January/february 2021

The official publication of The Tube & Pipe Association, Intl.

A new saw design for

a new alloy family

Tips for better sawing

and weld prep

Saw Blade Buyers’ Guide©

Faster copper
pipe layout
and fit-up
TRUMPF_RapidCut_Laser_Ad_TPJrnl.indd 1 2/19/20 4:23 PM
Cover_JF21TPJ.indd 2 1/12/21 9:35 PM
Cover_JF21TPJ.indd 3 1/13/21 8:53 AM
 contents january/february 2021
16
Cover story
24
16 Perfecting the distillation
process, perfecting the
distillery
Making a manifold by hand is rarely
an easy process. Marking, cutting,
coping, and aligning everything is an
unending hassle. The staff at distillery
fabricator Hillbilly Stills found that
pulling collars with a T-Drill unit
28
eased the entire burden. Cover photo
courtesy of Hillbilly Stills, Murray, Ky.
FEATURES
SAWING
20 Envisioning a new sawing
process for a new alloy family
Lead has been used for plumbing
32
applications for decades, but
a modern push to reduce lead
exposure has resulted in the use of a
new family of low-lead and lead-free
brass alloys. More difficult to cut than
conventional leaded brass alloys,
these new alloys have caused saw
manufacturers to rethink the entire
cutting process to build new saws for
this application.
4 The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021
TOC_JF21TPJ.indd 4
SAWING
Matching the blade to the job
when cutting tube, pipe
The many characteristics of tube
and pipe make blade selection a
challenge. Understanding how these
factors influence the cutting process
can help fabricators optimize blade
selection for the fastest cutting.
WELD PREP
Steps for proper weld
preparation
Good welds need good preparation,
and good preparation needs a good
plan. Planning from start to finish—
especially focusing on cleaning
surfaces rather than removing
metal—can help it go smoothly.
PLASMA CUTTING
Renowned auto parts
manufacturer races ahead
with plasma cutting system
A leading manufacturer of aftermar-
ket automotive products, Borla Per-
formance Industries, used to rely on
machining to make holes in its tubu-
lar components, but programming
took three steps and the tooling
didn’t last long. A switch to plasma
cutting with tube-specific program-
ming from Hypertherm boosted the
company’s productivity.
Vol. 31 No. 1
DEPARTMENTS
6 Editor’s Angle
8 Calendar of Events
10 Product Highlights
12 Industry News
14 Product News
EXECUTIVE PERSPECTIVES
34 Love, courtship, marriage, and
proprietorship
Running a family-owned business
isn’t easy. The familiarity of a family
relationship, especially among spous-
es, can create a dynamic that other
workplaces don’t have. Certainly
many small manufacturing compa-
nies share roots with a family tree.
Columnist Lisa Wertzbaugher, who
has worked in both family-owned
and non-family companies, has some
insights based on her experiences.
BUSINESS BRIEF
36 Formulating a tax strategy
for 2021
The new year and the new White
House administration certainly will
bring changes in federal policy.
Working from the tax environment
of 2020 provides some insights as to
what we can expect in 2021.
TUBE & PIPE MARKET UPDATE
38 Recovery coasts, but two factors
likely to help it accelerate
Some sectors of the economy are hot
and some are not. Many industries are
doing well, the unemployment rate is
improving, and housing sales activity
from November 2020 to November
2021 increased 25%. However, several
other indicators are cause for concern
about the recovery. Improvements
are likely to follow two developments
in late December: vaccine approval
and the federal spending plan.
40 In the Know
42 Forming & Fabricating®
Band Saw Buyers’ Guide©
43 Forming & Fabricating®
Saw Blade Buyers’ Guide©
50 Advertisers Index
1/13/21 11:29 AM
 Don’t settle for less cuts
than what you should be getting.
Don’t be fooled by cheap imitation cut-off blades
from other suppliers that underperform and
can ruin your production runs. For 75 years,
Steelcraft Tool Company has revolutionized cut-off
blades for the tube and pipe industry.
Count on Steelcraft Tool Company for the best products,
with the best service, at the best value.

We’ve been making cut-off blades better and

longer than any one else in the industry.

Proudly Made in USA

call 734.522.7130 fax 734.522.1134

email sales@steelcrafttool.com
visit www.steelcrafttool.com

TOC Master.indd 5 1/12/21 9:51 PM

 Editor’s Angle
Read more from Eric Lundin at
www.thefabricator.com/
author/eric-lundin
W
e’re about 12 months into
the pandemic, and while
2020 was a disaster, various
events are likely to make 2021 a much
better year. It’s hard to say when we’ll
see an end to the big impacts caused by
COVID-19, but certainly some improve-
ment is on the way. The virus is still
spreading like wildfire, but the recent
approval of two vaccines will help soon,
as will warmer weather when spring
arrives. By summertime we might have
an entirely different environment, one
with fewer business restrictions, more
socializing, and so on. Many people
throw around the phrase “new normal,”
and that’s a good start, but in the grand
scheme of things, quite a few things in
2021 will be normal.
Sure, having a vaccine for sudden
acute respiratory syndrome-corona-
virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is new as of late
December, but inoculations have been
used to prevent the spread of disease
for nearly 1,000 years. The website of
the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention lists 26 illnesses that can be
prevented this way. Vaccines are noth-
ing new. They’re normal.
6 The Tube & Pipe Journal JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021
Editorial_JF21TPJ.indd 6
A new year and a new normal
(and some old normal)
Coronaviruses too are normal. They
are known to cause the common cold,
SARS-CoV (or simply SARS), and Mid-
dle East respiratory syndrome, formally
known as MERS-CoV and often short-
ened to MERS. The common cold prob-
ably has been around since the dawn of
time, spreads easily, but doesn’t wreak
too much havoc. SARS spread for just
two years and infected a small number
of people, around 8,000. It is considered
eradicated, but because it resides in
animal hosts, it can make a comeback
anytime. MERS never went far, infecting
fewer than 2,500 people, but the mode
of transmission remains a mystery and
it hasn’t been banished. SARS-CoV-2
spreads like few other diseases, having
infected 87 million in just 12 months or
so. It has taken 1.87 million lives, so the
fatality rate is right around 2%.
It’s hard to say how many
high-contact businesses
will survive and recover.
Prevention? Not new. Like the spread
of the common cold and SARS-CoV, the
spread of SARS-CoV-2 is best prevented
by keeping a distance from those
infected with it and avoiding high-
touch surfaces. Frequent hand washing
and the frequent use of hand sanitizer
are additional prevention steps.
Our activities? This is where we’re
likely to see trends that become a new
normal. We’ll probably have to wear
face coverings for some time, and
maintaining a distance from others is
likely to continue even after vaccinations
have become commonplace.
It’s hard to say how many high-
contact businesses will survive and
recover. It’s inconceivable that we’ll
have as many gyms, restaurants, airline
flights, and hotels to choose from in the
foreseeable future. It’s likely that such
businesses that do survive will have to
get by with fewer customers and lower
profit margins, and therefore will have
fewer offerings.
Meetings, conferences, conventions,
and expos? We’re all waiting for progress
in this area, aren’t we? The folks who run
the expo center in Düsseldorf, Germany,
ran a few expositions late in 2020
successfully, so we know it can be done.
FABTECH? It’s scheduled for Sept.
13-16 at McCormick Place in Chicago.
The governor of Illinois and the mayor
of Chicago aren’t especially verbose in
forecasting any activities regarding the
convention center, so it’s hard to say
what’s going to develop and when. My
guess is that they are keeping an eye
on the happenings at the Las Vegas
Convention Center. Employment in the
tourism sector in Las Vegas is 2.71 times
the national average, making it the most
tourism-dependent city in the nation. In
other words, Las Vegas has more to gain
or lose than any other city and has a big
stake in finding ways to carry out big
events successfully.
1/12/21 9:52 PM
 The New ByTube 130
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Editorial_JF21TPJ.indd 7 1/13/21 8:53 AM

BYSL-564 ByTube 130 Ad-TPJ.indd 1 12/29/20 2:15 PM
 Event Calendar FMA’s certified
FABTECH Mexico education centers
June 8-10—Monterrey, Mexico FMA Certified Education Centers
FABTECH Event Partners (CEC) are community and tech-
888-394-4362 nical colleges, trade schools,
mexico.fabtechexpo.com and universities that specialize
in training adults for careers in
the metal forming, fabricating,
Executive Networking Event
processing, and machining sectors.
June 10—Michigan City, Ind. They offer coursework for local
Association of Steel Distributors students year-round and serve as
888-394-4362 host locations for many types of
www.fmamfg.org FMA professional development
Please check with the event organizer programs as requested. A council
for cancellations or date changes. CWI Hands-on Training of members convene six times a
and Exam, Part B year to plan and execute special
programs on worker training for
Virtual FMA Annual Meeting Aug. 23-28—Baxter, Minn.
educators and human resource
March 3-4 American Institute of
managers from companies of all
Fabricators & Manufacturers Assn. Intl. Nondestructive Testing
sizes.
888-394-4362 855-313-0325
www.fmamfg.org www.trainingndt.com To learn more about FMA’s CEC
program and view a list of the
current member schools, visit www.
GOLF4MFG South FABTECH® fmamfg.org/membership/schools.
April 26—Charlotte, N.C. Sept. 13-16—Chicago
FABTECH Event Partners To discover how your local com-
Fabricators & Manufacturers Assn. Intl.
munity or technical college can
888-394-4362 888-394-4362
become a CEC member, call 888-
www.fmamfg.org mexico.fabtechexpo.com
394-4362.

