Making your own pipe fittings

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Sorry for all of the threads guys, let me know and I will stop :)

Anyway, Dan Friedrichs posted this link in another thread: http://harderwoods.com/pipe.html

I went and tried it out on some 4" thin wall pipe that I currently use for my collector and was impressed!!

As you know I am looking to upgrade to 6" and I can find thin wall 6" pipe for about $14 for 10 feet, but the total for the fittings I would need would have been over $200.

With this method I will have to spend some time, but no money on fittings. I am planning on using three 30 degree angles instead of two 45's, since I am making them it won't cost more and should be better for air flow.

On the final pieces I will caulk the joints and sand out the inside for the smoothest flow.

What do you think? Do you think the below will work?

[Matt Meiser]

The fishmouth cut on the side is done all the time for roll cage fabrication but I never thought about doing it in PVC and cutting the main pipe.

For your corners, I would use more segments and get a smoother bend.

[Jeff Sudmeier]

The fishmouth cut on the side is done all the time for roll cage fabrication but I never thought about doing it in PVC and cutting the main pipe.

For your corners, I would use more segments and get a smoother bend.

Yeah, I was planning on using 30 degree angles instead of 45's, they are real easy to make since you can cut them on the miter saw with a hold down.

We'll see I haven't decide on the home made corner yet, but the home made y's are definitely worth doing for the cost savings and they transition as well as the store bought ones.

The 45's aren't as smooth as store bought, so I'll have to see how they work out if I use 30 degree angles instead of 2 45's.

[Anthony Whitesell]

What did you use to hold/adhere/glue the two pieces together?

How did you go about cutting the "fishmouth" in one piece and the hole in the other?

I haven't given the assembly much thought yet, but I bookmarked the link for future use. I was thinking of the jigsaw for the hole, but haven't thought about the other two steps.

[Todd Moody]

I'm wondering if a small trim router with mill bit or RotoZip would work well to cut out those fishmouths.

I'm in the same boat, as I contemplate the cost of 6" fittings, and this looks worth at least investigating. Thanks for the link

[Jim O'Dell]

If you haven't seen this http://www.harderwoods.com/pipetemplate.php?f=dn&theta=30&rmd=6&rbd=4&rbt=.1&offset=0&Submit=Submit it's worth looking at. Might help some.
The biggest plus I can see for using this is getting the wye with the exact angle you need for a certain situation. Custom wyes as it were. :rolleyes: Jim.

[Mark Bolton]

Another way to do this that would help with the fish mouth is do go the route matt mentioned and simply follow the lead of cage fabricators. You can find a hole saw to match the O.D. of your main run and simply build a jig for the drill press to hold your branch connection at the desired angle and cut the fish mouth that way (remove the pilot bit of course). You will be limited by the depth of the hole saw for the amount you can cut per plunge and then you will have to trim off the flanges with a hand saw or recip. saw. You would of course have to raise your table as well on the drill press.

Unless you cant find a hole saw to match your main line O.D. that would likely be the fastest and most accurate way to cut the fish mouth resulting in the most surface area for glue/solvent weld/plastic weld.

I think 6" schedule 40 pipe measures 6 5/8" on the od. The holesaw may be pricey but it would still pay off after a few fittings.

Also could switch to drilling your branch size into the pipe with the same jig and smaller saw.

Just some thoughts,
Mark

[Jeff Sudmeier]

To answer the questions...

The junction off of the left is at 45 degrees and is like a normal y, it looks real smooth. I printed off the template from the links above and taped it to the pipe. A jig saw made quick work of the hole in the main pipe. Same process was followed for the branch pipe.

After they were cut I put CA on the branch pipe and accelerator on the main, glued them together. They aren't perfectly air tight, but would be with the right caulk which I plan on doing with all of the joints.

I was thinking of making a jig and just using it to hold the pieces in place while the caulk dries, but for the cost of one bottle of CA it's worth the quick assembly.

The 45 to the right was cut on the miter saw at 22.5 degrees. It is a little sharp, not as nice flowing as a store bought 45. For that reason I think when I do it I will use three 30 degree angles instead of 2 45's to make a 90. Can't hurt the airflow and it is so easy to make on the miter saw.

I can't claim to have used the system, but from what I have seen it sure should work.

I would use only thin wall pipe as it is so easy to fit up, but this method would work for sched 40 PVC too... it would just have to be more exact the first time.

It took me all of 5 minutes to print the templates, attach them, cut the pieces and glue the Y and it took 1-2 minutes to make the 45.

[Jim Andrew]

Looks like you guys are onto something. Wish I had seen this before I put my dust system in. Wound up using metal, as I couldn't find any company selling 6" sd. The pipe and fittings wound up costing more than the cyclone. It is handy to be able to change the thing as needed. Always room for improvement in the shop.