time. It went through the Biese tubes and rail easily. I hit the cuts with a grinder to smooth them up, mounted them, installed the end caps and I've never looked back.

Regards,

Ron

[David Micalizzi]

All of the suggestions would work. You could pick a method that requires the purchase of a tool you feel you'll get use out of in the future. I cut mine with a portaband and just cleaned up with a file. I used this method to put my Jet Xacta Fence on my MM16 Bandsaw with a table I built for it. If you don't want to spend any money just use the hack saw and clean it up with a file and some sandpaper. The abrasive blade methods will probably give you the least amount of clean up but may burn the paint off near the cut. Of course you could touch this up afterward. A circular saw (you probably own one) with an abrasive blade may do the trick as well. Just run it up against a speed square or other straight edge so you end up with a good cut when done.

[Gerry Grzadzinski]

Jigsaw with a metal cutting blade, and clean up with a file. I've cut steel tubes lots of times with my Bosch Jigsaw.

[Dan Forman]

I once picked up an angle grinder at a garage sale for $10, one of the best tool investments I've made. I use a thin cutoff blade and it works wonderfully for cutting metal, cuts clean enough that only modest clean up with a file is necessary. If it ever dies, I wouldn't hesitate to buy a new one.

Dan

[Ken Shoemaker]

I have the short rails from the Lowes close out.. I'd trade ya'''' Pm me if interested.

[Scott Stafford]

I took mine to a local machine shop. They looked at it, verified my cut off marks and cut them in a horizontal bandsaw. Handed them back to me and refused to charge me. They are perfectly straight and plumb.

Maybe I'm just lucky?

Scott in Montana

[Robert Chapman]

Just scribe a straight line to guide you and use a hacksaw. I cut the rail down on my Steel City say for a JessEm sliding table. I took about five minutes including clean up with a file. The rail steel is soft and cuts easily.

[Ron Kanter]

Thanks for all the thoughtful responses.
My first attack will be to try a hacksaw with a good blade and see how it goes.
I was mostly being facetious about buying a new tool,but the cutoff tool does sound like fun :D
I might just call a local metal shop and see what they would charge for three cuts. If it is cheap enough it might be worth it to get it done fast and clean:p

Thanks again everyone. Time to grab the hacksaw.

[Glen Butler]

Do you have a handheld circular saw? If yes, buy a metal cutting blade for
it from a hardware or a quality tool supplier, install it on the saw and go from there. Be sure to wear good eye protection, there will be a lot of sparks. Take your time and use a crosscut guide ( speedsquare) and let the saw
do it's thing and don't force or try to rush the cut. When you are done cutting,take a good quality file and clean up the cut metal parts and you will
like the results. I use one of those blades ( really it is an abrasive metal cutting disc) all the time, I leave it in one of the circular saws set up for that
purpose only! This is a better and easier way to cut steel than about anything else I have found....hope this helps.

This gets my vote. I am fortunate enough to have a chop saw, but if I didn't I would go the circular saw route, but you should definitely look into having someone cut them for you.

[Dave Cav]

Is this the perfect excuse to buy another tool? Ron

Perfect time to buy one of these:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93762

Find a 20% off coupon and you're in business. I have been using the identical Grizzly saw for about 15 years. Seems like I use it nearly every time I'm in the shop.

[Jim Heffner]

Do you have a handheld circular saw? If yes, buy a metal cutting blade for
it from a hardware or a quality tool supplier, install it on the saw and go from there. Be sure to wear good eye protection, there will be a lot of sparks. Take your time and use a crosscut guide ( speedsquare) and let the saw
do it's thing and don't force or try to rush the cut. When you are done cutting,take a good quality file and clean up the cut metal parts and you will
like the results. I use one of those blades ( really it is an abrasive metal cutting disc) all the time, I leave it in one of the circular saws set up for that
purpose only! This is a better and easier way to cut steel than about anything else I have found....hope this helps.

[Chip Lindley]

I side with Scott above. None of the hand-held options will do as neat a job as a horizontal metal-cutting bandsaw! Even a metal cut-off chop saw leaves a burnt edge which much be ground or filed down.

Go to a small machine shop during the lunch hour (or just before closing time) and show them what you need. I bet for $5.00 you can get the rails cut cleanly, squarely, exactly where you need.

My little 1/3 hp horizontal bandsaw is great for anything 4x6" or less. It's paid for itself many times over, cutting pieces to make mobile stands.

[Austin Grote]

I was ready to cut down my Biese fence rails, but when I looked them up online and saw what they cost, I couldn`t bring myself to cut them.
I looked on the well known auction site and found a set of rails, minus the fence for less than 100 bucks, so I took a chance and bought them. When they arrived, they were exactly what I needed, and were in unused condition.

[Richard Dragin]

Your hack saw will cut those with no problem, a file will clean up the ends nicely. Unless you plan on cutting a bunch more metal I'd go with the hacksaw, put a new blade on it.

[Ron Kanter]

Did it.
My Uni is now a Shorty. :D
Using a hacksaw was the most suggested approach and the one tool I already had available. That's what I did. Took under an hour including clamping wood blocks to get a straight cut and cleaning up the cut with a file.
Went fast - less time than it would take to bring to a shop and return.
Looks good - straight, clean, you would never know it wasn't OEM.
And the price was right - $0.00
Thanks everyone for the input. I wouldn't have had the guts to cut up my saw without your advice. Learned something new and opened up more space for working.
BTW, I started with a 30" set not 52". Should have put that in the original post.

[Richard Dragin]

And they said it couldn't be done!

[Rick Lizek]

I have decided to shorten :eek: the Biesemeyer system on my Uni. My shop is just too narrow for the full length system.
Now that I have gotten past the horror of the planned surgery, the question is how to do it neatly and with as little pain (to me and the parts) as possible.
I have lots of tools, but other than a hack saw, nothing specifically for cutting steel.
Is this the perfect excuse to buy another tool? Should I take them to a metal shop? How should I do the deed?
Thanks for your help,
Ron
A hacksaw is fine.
I modified a few Biesemeyer fences by making them a drop leaf wing.

[Ron Kanter]

That's very cool, Rick.
Funny thing, I was looking at the piece of guide bar that I cut off and thinking I could make a "floating tenon" to put it back together with the rest of the guide if I needed a wider cut.

Do you have any problem registering the fixed guide section with the guide section that is on the drop leaf?

[Rick Lizek]

I cut the box extension table and made sure it was even with the bottom of the front angle rail and bolted it back between the rails and mounted the hinges. Then I cut the rails and bolted them back on ensuring alignment and added pivots and levelers on the legs. The tables are butted right up so there is your stop of sorts so you don't raise the drop leaf too high. Works well and gives the full rip option for a small space when needed. It gets a bit more refined every time I do one.

[Jay Jolliffe]

I like Ricks idea.....That's pretty slick.....That would solve the space problem.I would have to see how that would work with the mobile base.