Published by: Publication Staff Graphic Designers Mike Lacny

FMA Communications Inc.
2135 Point Blvd.,
Elgin, IL 60123
815-399-8700
www.tubepipejournal.net
tube & pipe association
intl. advisory board
Chairman
Ron Bochat, Innovo Corp.
First Vice Chairman
John Anton,
Independence Tube Corp.
Second Vice Chairman
Mary Mincemoyer, Margaret Clark, mikel@thefabricator.com
President & CEO, Jennifer Paulson 815-227-8264
FMA Communications Inc.
Media Coordinator Amy Hudson
Edward Youdell
Rose Merlino amyh@thefabricator.com
Vice President Director of Circulation 815-227-8237
of Publishing and Events Kim Bottomley Michael Scott
Andy Flando
Circulation Manager michaels@thefabricator.com
Editor-in-Chief Brenda Wilson 815-227-8271
Dan Davis, dand@thefabricator.com Data Processing Specialist Classified Advertising
Senior Editor Kelly Palmer Jerry Gunderson
Tim Heston, timh@thefabricator.com Data Verification Specialist jerryg@fmanet.org
Rhonda Fletcher 815-227-8257
The Tube & Pipe Journal Editor
Eric Lundin, ericl@thefabricator.com Senior Fulfillment Specialist Statement of Policy
Anna Peacock
STAMPING Journal Editor The Tube & Pipe Journal’s objective is to disseminate new and
complete information relating to the producing and fabricating
Kate Bachman, Web Designer of metal tube and pipe. The main editorial text consists of articles

kateb@thefabricator.com Sherry Young and news releases designed to assist owners, managers, manu-
Frank Joy, GE Global Nuclear Fuel facturing engineers, supervisors, and foremen in the evaluation
Senior Web Developer of new methods and techniques. The policy of the publisher is

Director The WELDER Editor to be nonpartisan, favoring no one product or company. The
Mike Kunzelman representations of facts and opinions expressed in the articles
Amanda Carlson, are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the
Rick Olson, Roll Machining
amandac@thefabricator.com advertising sales
publisher and this journal. By including information on new
Technologies & Solutions products, new literature, and industry news, etc., this impartiality
is strived for and extends to the mention of trade names. Unless
Contributing Editor Associate Publisher product identification makes reference unavoidable, the generic
Director Amy Nickel, amyn@thefabricator.com Jim Gorzek name is used when feasible. We acknowledge that on occasion
there may be oversights or errors. The editors regret such
Lisa Wertzbaugher, jimg@thefabricator.com oversights and re-emphasize their policy to be impartial at all

Superior Tube Products Digital Editor times. The publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising it
815-227-8269 deems inappropriate for publication in The Tube & Pipe Journal’s,
Gareth Sleger, including ads for classes of products and services not considered
gsleger@thefabricator.com Senior Account Representatives of significant interest to the readership.
President & CEO, Sean Smith The Tube & Pipe Journal’s is a trademark of FMA Communications
FMA Communications Inc. Senior Copy Editor seans@thefabricator.com Inc. All rights reserved. Standard Rate & Data Service lists our
advertising rates in Section 88. Consult SRDS or our current
Edward Youdell Teresa Chartos 815-227-8265 ratecard for full rates and data.

8 The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021

Calendar_JF21TPJ.indd 8 1/12/21 9:54 PM

 UNIQUE DESIGN.
PRODUCTION DELIVERED.
U-AXIS
PROPRIETARY U-AXIS
Stellar cutting speeds and superior
part accuracy are achieved in a
range of applications with the
FT-150 FIBER’s unique, proprietary
design and U-Axis.
EXTRUSION-TAPPING
This value-added process utilizes
a rotary spindle and eight tool
positions. Any tool position can
be deployed for direct tapping or
combined with extrusion, providing
proper thread depth.
mazakoptonics.com | 847.252.4500
Calendar_JF21TPJ.indd 9
FT-150 FIBER 3kW
SMALL TO MEDIUM DIAMETER TUBES
2.5D CUTTING HEAD
Programmable angle of the
B-AXIS
B-Axis enables bevel cutting of
the material thickness providing
improved welding, multi-tube
assembly, fit and finish.
PROCESS ENHANCEMENT
Spatter guard protects the inner
tube from cutting debris. The part
sorting system offers optimal part
processing. Weld seam detection
for proper geometry orientation.
1/12/21 9:54 PM
 product highlights
Horizontal band saws feature EVS
control, oversized chip catch basin
The new JET 9- by 16-in. and 10- by 18-in. horizontal band saws
are designed to make consistent straight cuts and occasional
angled cuts in ferrous and nonferrous solid and tube stock.
They are suitable for use in welding and fabrication shops, job
shops, plant maintenance, and agricultural facilities.
The saws feature electronic variable speed (EVS) control, an
extra-large chip catch basin, quick-positioning vise, carbide
blade guides, large hand wheel, and built-in gauge. The two
models weigh 726 lbs. and 805 lbs., respectively, and are
constructed of cast iron and heavy-gauge steel throughout to
dampen vibration and prevent deflection.
The saws are driven by 1½- and 2-HP, TEFC, three-phase
motors, which input power of 115 V. A frequency inverter
enables the band saws to operate on 115-V, single-phase
input and provides blade speeds from 82 to 330 SFPM. EVS
control boosts production speed and efficiency by enabling
Laser system measures tube ODs
Marposs has introduced the Aeroel Barline.X system for
measuring the OD of products manufactured in cut lengths,
such as steel drawn tubes and copper tubing. With online
gauging and continuous through-feed measurement, the
10 The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021
Product Highlights_JFTPJ21.indd 10
operators to change blade speed quickly at the turn of a dial,
the manufacturer reports. No downtime is needed to change
speeds for cutting workpieces of different materials and
shapes.
JET Tools
www.jettools.com
system provides real-time grinder regulation, automatically
preventing the production of out-of-tolerance products.
The system can measure diameter and ovality of stock from
0.00394 to 5.86 in. using either a single- or dual-axis (XY)
laser gauge, depending on the diameter range and the type
of product. The noncontact system is impervious to product
vibration and movement, enabling continuous inspection.
In most cases, the sensor can be installed just after the
grinding wheel and before the oiling device so that the use
of oil doesn’t interfere with gauging accuracy. In this position,
the tube can be cleaned easily by blowing away the emulsion.
The system features a patented self-calibration device that
helps ensure permanent gauge accuracy with no remastering
required. Software offers guided menus to simplify use, even
for untrained staff. Factory preprogramming makes the system
immediately operative in its basic functions.
Marposs
www.marposs.com
1/12/21 9:58 PM
 Tube and Bar Mill Technology
+ Drawing Machines
+ Continuous Drawing Machines
+ Straightening Machines
+ Saws and Cutters
+ Stacking and Bundling Lines
+ Continuous Extrusion Lines
+ Finishing Lines
YOUR PARTNER
FOR MACHINERY AND
COMPLETE LINES
Product Highlights_JFTPJ21.indd 11
Tube and Roll Forming Mill Technology Material Handling
+ Tube Welding Lines + Galvanizing Plants
+ Flexible Cold Forming Lines + Pickling and Pre-Treatment Lines
+ Roll Forming Lines + Automated Cranes and Hoists
+ Flying Saws and Cutters + Material Handling Systems
+ Tube Handling Equipment
1
Visit us at: Hall 6 / A0
Düsseldorf, Ge rm an y
7.–11.DEC.2020
ASMAG USA, Inc.
10 N Martingale Road,
Suite 400, PMB 4202,
Schaumburg IL 60173
Tel 847 558 4423
info@asmagusa.com
www.asmagusa.com
1/12/21 9:59 PM
 INDUSTRY NEWS
Master Fluid Solutions launches
WEDOLiT brand in North America
Master Fluid Solutions, Perrysburg, Ohio,
a provider of fluids for cutting, grinding,
forming, cleaning, and corrosion con-
trol, has launched the WEDOLiT brand in
North America for corrosion control, cold
forming, and tube and pipe manufactur-
ing markets.
The company acquired the Düsseldorf, Germany-based brand in October 2019. It
includes short- and long-term corrosion inhibitors, dewatering products, and VOC-
free products.
S.A.F.E. to provide maintenance Fives installs tube mill at PEASA
stands to Airbus Helicopters Fives has installed an OTO 606HQ tube
Las Vegas-based S.A.F.E. Structure De- mill at Productos Especializados de
signs has received an order to supply Acero (PEASA) in San Luis Potosi, Mexi-
custom maintenance stands to the Air- co. The mill produces cold-drawn tubes
bus Helicopters North America Training from high-yield material for applica-
Center in Grand Prairie, Texas. tions in the automotive industry.
The lightweight, portable stands The machine can process round
give technicians a large work platform tubes with high yield strength (up to
for safe access to all areas of the aircraft. 900 MPa) and with a diameter-to-thick-
They are equipped with antifatigue ness ratio of 6. The heavy-duty cutoff
mats and tool trays to help increase uses either a cold saw or friction saw
worker comfort and efficiency. and features simple blade change.
ESAB, Yaskawa sign
collaborative agreement
for pre-engineered robotic
welding cells
The ESAB Group Inc., a manufacturer
of welding and cutting equipment and
products, and robotics system provider
Yaskawa have signed a global coopera-
tion agreement to jointly develop and
market a line of pre-engineered robotic
welding systems called XCellerator. The
systems will be engineered and built
by Yaskawa and marketed by ESAB
through its global sales channels.
According to the manufacturers,
pre-engineered cells are a simple path
toward automation, improving produc-
tivity per worker by three to five times.
They are especially suitable for small to
medium-sized manufacturers and fab-
ricators that desire simple installation,
setup, and operation.

Huntington Ingalls Industries to open unmanned BTD Mfg. adds tube laser to
systems facility in Virginia Minnesota facility
Military shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries has begun construction of its Metal fabricator BTD Mfg. has added a
Unmanned Systems Center of Excellence in Hampton, Va. Comprising two buildings BLM 4K Fiber LT7 tube laser to its pro-
to be completed by the end of 2020 and late 2021, respectively, the facility will duction facility in Lakeville, Minn. With
provide prototyping, production, and testing of unmanned systems. the machine, the company can process
Expected to create more than 250 jobs, the plant’s capabilities will include a variety of materials, including alumi-
precision machining, surface finishing, and welding. num, stainless steel, and steel.
The laser processes round, square,
and rectangular profiles, as well as spe-
LaserWeld to open second location in Texas cial-shaped tubes, angle iron, channel,
LaserWeld Inc., a metal fabricator based in Katy, Texas, has purchased a 71,750-sq.- and flat bar. According to the company,
ft. manufacturing facility in Conroe, Texas, for its second location, according to the machine offers optimal cutting per-
REjournals.com. formance even on thick-walled steel for
The company’s services include laser welding, tube and plate bending, 3D tube weld preparations and interlocking
profiling, finishing, plate cutting, sawing, welding, and design and engineering. joints with a ±45-degree tilt.

12 The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021

Industry_JF21TPJ.indd 12 1/12/21 10:00 PM

Industry_JF21TPJ.indd 13 1/12/21 10:07 PM
 PRODUCT NEWS
Split-frame machine features The machines chamfer carbon steels, opment, such as an adjustment to pre-
indexable beveling tool alloy steels, stainless steels, and alumi- vent a collision.
modules num. The mechanical chamfering does For testing large quantities of bend-
not create a HAZ and causes no thermal ing geometries, the user can make a list
Esco Tool has
distortions. to test their feasibility sequentially. In a
introduced the
The beveler can be carried to work fully automatic process, the tube data
COHOG clam-
and is self-propelled to follow the edge is imported from the CAD systems, nec-
shell split-frame
of the panel while chamfering without essary adjustments are calculated, and
machine for bev-
operator assistance. The suspension a collision test is performed.
eling and end
trolley enables the machine to be op- transfluid
prepping tube
erated on uneven ground. The top and www.transfluid.net/en
and pipe. It fea-
bottom of the panels can be chamfered
tures an indexable module that mounts End forming machines
with two machines at the same time.
to the tool slide and holds a pre-angled create beads on materials
CEVISA
bit of 30 degrees or 371⁄2 degrees. Cus- to 0.15 in. thick
www.cevisa.net
tom angles also are available that use
double-edge insert bits. Software helps increase
The stationary ring is machined from production safety in
7075 aluminum alloy that is hard-coat- tube processing
ed and supports a custom steel-forged,
heat-treated, and nickel-plated rotat-
ing ring.
Available with pneumatic, electric, or
hydraulic power, the machine has index-
Kaast offers beading machines for end
able tooling with slides and trip mecha-
forming applications in the aerospace,
nisms and a marked locating system.
tank, and HVAC industries. These ma-
Esco Tool chines create consistent, accurate
www.escotool.com
Transfluid has further developed its t beads that supply strength and connec-
project software with two versions, ba- tivity to materials up to 0.15 in. thick.
Portable bevelers handle
sic and professional, for different areas The machines, with mechanically
plates up to 50 mm thick
of tube processing. (ZSM) or hydraulically (ZSH) driven up-
It connects CAD, MES, and ERP sys- per rolls, are available in 2.5 or 4.0 mod-
tems to bending machines and bend- els. The 2.5 model can handle up to 13-
ing robots so that bending techniques ga. material at up to 16 RPM. It features
can be tested in advance to help elimi- a 3.75-in. roll opening and 6.3-in. throat.
nate collisions. Various add-on modules The 4.0 model beads up to 9-ga. materi-
contain the data for complete processes al at 12 RPM and offers a 5-in. roll open-
to add control over the process and to ing and 7.8-in. throat.
help manage the forming techniques. The beading machines come standard
CEVISA offers portable beveling ma- Tube geometries that are produced with four sets of dies for rolling the
chines that work on the rotary shear or changed with the software now can most common beads in the fabrication
principle, offering bevel speeds of 1.7 to be saved in an IGES format. This makes industry. Eight other standard die sets
2.6 MPM. The machines can bevel plates it possible to transfer these tube geom- are available, as well as custom dies.
6 to 50 mm thick for uniform V, K, and X etries back into a CAD system after a Kaast Machine Tools Inc.
weld seam preparation. necessary change or prototype devel- kaast-usa.com

14 The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021

Product_JF21TPJ.indd 14 1/12/21 11:03 PM

Product_JF21TPJ.indd 15 1/12/21 11:01 PM
 WELD PREP

Building a column still relies on a lot of gas

tungsten arc welding. The two main processes
are making ports for sight glasses and tube-to-
tubesheet welding.

16 The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021

Cover Story_JF21TPJ.indd 16 1/12/21 11:04 PM

 Perfecting the distillation process,
perfecting the distillery
Fabricator pulls Ts to make column stills
By Eric Lundin
S
ince the process of distillation was
first developed, mankind has had
more than 3,000 years to update
and refine it. At its simplest, it uses a
vessel such as a copper pot, a heat
source, and a condenser that captures
and cools the vapor that escapes from
the pot. Called batch distillation, this
process separates the contents of the
pot based on their specific boiling
points. When the process is finished,
the distiller empties and cleans the pot,
rinses the condenser, and starts over.
Initially used for making perfume,
the process has been used for distill-
ing water for at least 2,000 years and
was critical in the practice of alchemy,
the foundation of modern chemistry.
Of course it’s also used for distilling
alcohol (specifically, ethanol) from fer-
mented sugars to increase its purity.
Closely related is continuous distil-
lation, which is carried out in column
stills rather than pot stills. Entrepreneur
Steve Marasco used the continuous dis-
tillation concept to develop a column
still design he markets under the brand
name “Hillbilly Stills.” The staff in his shop
recently came across a way to cut down
the time needed to fabricate them.
Traditional Distilling
For traditional batch distilling, the
distillery comprises a pot or a kettle,
usually custom-made for this purpose,
outfitted with a top. Protruding from
Cover Story_JF21TPJ.indd 17
the top is a pipe that runs straight up,
then pitches slightly downward to
a second vessel used for collection.
As the evaporate cools in the pipe,
it condenses and turns into a liquid.
Gravity causes it to flow out of the
condenser into a collection vessel.
Creating alcohol revolves around
yeasts, approximately 1,500 species
that belong to the fungus family. The
yeast devours sugar and secretes two
waste products: carbon dioxide and
alcohol. The fermenting process starts
when the distiller fills a container with
a food that has quite a bit of sugar or
starch content (fruit, potatoes, rye,
and so on) and adds yeast. The yeast
begins to feast on the sugar content;
as time goes on, alcohol builds up,
thereby making the environment in
the container progressively more toxic.
When the yeast is overcome, it dies,
and the process comes to a halt.
“Bread yeast can tolerate alcohol un-
til the concentration gets up to about
8%,” Marasco said. Other species can
tolerate much higher concentrations.
“Some yeasts can live in an environ-
ment of about 20% alcohol.”
The distiller puts the mash into the
pot and fires up the burner. When the
temperature gets to 173.1 degrees F,
the alcohol begins to boil, condense,
and drain into the collection vessel.
As the name implies, a column still is
a vertical pipe. The setup is quite a bit
The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021
different from that of a pot still in that
heating, evaporation, and condensing
take place in a single vessel—it doesn’t
have a separate condenser. It contains
a series of plates arranged vertically
and is laid out for a continuous input
of the feedstock. This input takes
place through a port about halfway
up the column, and as the mash flows
downward from plate to plate, it cools
as it goes. The mash encounters steam
traveling upward, which causes the
alcohol to evaporate.
Marasco’s design is a water-cooled
setup that uses two tubes, one inside
the other, with a jacket between the
two.
Traditional Manifold
Construction
Anyone who has ever built more
than a couple of manifolds using
common shop tools can tell you
that it’s absolutely the most time-
consuming and frustrating task in all
of metal fabrication. No good way
exists for making a series of 90-degree
intersections to join a main pipe to a
succession of laterals. A well-executed
joint is actually 90 degrees on two
axes, both vertical and horizontal, and
just a bit of an offset is easy to spot.
Even when the fitter gets the pipes
aligned properly, the joint rarely has
a constant gap, so the welder has to
compensate for a varying gap width.
17
1/12/21 11:05 PM

A perfectly aligned row
of sight glass tubes, as
seen through a sight glass,
highlights the accuracy of
using a collar-pulling unit
to make a manifold from
copper tube.
Many concepts have been tried, and
many are reasonably helpful. Browsing
a website or two (especially YouTube)
for just a few minutes yields a few
strategies involving templates and
homemade jigs, demonstrating how
to mark and cope the pipe and how to
fixture the main to the lateral. Browsing
through the booths at an industrial
tradeshow such as FABTECH can be
a better option for finding purpose-
built jigs, considering that it’s rich in
welding technology. However, many
fitters don’t have a purpose-built jig, so
they’re left with intuition, shop tools,
18 The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021
Cover Story_JF21TPJ.indd 18
and a bit of trial and error on each joint
they make.
Like other fabricators, pipefitters,
and welders, Marasco’s team struggled
with this. On a column still, a conven-
tional design feature is a series of pilot
glasses or sight glasses, windows that
run along the length of the column.
Drilling, cutting, coping, grinding, and
fitting the tubes for the sight glasses
was a vexing problem.
“It was difficult to be precise,” Maras-
co said.
One of T-Drill’s applications engi-
neers, Dylan Howell, learned about
Marasco’s application and suggested
creating a series of outlets along the
column for affixing the tubes for the
pilot glasses. T-Drill’s forte is a process
by which a rotating tool drills through
the wall of a copper pipe and creates a
collar. After drilling the pilot hole and
allowing the tool to stop, the operator
rotates the tool’s chuck counterclock-
wise to deploy two pins that extend
from the bit; the operator starts the
tool again and slowly retracts it; as the
tool retracts, it performs a spinning
and pulling process, forcing some of
the copper to flow from the pipe’s wall
to form a T joint. Marasco thought it
would work.
“Not only did Dylan know his busi-
ness, but he knew mine,” Marasco said.
Marasco took delivery of a T-drill
model T-65b, a battery-powered hand-
held tool, showed it to his employees,
and went about running his several
other businesses. Only some time lat-
er, when Howell called to check in,
did Marasco learn that his employees
hadn’t yet started to use it. They had
thought that the unit had come with
the wrong tooling sizes.
“It took Dylan about a minute to ex-
plain how to use it,” Marasco said.
The explanation was a revelation,
as the new process has almost noth-
ing in common with the old process.
Planning and marking the locations of
the holes for the sight glass tubes was
painstaking at best; it could take an
entire day to get everything planned,
marked, cut, coped, located, and fix-
tured so that the sight glass tubes were
evenly spaced and properly aligned to
prevent interference with the plates in-
side the main tube.
Using the new process, marking all
of the collar locations takes just a few
seconds; making each collar takes just
a minute or two; and rework is nonex-
istent because every collar protrudes
from the main tube as it should, at a
1/12/21 11:05 PM

Any dedicated distiller can clean a
unit, but with fewer hiding places
for debris, the new units can be
cleaned much faster.
90-degree angle whether viewed from the top or the side.
Using the old method, the stills looked good, but now they
look better. Assembly is not only faster, but easier.
“The components go together like snapping LEGOs to-
gether,” Marasco said.
Furthermore, using the collaring method to build the still
provides a cleaner environment for distilling.
“The stills have fewer nooks and crannies where material
can accumulate and bacteria can grow,” Marasco said. This
wasn’t necessarily a problem with the old stills—any dedicat-
ed distiller can clean a unit—but with fewer hiding places for
debris, the new units can be cleaned much faster.
barreling everything they have,” he said. “In two years, we’ll
probably see thousands of new ones on the market.” Some
will be bona fide products made by distillers that respect the
heritage, and some will be so-so products marketed by com-
panies interested in little more than profit, leaning hard on
fancy labels, pretty pictures, and unjustifiable prices.
Does this mean you should buy a still and make your
own moonshine? Marasco can’t recommend that because,
when operated legally, an alcohol distilling operation is not
economically viable.
“Beer is taxed at $18 a barrel,” he said. Traded in 31-gallon
barrels, that works out to 58 cents per gallon. Not too bad.
“Wine is taxed at $3.40 per gallon,” he continued. That’s bad,
and it gets a lot worse. “Liquor is taxed at $13.50 a gallon.”
Hence the only charge that stuck to one of the most famous
black-market liquor distributors of all time, Al Capone: tax
evasion.
Liquor aside, if you want to make your own perfumes or dis-
till your own water, Marasco’s company can set you up with a
beautiful vertical copper still.
Hillbilly Stills, www.hillbillystills.com
T-DRILL Industries Inc., t-drill.com

Ready to Join the Separating Community?

Brewing at home can be a good way to make an authentic, The Best Benders
quality beverage. To hear Marasco tell it, some “authentic’ and for Tube Frame
“quality” beverages are available at every price point, but so Fabrication
are many less-than-authentic, average-quality beverages. In Fabrication Benders, Models 2650,2660

his opinion, the market is saturated with overpriced beverag-

NEW. Simple.
es hawked with marketing tactics that are slightly ridiculous
Tough. Powerful.
at best and downright underhanded at worst.
Fast-working.
“Look at the shapes of the bottles and the price tags,” he
• Steel I-beam construction rein-
said. “Fancier bottles and higher price tags go hand in hand.” forced with heavy steel framing
In his opinion, sky-high prices have little, if anything, to do
• Bends round, square,
with the contents. “Some expensive bourbons are very good, rectangular tubing
but it’s hard to justify paying $500 for one bottle,” he said.
• Handles schedule/thick wall
A popular trend in beer fares no better in his view. “If you’re s wit
h
pipe with ease
ilitie
c apab KS!
going to be a success in selling India pale ale, you need a silly Build
your PAC es
FABs, back shoe OD)
E W
N ding d e or pip
ie • Extra-large oil tank makes contin-
name,” he said. (Ben ecific tub $ uous multi–shift usage easy
for a
sp
E $$
One particularly unscrupulous spirits vendor, which Mar- SAV

asco doesn’t name, purchases wholesale quantities of grain

alcohol, trucks it to a location deep in the heart of the Appa-
lachian region—a traditional center of moonshining exper-
tise—and pumps it through a still so it can label the product
“Distilled in Appalachia.” Great for manufacturing … Trailers, Fencing/gates, Pole barns, Car ports,
Sporting equipment, Farm structures (feed rings, panels, saddle racks),
Marasco thinks that the industry will experience a big influx
Boat frames-lifts, Industrial racking … to name just a few!
of new brand names in the next couple of years.
800-558-7808 • Follow us on • Made in the USA
“Nearly everyone in the moonshine business has started

The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 19

Cover Story_JF21TPJ.indd 19 1/12/21 11:07 PM

 SAWING
Envisioning a new sawing process
for a new alloy family
How blades and saws work together to cut low-lead
and lead-free brasses efficiently

By Tim Robbins

O
ne of the earliest minerals
exploited by mankind, lead
has properties that make it a
material of choice for a large number
of applications. Abundant, inexpensive,
and easily worked, it has been used
for decorative and aesthetic purposes
(glazing for pottery and leaded glass),
utilitarian applications (letters for
printing presses, batteries, and radiation
shields), and weaponry (small missiles
hurled from slings and bullets shot
from firearms). Its ability to smooth the
combustion process made it a helpful
additive for gasoline.
In ancient Rome, lead’s use for wa-
ter pipe was so pervasive that its Latin
name, plumbum, is directly related to
the modern English word plumbing.
This is more than a historical tidbit; un-
til recently lead was still used widely in
making brass fittings for plumbing ap-
plications. Adding lead to brass alloys
improved their machinability by pro-
viding lubrication for the machining
process.
Although lead’s toxicity has been un-
derstood for hundreds of years, some of
the more pernicious applications were
barred only recently. Lead’s use in gas-
oline was phased out in the U.S. starting

A relatively new development in the plumbing

industry, a family of low-lead brass alloys,
spurred a new saw design, including feeding two
workpieces at a time to double productivity.

20 The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021

Sawing BLM_JF21TPJ.indd 20 1/12/21 11:08 PM


As alloys become more advanced, metalworking
applications become more specialized, control
technologies become more sophisticated, and
machines become more niche. Fabricators should
be aware that a saw designed and built for
cutting steel products isn’t always a good choice
for cutting low-lead and lead-free brass alloys.
in 1976, and it was prohibited in house-
hold paint in 1978.
The state of California, often a lead-
er in environmental, health, and safety
issues, shook up the plumbing compo-
nents manufacturing industry in 2006
when Assembly Bill 1953 became law.
The bill would reduce the lead content
of plumbing faucets and fittings sold in
the state beginning in 2010; it stipulated
that the maximum lead content would
be 0.25%, a drastic drop from the 8%
that had been allowed until that time.
In 2011 Congress passed the Reduc-
tion of Lead in Drinking Water Act, mak-
ing the standard a national mandate
effective in 2014.
Low-lead and Lead-free
Brass Alloys
Around the time that Congress passed
the bill, low-lead and lead-free brass
alloys were gaining ground in Europe.
These alloys go by two commonly used
names: ECO BRASS (also spelled as
one word, ECOBRASS) and dezincifica-
tion-resistant brass, abbreviated DR or
DZR. The former two are trademarked
terms for specific alloys owned by Mit-
subishi Shendoh. The latter two refer to
copper-zinc alloys with a small amount
of arsenic, up to 0.25%, which keeps the
zinc component intact.
Regardless of what they are called, the
reduced amount of lead, or absence of
lead, makes these materials much more
difficult to cut than their lead-contain-
ing counterparts. Lead provides a mea-
sure of lubricity, which assists chip-mak-
ing processes, machining, and cutting.
Sawing BLM_JF21TPJ.indd 21
The touchscreen controller includes
a cutting parameter database for
standard brass, low-lead and lead-free
brass, and copper alloys. A complete
database includes a variety of blade
styles for optimized cutting.
Cutting low-lead and lead-free alloys in
the same manner as conventional brass
alloys is inefficient at best and can lead
to downstream problems at worst.
Developing an efficient cutting pro-
cess was the outcome of rethinking the
entire cutting process—getting the ma-
terial into and out of the saw, cutting,
and dealing with the chips.
Updating the Blade
Brass fittings are forgings made from
brass billets, typically cut to length us-
ing a cold saw with a blade made from
high-speed steel (HSS). Depending on
the blade’s diameter, the cutting speed
varies from around 600 revolutions per
minute (RPM) to 800 RPM.
Such blades don’t last long when cut-
ting the newer brasses. Where a typi-
cal blade would last typically one shift
when cutting leaded brass alloys, a fab-
ricator could expect a severe reduction
in blade life when cutting low-lead and
lead-free brass. Moreover, the down-
time needed to swap out the blade and
The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021
Bundle loaders, inclined loaders, and
step-by-step loaders are options for
loading single tubes or bars. Some
manufacturers offer double loaders
for twice the productivity.
For niche cutting applications such
as low-lead and lead-free brass, the
saw needs an appropriate amount
of power and precision. BLM’s
model CM602 has a 9.2-kW motor
and a cutting head that moves
on linear guides and is driven by
a servo-controlled ballscrew for
precise control.
the cost of frequent sharpening make
this process cost-prohibitive.
The upshot is that the first upgrade
in converting a fittings operation con-
cerns the blade. The substitute is a
tungsten carbide-tipped (TCT) blade,
which is much more durable than an
HSS blade. While an HSS blade is made
from a single piece of a steel alloy that
resists wear at elevated temperatures,
a TCT blade—sometimes known as a
hard metal blade—has teeth that are
welded in place. Making such a blade
is much more involved than making an
HSS blade, and this is reflected in the
cost—a TCT blade is more expensive
than an HSS blade. Another factor is re-
using the blade. A TCT blade typically is
disposable, so many fabricators are re-
luctant to adopt this technology.
The upside is that TCT blades are so
much more wear-resistant than HSS
that TCT usually is a much better value.
The increased service life of a TCT blade
often is proportionally greater than the
increased cost. In other words, in terms
21
1/12/21 11:08 PM
 of purchasing cuts, TCT is a better value was around 2.5 mm thick, whereas HSS
than HSS. blades averaged 1.8 mm thick. Some
A second factor is cutting speed. A blade manufacturers have worked dili-
TCT blade runs quite a bit faster than a gently to bring down the thickness, and
comparably sized HSS blade, so it cuts TCT blades now are much thinner than
faster. before, often 1.5 mm thick.
A third concern is the blade’s thick- Finally, a TCT blade is versatile.
ness. Brass is pricey, and every cut Among many companies that make
wastes one blade thickness of raw ma- brass forgings, low-lead and lead-free
terial. Around the time the new brass al- brass alloys comprise just part of their
loys were introduced, a typical TCT blade production, perhaps 20% to 30%; con-
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22 The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021
Sawing BLM_JF21TPJ.indd 22
ventional brasses make up the balance.
A TCT blade is a good candidate for cut-
ting both families of brass.
Updating the Saw
While the blade handles the cutting pro-
cess, the saw’s construction and features
affect the other aspects of processing
lead-free and low-lead brass efficiently.
Cutting with Precision. Every ap-
plication in every industry has its own
standards for precision. For example, a
length tolerance for an aircraft compo-
nent typically is far more exacting than
that needed for a table leg. It depends
on the demands of the industry, the spe-
cifics of the application, and of course
subsequent manufacturing processes.
For making plumbing fittings, the
governing subsequent process is forg-
ing. The forging process needs constant
inputs—that is to say, workpiece lengths
that don’t vary—for constant outputs.
If a length of raw material is too short,
the piece doesn’t have enough volume
to fill the mold, resulting in scrap. If the
incoming piece is too long, it overfills
the mold. If the excess is minor, some
amount of brass seeps out of the mold
and creates a burr; if the excess is major,
the stroke of the forging press can break
the mold.
For making the most precise cuts
possible, the saw frame must be more
rigid than the frame of a saw for cutting
softer metals. Rigidity also protects the
blade from shocks and vibrations, which
can knock the teeth off.
Furthermore, the blade must be con-
tained with a guidance system. A saw
created for making brass fittings has a
cutting head with guides to keep the
blade from wandering more than 0.1
mm (0.004 in.) during the cut to ensure
every length meets the dimensional re-
quirements of the forging industry.
Infeeding and Outfeeding. A saw
does more than cut parts; it has an in-
feed system for raw material and an
1/12/21 11:09 PM
 outfeeding system for handling cut-to-
length parts. In these two areas, good
design concepts contribute to process
efficiency. A basic saw that cuts just one
length repeatedly doesn’t maximize
yield. A saw designed and programmed
to cut a variety of part lengths and di-
vert them into separate bins optimizes
nesting and maximizes the yield.
In some cases, a fabricator can near-
ly eliminate scrap. Depending on the
length of the raw material, the condition
of the leading end, the lengths to be
cut, and the kerf, a saw that is extremely
precise in feeding and cutting doesn’t
need to make an initial (trim) cut, and
was $1.120 trillion, which fell to $814
billion in 2010. It climbed to $1.1 trillion
in 2015 and hit $1.3 trillion in 2019, for
an average growth rate of 4.5%.
Certainly these growth trends were
interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic
during 2020, but the long-term pros-
pects are good. The residential con-
struction market has plenty of room to
grow before it gets anywhere near its
previous peak, and the entire construc-
tion market has been growing nicely
over the last few years. For fabricators
considering entering the plumbing fit-
tings market, now might be as good a
time as any.
Tim Robbins is business development
manager of the sawing and production
turning division of BLM GROUP USA,
46850 Cartier Drive, Novi, MI 48377, 248-
560-0080, t.robbins@blmgroupusa.com,
www.blmgroup.com.
Up to 6-inch O.D. | Short Lead Times

Pipe and
the scrap at the end can be as little as
5 mm. This means that the yield is close
to 100%. For fabricators accustomed to

Tube.
dealing in steel, this doesn’t sound like
a big deal, but brass isn’t steel. Steel is
priced in dollars per ton; brass alloys are
bought and sold in dollars per pound.
On the output side, a saw built to Bending.
handle large volumes of parts typically
deposits them into a collection bin that
Laser Cutting.
is changed out automatically after it End Forming.
reaches a preset level. The saw doesn’t
come to a stop to wait for an operator
to empty the bin, maximizing machine
uptime.

QUANTITIES FROM PROTOTYPE TO PRODUCTION.

Market Size We specialize in custom tube and pipe bending, laser cutting and fabrication up to 6-inch
It’s difficult to estimate the size of the O.D. for prototypes up to full production. Because we have the latest machine technology and
market for brass fittings, but some proxy a large selection of tooling, we are known for short lead times and quality results. Whatever
metrics illustrate market trends. For ex- your bending or laser cutting needs, we’d value the opportunity to work with you.

ample, using the number of residential

Learn more at sharpeproducts.com.
construction permits as a benchmark
illustrates the current status of this
portion of the plumbing market. The
number of such permits peaked in 2005
when 2.2 million were issued. It fell to
about 583,000 in 2009, and by 2019 was
closing in on 1.4 million. In other words,
it’s growing, but it has a long way to go.
A look at the entire construction mar-
ket provides a different picture, but one
that also illustrates growth. In 2005 the
sharpeproducts.com ISO 9001:2015 | Celebrating 30 Years
total spent in the U.S. on construction

The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 23

Sawing BLM_JF21TPJ.indd 23 1/13/21 8:54 AM

 CUTTING & SAWING

Matching the blade to the job

when cutting tube, pipe
Understanding material variables can help
to improve productivity

24 The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021

Sawing Starrett_JF21TPJ.indd 24 1/12/21 11:10 PM

 By Jay Gordon
F
or band sawing tube or pipe
products, some fabricators rely
on just a few blades—a general-
purpose blade and one or two for
specialty jobs. This keeps things simple,
but from an efficiency standpoint, it
falls short. Understanding the typical
challenges of sawing tube and pipe,
and making more thoroughly informed
blade selections, can result in more
efficient cutting processes. Critical
variables to consider include cutting
singles versus bundles; bundles of
rounds versus bundles of shapes;
light-, medium, and heavy-duty wall
thicknesses; straight versus cambered
tube; and the many alloys used in the
tube and pipe industry.
Materials
As with all sawing applications, know-
ing the material is paramount to choos-
ing the best saw blade and achieving
optimal cutting performance. In some
cases, it is easy to identify the material.
For example, ASTM-A500 tube and SAE
4130 pipe are easy to distinguish with
a visual check. However, in other in-
stances, knowing the difference is more
challenging, such as ASTM-A500 and
ASTM-A53. And while they have similar
properties, the differences are substan-
tial enough that they don’t cut in the
same way.
Carbon steel grades can vary in hard-
ness from 150 to 200 Brinell, the corre-
sponding blade speeds can vary from
160 to 298 ft./min, and the material re-
moval rate can be as little as 6 sq. in./
min. and as high as 16 sq. in./min. A rule
of thumb holds that harder materials
need slower blade speeds. This is also
true of the feed rate. Harder material
Sawing Starrett_JF21TPJ.indd 25
simply does not cut as fast as softer ma-
terial, no matter its shape or size. Most
blade manufacturers provide a guide
that indicates the proper blade speeds
and feed rates for many materials, both
common and uncommon, to minimize
the amount of research or trial and error
fabricators have to do to find the best
cutting parameters.
Bundles
Bundles present unique challenges,
whether cutting tubes or structural
shapes. Because the speed of cutting
bundles is based on the type of material
and not the shape, it is necessary to con-
sider the most appropriate tooth.
For example, for cutting a single 4-in.
square tube with a ¼-in. wall thickness,
depending on desired results, variable
tooth pitches of 4⁄6, 5⁄8, and 6⁄10 (in-
dicating the range of number of teeth
per inch) are appropriate. Bundling
tubes changes the cross section, which
changes the blade selection. The same
4-in. square tube in a 4 by 4 bundle is
the equivalent of a 16-in. solid, depend-
ing on the angle of the band saw’s head.
Furthermore, each ¼-in. wall becomes
a ½-in. wall in a bundle. Both 6⁄10 and
5⁄8 tooth blades are much too fine to
cut this material efficiently. A blade with
a 4⁄6 pitch is still a good choice, as is a
blade with a 3⁄4 tooth set.
Round tubing tends to spin during
the cutting process, so clamping the
bundle tightly is a concern in this situ-
ation. Many fabricators use both side
clamps and top clamps. In some cases,
operators go further and tack weld the
ends to prevent the tubes from spin-
ning; while this helps, it does not stop
the tubes from vibrating when being
The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 25
cut. Vibration of any sort causes tooth
damage and shortens blade life.
When cutting bundles, the machine
setup is important as well. If the ma-
chine head is not canted, it is more dif-
ficult to determine the best blade pitch
because the blade encounters the full
amount of material. If the blade has a
cant to it, the blade doesn’t have to deal
with the entire 16-in. solid as in the pre-
vious example.
Lastly, cutting coolant is an important
consideration. While flood coolant is
recommended for best blade life, a mist
system can be a good alternative. Mist-
ing uses very little coolant, so it doesn’t
flow down the length of the material
and create a puddle. However, it might
not apply the coolant as thoroughly as
a flood system, so heat may build up on
the blade.
Scale and camber
Depending on the tube material and
lengths, both scale and straightness can
play a role in blade life. Typically, a light
coat of rust—a result of outdoor storage
and exposure to the elements—is not a
huge issue, but mill scale can be detri-
mental. In some materials, this scale can
be harder than the material itself, which
can cause tooth damage.
Camber plays a role in successful cut-
ting, and it becomes a greater concern
as the tube lengths increase. For exam-
ple, for structural tubing, a commonly
accepted commercial standard stipu-
lates not more than 1⁄8 in./ft. divided by
5, so a 40-ft. length can have an arc that
amounts to 1 in. over its length.
While the pieces usually are clamped,
often the clamps do not have enough
strength to overcome the camber. The
1/12/21 11:10 PM
 CUTTING TABLE FOR BIMETAL BAND SAW BLADES
2-5" 50-125mm
Speed/Cutting Index Blade Speed Cut Rate Blade Speed Cut Rate
Work Material Type ABNT/AISI/SAE Hardness ft/min. in2/min. m/min. cm2/min.

Carbon Steels 1005-1012 150HB 259-298 12-16 79-91 77-103

1015-1026 150HB 249-288 11-15 76-88 71-97
1030-1055, A36 175HB 180-219 8-9 55-67 52-58
1060-1095 200HB 160-200 6-8 49-61 39-52
Easy-to-machine Carbon Steels 1110-1117-1118 150HB 259-321 12-16 79-98 77-103
1137-1151 175HB 219-259 8-12 67-79 52-77
1211-1215 150HB 259-321 15-20 79-98 97-120
Manganese Steels 1330-1345 200HB 180-219 6-8 55-67 39-52
1513-1527 150HB 259-298 12-16 79-91 77-103
1536-1552 175HB 200-259 8-10 61-79 52-65
1561-1572 200HB 160-200 6-8 49-61 39-52
Molybdenum Steels 4012-4024 175HB 200-239 7-9 61-73 45-58
4030-4042 175HB 190-229 7-8 58-70 45-52
4047-4068 175HB 180-219 6-8 55-67 39-52
Chrome Moly Steels 4130-4140 200HB 180-219 6-8 55-67 39-52
4142-4161 200HB 170-209 5-7 52-64 32-45

To assist fabricators in optimizing sawing efficiency, most saw blade manufacturers

provide cutting guides such as this table, which is part of a full-page guide.

saw and blade can be relied on to make
a straight cut, so when curved material
is the input, a crooked cut is the output.
A somewhat common practice is to use
a carpenter’s square, or speed square,
to see how much the cut varies from 90
degrees.
This result also is common when the
support tables aren’t level. In effect, the
material comes into the machine at an
angle, resulting in cuts that either cut
out at the bottom or at the top. This is
easily remedied by checking the level
and adjusting as necessary.
Thin Wall Versus Heavy Wall
The size of the material and wall
thickness also determines the tooth
pitch and the type of blades used. For
thinner-walled applications, blades with
a heavier tooth back and more set to
the teeth typically are used. The heavier
tooth back provides more strength and
better shock resistance to each tooth.
This allows for longer blade life when
the teeth are constantly going in and
out of the material, traversing across
thick and thin sections.
In addition, these blades usually have
a wider tooth set with a larger kerf.
This minimizes stresses in the material.
In most cases, a wider-set blade can
eliminate pinching altogether.
Feed rates are determined by the
material type and measured in
square inches per minute, so as
the wall increases, the feed rate
decreases.
The interesting thing about heavy-
wall pipe is that it often can be cut very
similarly to a solid bar. While it depends
on the specific wall thickness, many of
the issues described previously about
thin-wall pipe are not factors when
cutting heavy-wall material. Vibrations
are limited, pinching can be less
dramatic, and the process of the teeth
entering and exiting the material is less
concerning because feed rates typically
are much slower.
Feed rates are determined by the
material type and measured in square
inches per minute, so as the wall
increases, the feed rate decreases. This is
based on a linear perspective, because
the blade clears a larger percentage of
material when cutting a heavy-wall pipe
than a thin-wall pipe. In many cases,
depending on the wall’s thickness, a
blade designed for solid materials can
perform better than one designed for
thin-wall and structural materials. Less
set means less kerf, which results in
less material being removed per cut.
The outcome is faster sawing and more
precise control over feed pressure and
feed rate.
Matters of Maintenance
As with any machinery, saw maintenance
is important. Before making any cuts,
the operator should check the blade
guides for wear or cracks, verify that the

26 The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021

Sawing Starrett_JF21TPJ.indd 26 1/12/21 11:10 PM

 blade is tensioned properly, and run the
saw unloaded to see if the blade tracks
properly. These three basic checks can
help determine if the saw is in good
running condition.
The chip brush plays a small role that
has a big impact on blade life and saw
productivity. If it is worn, misadjusted,
or missing, chips will stick to the blade.
While the chip brush is not technically
responsible for chip welding, if it doesn’t
do its job, it can allow chips to load up in
the gullets, which can cause the heat to
increase and lead to chip welding.
Coolant is critical for both cooling and
lubricating in nearly every metal cutting
dle is larger and amplifies any problems
with the saw. For example, if the guides
are not adjusted correctly when cutting
a length of 4-in. square tubing, approx-
imately 0.030 in. of runout may occur. If
this were the customer’s tolerance for
a single piece, a bundle stacked four
lengths high will have four times the
runout, which would be well outside of
the accepted tolerance.
OUR MACHINES
DELIVER
In other words, poor attention to
detail, especially regarding saw main-
tenance, allows bundles to compound
any small issues, turning them into big
problems and creating scrap.
Jay Gordon is North American sales
manager for saws and hand tools for
The L.S. Starrett Co., 121 Crescent St.,
Athol, MA 01331, 978-249-3551,
www.starrett.com.
Financing Now Available
Simple | Affordable | Flexible
finance@blmgroupusa.com

application. Selecting the right type MORE THAN

and mixing it correctly are critical steps
to keep the blade from overheating.
Excess heat can cause chip welding and
can strip teeth from the blade.
Best practices include frequent
visual inspections and replacing
blades that have any dull or damaged
teeth. Damaged teeth have clearances
and angles that are different from
undamaged teeth, leading to varying
degrees of washboard cut, a wavy
pattern.
Matters of Efficiency
Which is better—cutting singles or cut-
ting bundles? Loading bundles can be a
laborious and time-consuming process,
but cutting bundles is an efficient pro-
cess. Deciding whether to cut singles or
a bundle is a matter of weighing bun-
dling time versus cutting time. As the
number of cuts increases, the efficiency
of bundling increases. In some cases the
material arrives already bundled, and
A CLEAN CUT
At BLM GROUP, our CNC
tube and pipe sawing and
end-machining systems
automatically deliver lengths
that are cut, brush deburred,
washed, dried, measured, and
even sorted and collected.
We also offer multi-process
solutions to chamfer, face,
turn, thread, axial or radial
drill, or even end-machine a
part. Our machines produce
parts at higher productivity
rates than traditional lathes,
plus our code-free software
easily guides the operator
through setup.
No matter your requirement,
you can rely on BLM GROUP to
provide a solution that delivers
more than a clean cut.
Find out more at
BLMGROUP.com
EM80 End-Machining System

assuming all the pieces need to be cut

and the machine can handle the bundle WE ARE TUBE
size, it makes sense to simply load the AND MORE.
full bundle and start cutting.
Good maintenance practices also BLM GROUP USA
have an influence on productivity. 46850 Cartier Drive, Novi, MI 48377 | Tel: +1 (248) 560-0080 | www.blmgroup.com

When considering a single cut versus a LASERTUBE | BENDING | SAWING | ENDFORMING | SHEET
bundle of the same product, the bun-

The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 27

Sawing Starrett_JF21TPJ.indd 27 1/13/21 8:55 AM

 WELD prep

Steps for proper weld preparation

Cleaning the surface, rather than removing material, is the key

28 The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021

Weld Prep_JFTPJ21.indd 28 1/12/21 11:14 PM

 By Rick Hopkins
In any welding application, proper preparation is key
to maximizing results and minimizing costs. Results
are twofold—quality in workmanship and consisten-
cy in productivity—as are costs, which include those
related to rework and downtime.
A clean surface is necessary for a sound and strong
weld, so using best cleaning practices for weld prepa-
ration is necessary for a successful outcome.

Make a Plan and Stick to It

Good weld prep doesn’t happen on its own, by wing-
ing it, or with a halfhearted effort. Proper planning is
essential. Sturdy houses need good foundations, reli-
able ships need robust keels, and successful welding
projects need thorough planning. Without a solid
plan, a project that initially seemed simple might turn
out to be maddeningly complex. Each step is related
to the next, and skipping one by mistake, or perform-
ing one out of order, can lead to costly delays, addi-
tional steps, or rework. Having a plan also helps you
resist the urge to take shortcuts when issues arise.
The plan has to incorporate the welding process,
the material, and the intended results. Considering
each on its own, and how each interacts with the oth-
ers, is key in developing a solid plan.
Welding. Some welding processes are more for-
giving up-front. For example, if you’re using shielded
metal arc welding (SMAW), you can often get away
with some impurities on the material surface, but
the process will require more postweld and interpass
cleaning. Gas metal arc welding (GMAW) and gas
tungsten arc welding (GTAW) typically require more
preparation and a cleaner surface to start to produce
quality welds, but less effort for postweld cleanup.
Materials. Some materials, such as hot-rolled steel,
have heavy mill scale on the surface that you must re-
move completely before welding begins. Hard materi-
als, such as corrosion-resistant nickel alloy, work-hard-
en and require high-performance abrasives like
ceramic for weld prep. Softer and nonferrous materi-
als like aluminum may be more susceptible to wheel
loading and require an abrasive that is designed to
prevent material from building up in the abrasive.

The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 29

Weld Prep_JFTPJ21.indd 29 1/12/21 11:15 PM

 Finish. It’s important to know and un-
derstand all finish requirements when
choosing your abrasive. It’s a common
misconception that choosing a coarse
abrasive gets the job done faster. A
coarse abrasive makes it very easy to re-
move excessive material or damage the
surface, and the coarse scratch pattern
can make it more difficult to see surface
imperfections and cracks during visual
inspection. While a fine abrasive might
not remove material as quickly, it can
save a lot of time and prevent rework in
the long run.
Cut, Fit, and Bevel
Once your plan is in place, the first steps
in preparing metal for welding are of-
ten cutting, fitting, and beveling. The
amount of care and preparation put into
the initial cut can reduce the amount of
work that goes into cleaning later.
Whether using a machine tool such as
a shear, laser, waterjet, torch, or plasma
system, or a manual tool equipped with
a cutting wheel, it’s critical to make the
initial cut as clean, straight, and consis-
tent as possible. Manual cutting with a
right-angle grinder is a favored by many
because it’s inexpensive, convenient,
and does not require much in the way
of setup. However, to achieve clean,
straight cuts, a fair amount of practice is
necessary.
A key consideration is the gap. A clean,
consistent gap between the two pieces
to be welded will produce a stronger,
more consistent weld with less filler
metal, controlling costs and saving time.
Prep and Clean the Surface
Removing mill scale, coatings, and con-
taminants from the base material helps
ensure proper weld penetration. This
step also helps eliminate impurities,
thereby preventing porosity and inclu-
sions. Be sure to clean the work surface
thoroughly within an inch on both sides
of the joint.
30 The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021
Weld Prep_JFTPJ21.indd 30
You have many options for surface
cleaning. Understanding how the var-
ious abrasives work can make weld
preparation a straightforward and often
easy task.
Wire Brushes. For cleaning some
stainless steels and other alloys, a wire
brush can be a better choice than an
abrasive disc. Rust, rubber coatings,
powder coatings, and paint often are
light enough that they can be removed
effectively with a wire brush. These
brushes resist loading and don’t remove
base material, making them a good
choice for removing surface contami-
nants and coatings without getting into
the substrate.
Once your plan is in place,
the first steps in preparing
metal for welding are often
cutting, fitting, and beveling.
The amount of care and
preparation put into the
initial cut can reduce the
amount of work that goes
into cleaning later.
Wire brushes come in various styles
and sizes with different wire gauges and
knot types.
Stringer bead brushes have knots that
are twisted very tightly for a narrow
profile. These brushes are designed for
cleaning in tight gaps and initial weld
passes in pipeline and multipass welds,
but they are used commonly in general
fabrication applications.
Cable-twist brushes use a knot that is
twisted to the end for additional width
and stiffness. They can be extremely ef-
fective for weld prep if you don’t need to
get into a narrow (1⁄8-in.) gap.
Standard-twist brushes have a knot
that is not twisted all the way to the end,
allowing the tips to spread for increased
conformability. They are effective for
components with a lot of surface im-
perfections, textures, or contours. Inex-
perienced operators often get the most
efficient cleaning out of standard-twist
brushes because they cover a wider
footprint and are easier to control.
Abrasive Discs. If the application re-
quires an abrasive product for surface
cleaning, consider what you’re trying to
remove. Abrasive discs are designed to
cut and remove base metal.
For weld preparation, start with a less
coarse option and only increase the
grit when necessary. A common mis-
take that leads to frustration, rework,
and scrap is using the most aggressive
abrasive available to try to get done as
quickly as possible. While it’s true that
coarser, more aggressive abrasives re-
move material faster, this isn’t necessar-
ily the goal.
Strong, consistent welds require con-
sistent material and wall thickness. Us-
ing an overly aggressive abrasive can
gouge or undercut the surface. Also, re-
moving too much material may put the
finished part outside final specifications
and tolerance.
Abrasive flap discs are used in weld
preparation because they are easy to
control, and a single disc can grind,
finish, and blend. Selecting the correct
profile and grit is essential for getting
the best results.
Choose a type 27 flap disc (flat profile)
for lower grinding angles (5 to 10 de-
grees) and lighter-pressure applications
like finishing and blending. Choose a
type 29 flap disc (conical profile) when
grinding at higher angles (15 to 30 de-
grees), which is more typical when ag-
gressive grinding and material removal
are more important.
Depending on the material and its
condition, a 60-grit coated abrasive flap
1/12/21 11:15 PM
 disc can get the job done more quickly
than a coarser-grit flap disc. The 60-grit
disc leaves a better finish than a coarser
grit and is less likely to gouge and un-
dercut, allowing you to get the desired
finish faster with fewer passes, no heat
discoloration, and less effort. Anytime
you can reduce the number of second-
ary operations, you reduce costs.
Keep in mind that because of their
construction, abrasive discs can get
loaded down with heavy coatings and
base material that build up between
the grains, which reduces their ability
to cut. Coarse-grit (24 and 36) flap discs
and coated abrasives can get the job
done quickly, but they can clog or load.
You can significantly improve results by
choosing an abrasive designed to clear
material and minimize loading using
top coating and open-coat grain.
Grinding Wheels. For dealing with
heavy coatings and mill scale, a grinding
wheel can be the right choice. It offers
aggressiveness and durability, which
are helpful when working on jagged or
uneven seams, like dross and slag.
But be careful not to get too
heavy-handed with a grinding wheel;
it’s easy to remove too much base ma-
terial. Hard grinding wheels typically re-
move mill scale with minimal effort, but
they also require a high level of skill to
prevent removing too much material.
Weld Prep Tips
Following are four best practices to help
you optimize results in your weld prepa-
ration, cleaning, and grinding jobs:
1. Maintain a low grinding angle.
When using a grinding wheel, a low
grinding angle helps to maximize con-
trol and reduce the risk of gouging. The
outside edge of a grinding wheel is the
most aggressive, so the steeper the an-
gle of approach, the greater the possi-
bility the wheel will remove more sur-
face material than desired and undercut
or gouge the workpiece. Lowering the
Weld Prep_JFTPJ21.indd 31
angle widens the amount of surface cles to brace yourself and keep control
contact area, reducing the likelihood of of the grinder. Move your entire body
aggressive material removal. in the direction of the grinding motion
2. Use moderate pressure. If you arms to minimize fatigue.
use wire wheels, remember that the
tips of the wires are designed to do the bringing it all together
work. Pressing too hard can cause the Properly cleaning and preparing your
wires to bend so that the tips no longer base material is a critical first step in
strike the material. producing high-quality welds. Remem-
3. Use consistent strokes. Enter the ber that when you’re preparing to weld,
grinding stroke on a pull rather than on a your goal is to remove impurities and
push to help control the grinding wheel. coatings from the surface without re-
Grind in line with the material and use moving excess surface material.
smooth, even strokes rather than short, Choosing the right product for weld-
choppy strokes. This provides effective ing preparation and following best
results with coated abrasives and bond- practices can help you achieve the re-
ed abrasives. sults you want and that your customer
4. Brace yourself. When you only is paying for.
use your arms to operate a grinding
Rick Hopkins is product manager, metal
wheel, the wheel vibration can take a
fabrication, for Weiler Abrasives, 1 Weiler
toll on your wrists and forearms. Instead, Drive, Cresco, PA 18326, 570-595-7495,
use your core, legs, and other large mus- www.weilerabrasives.com.
Bending & Finishing Solutions
Knowledge & Experience Working for You
CNC Pipe Bending Machines
• ½” to 10” Capacity
• All-Electric & Hybrid
• Draw + Push Roll Bending
• Work Cells, Robots, Networking
Surface Finishing Machines
• Finish most any metal type
• Suitable for Straight and Bent workpieces
• Auto Loading & Unloading Systems
J&S Machine, Inc.
The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 31
1/12/21 11:15 PM
 PLASMA CUTTING
Renowned auto parts manufacturer races ahead
with plasma cutting system Aftermarket exhaust systems were
A
lex Borla didn’t set out to be an inventor. Like many
small business owners, he was just trying to keep his
customers happy when he encountered a pretty big
problem. One of his suppliers could no longer deliver parts.
The year was 1978 and Borla, in the business of selling
and installing exhaust systems and other undercarriage
components for Rolls-Royces, lost his supply of exhaust
components. He knew tracking down another source
would take time. That left Borla with two choices: lose sales
or make his own parts. He decided to make the parts.
32 The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021
Sports & Rec_JF21TPJ.indd 32
never manufactured so quickly
and never sounded so good
Using his own modest equipment, the 30-something
immigrant developed more than a dozen exhaust system
designs. His creations were good—better, in fact, than the
parts he had been buying. Borla Performance Industries
was born, with Borla making the systems and his wife man-
aging the marketing and financial side of the business.
More than 40 years later, Borla is somewhat of an in-
dustry legend. To say the company’s exhaust systems are
renowned among major automotive manufacturers and
aftermarket distributors is an understatement. The racing
1/12/21 11:16 PM
 world’s top competitors rely on Borla
products for maximum performance,
as do many consumers who aren’t in-
volved in racing.
Getting the Most Out of an
Exhaust System
At its most basic, an automobile’s ex-
haust system transfers exhaust gases
from the engine to the sides or rear of
the vehicle, where they disperse. Muf-
flers attenuate noise, catalytic convert-
ers reduce pollution, and that’s about it.
Standard exhaust systems create back
pressure, impeding the flow and steal-
ing horsepower.
However, some exhaust systems are
far from basic. An exhaust system de-
signed for a specific automobile, cou-
pled with valve timing that opens the
intake port before the exhaust port
closes, can provide a flow so smooth
that it creates a bit of a vacuum, help-
ing to empty the cylinder of exhaust
gases and pull in more fuel at the input
side. This process, called scavenging, is
a goal of Borla systems—patented sys-
tems designed for racing and street use.
Borla estimates that its technology can
increase a street car’s horsepower and
torque an average of 8.5%.
It gets better. Many auto enthusiasts
e think “bigger is better,” but Borla’s many
years of research have proven that this
is false. Large-diameter systems impede
flow and cool the exhaust, neither of
which helps performance. Larger-diam-
eter pipes also amplify the lowest fre-
quencies, which can be more of a both-
er than a benefit.
Borla has gone so far to create optimal
exhaust sounds that the company de-
veloped the Borla Polyphonic Exhaust
Harmonizer. Using straight-through
pipes of varying diameters and lengths,
this system combines the equivalents
of tuned notes that work together to
make harmonious exhaust sounds. It’s
the pinnacle of the company’s slogan,
Sports & Rec_JF21TPJ.indd 33
“Sound like heaven, go like hell,” and is
available in three Borla series.
Although the harmonizer isn’t avail-
able as part of every Borla exhaust sys-
tem, each Borla customer can count on
the company’s million-mile warranty.
Borla’s use of austenitic stainless steel
gives it the confidence to guarantee
that its exhaust systems outlast the au-
tomobiles they’re fastened to.
Getting the Most Out of a
Manufacturing Operation
It all comes together in Tennessee,
where more than 200 employees work
in a 330,000-sq.-ft. facility. While the
company had perfected the design and
build of its systems, it felt it could im-
prove the overall efficiency of its man-
ufacturing process, beginning with the
programming of parts.
“My background involves
software, so this was a logical
place for me to look for
efficiency enhancements on
the production floor.”
—Jim Smail
“Our programming was more manual
than we wanted,” veteran engineer Jim
Smail explained. “First we’d design the
parts in CAD software to include the
required holes. Then the CAD operator
would ask a specialist in the machine
shop to convert the design into ma-
chine code. Only then could the opera-
tor cut the job.”
Smail estimates more than 150 parts
were produced using this three-step
programming process. It worked, but it
took a lot of time.
“My background involves software,
The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 33
so this was a logical place for me to
look for efficiency enhancements on
the production floor,” Smail said. “The
engineers I partner with wanted to au-
tomate the design-to-cut process as
much as possible, as well as improve fit-
up for welding and installation to the
customer’s vehicle.”
In addition to examining the software
it used, the Borla team also considered
the machining process it was using. The
traditional CNC machine the company
used worked well but had a high oper-
ating cost because of short tool life and
the need to remove swarf from inside
the pipe.
Borla decided to replace its old CNC
machine with a Hypertherm Power-
max65 CNC plasma cutting machine
equipped with Rotary Tube Pro soft-
ware specifically designed for tube and
pipe cutting. Using the software, the
Borla team was able to import 3D CAD
files or create new ones easily. The team
also liked the ability to access side-wall
cutouts quickly from a list of predefined
shapes.
Smail found the new setup to be ex-
tremely intuitive and said that he was
able to train an employee unfamiliar
with programming to cut in a very short
period of time.
“It’s hard to believe, but it’s the truth,”
Smail said. “We transferred an employ-
ee from the manufacturing floor to the
design lab, and now that person is pro-
gramming complex jobs in addition to
operating the machine.”
The Borla team also was impressed
by the productivity increases. For one
high-volume muffler component, the
new process saves 10 minutes per pipe.
Including time saved on secondary
deburring and cleanup, cycle time fell
from 600 seconds to 7 seconds—a de-
crease of almost 99%.
Hypertherm, 21 Great Hollow Road,
Hanover, NH 03755, information@
hypertherm.com, www.hypertherm.com
1/12/21 11:16 PM
 EXECUTIVE PERSPECTIVES
Read more from Lisa Wertzbaugher
at www.thefabricator.com/
lisa-wertzbaugher.
By Lisa Wertzbaugher
A
ccording to various data sources,
more than 1.2 million married
couples run small businesses
together in the U.S. Because 98% of
manufacturing companies are small
businesses, there’s a good chance many
of them are run by husband-and-wife
teams. Mine is one of them.
While readers know me as a business
consultant, I also own a small welding,
fabrication, and trucking firm with my
husband, Jason, in eastern Iowa. My
background in a family-run business
goes further than that—my parents
owned a midsize steel tube fabricating
company for 27 years. I worked for that
business as a child, left the industry after
finishing college, and many years later
returned to my parents’ business for a
stint as an executive.
Observing my parents running a
business, augmented with my own ex-
perience, has given me a unique take
on the advantages and challenges of
34 The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021
Executive Perspectives_JF21TPJ.indd 34
Love, courtship,
marriage, and
proprietorship
Counting blessings, and counting
contributions, in a family business
having a spouse as a business part-
ner. Sometimes it goes really well, and
sometimes it’s terrible. Regardless of
the severity of the ups and downs, I can
honestly say that leaving my full-time
job to join my husband two years ago
was the best career move I’ve made. It
has taken some time to work out our
roles, but at this point we have a system
that works well for us.
Counting Contributions
Jason and I have complementary skills
and backgrounds. There isn’t a lot of
overlap, so we don’t get in each other’s
way. He focuses on the operations, and I
handle the financial and revenue strate-
gy. I don’t have a commercial driver’s li-
cense and I don’t know how to weld, and
he’s never done revenue projections. In
this regard, it’s really no different than
any other company I’ve worked for—no
sense in two people doing the same job.
Jason and I divide the tasks and consult
each other for advice as needed. If we are
buying equipment, he’s in charge, and if
we are setting the capex budget for the
year, I am. This doesn’t mean we always
agree, but we default to the expert for
the final decision in each situation.
We respect each other’s workload
and sacrifice now, but it took us a while
to get here. The early days of a business
are tough, which is why most don’t
survive. When I was working full time
at my previous job, we lived off my in-
come and reinvested our company’s
profit into capital. We even used excess
household income from my job for
purchases, and I was crabby at times.
The business felt like another mouth to
feed, and I resented it.
Once I started working solely for our
company, I had a new appreciation of
Jason’s workload and personal sacrifice.
His contribution goes far beyond mine,
and I’m grateful he put up with me in
those early years. I also accept the short-
The
1/12/21 11:30 PM
 term sacrifices that lead to long-term
gains. I will happily drive the same mini-
van for 10 years if it means we can buy
more semi trucks.

Counting Blessings
Have you ever heard of a P&L date
night? It doesn’t sound glamorous, but
we go out to dinner at the end of each
month and talk strategy. We have three
little kids, so it is actually very glamor-
ous for us. Most small businesses fall
into the trap of day-to-day operational
focus and no vision planning, and for a
while we were guilty of this as well.
So we take the last Sunday of each
month to review the profit-and-loss
statement year-to-date, compare goals
of the current year versus prior year,
discuss new hires, review new business
opportunities, and make decisions.
We literally remove ourselves from the
business, and it’s amazing what we ac-
complish in a couple hours. Vision and
strategy don’t have to take a lot of time,
but they have to be done to maximize
success.

Counting All Contributions

I’m active in our business, but many
spouses are joint owners and silent part-
ners. This was more of my mother’s role,
and such individuals still bring tremen-
dous value. Their perspective should
be considered objective and balanced
input. They are not caught up in the dai-
ly routine and have little in the way of
bias. My mother had not worked active-
ly in the business for years, but when we
created a board of directors, we insisted
Does your company
she participate. She had some of the
best recommendations.
advertise in
Every member of the family contrib-
utes in some way to make the business
The Tube & Pipe Journal?
succeed. Active or inactive, everyone
has a role. Try our new easy-to-use ad upload feature!
Lisa Wertzbaugher, founder of http://thefabricator.com/uploadmyad
Wertzbaugher Consulting, can be
reached at wertzbaugherconsult@
gmail.com.

The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 35

Executive Perspectives_JF21TPJ.indd 35 1/12/21 11:30 PM

 BUSINESS BRIEF
Formulating a
tax strategy for 2021
It’s not too late to make the
tax structure work for you
Visit www.alliantgroup.com
for more information.
By Neil Shah
A
lthough we’re several weeks into the new year, many
of us are still in the process of recovering from 2020—
picking ourselves up, dusting ourselves off, and trying to
get our bearings before dealing with 2021. A global pandemic,
a hard-fought election, a drawn-out postelection phase, and
anticipation of a new presidential administration combined to
make 2020 one of the most chaotic years in recent history.
While 2021 is sure to be a big improvement over 2020, the
presidential election has not made the future much clearer
for manufacturing and other industries, which makes plan-
ning for 2021 difficult. Although President Biden proposed
several ideas for the manufacturing industry in general, in-
cluding a tax credit aimed at keeping operations here in the
U.S., time will tell if he is able to usher his proposals through
Congress. One of them is a significant increase in the corpo-
rate tax rate.
Some of the informed voices in Washington, D.C., have pro-
vided some key insights. It’s certain that the pandemic will be
the first priority for the new administration, and that is like-
ly to be followed by infrastructure enhancements. Taxes are
perhaps the third item on the list.
That is why, setting aside any pandemic relief that comes to
fruition, cash flow planning is going to be a primary concern
among businesses of all sorts early in the year. Many corpora-
tions are deferring income, but there are other powerful op-
tions out there to increase cash flow. These time-tested pro-
grams can be just as valuable, if not more so, than programs
36 The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021
Business Brief_JF21TPJ.indd 36
developed to deal with the fallout of the pandemic like the
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
The best time to discuss these programs with your accoun-
tant is now. If you delay much past the end of February, the
year will be well underway before you put a plan into place.
Get Credit for R&D
For fabricators, Section 41 is the largest federal credit avail-
able. In fact, on average it is worth five times what the PPP is
worth. It comes with few strings attached—it doesn’t need to
be paid back and it comes with no restrictions on how to use
the funds. The credit, also known as the Research and Devel-
opment Tax Credit, enjoys bipartisan support in Congress and
is also considered to be an economic recovery tool by several
members of Congress who have suggested doubling it.
Manufacturers can claim the credit as long as they are work-
ing to improve efficiency or yield with any product or process.
For instance, fabricators are eligible for the Section 41 credit
if they are developing second-generation or improved prod-
ucts; helping customers redesign components to make them
less expensive to produce; or improving in-house processes
for making a component or an assembly. Based on the work
metal fabricators do every day, many are more than qualified
for this federal incentive.
Of course, each business has its own opportunities to un-
dertake research and development activities, so the amounts
that can be claimed vary, but this shouldn’t deter you from
1/12/21 11:31 PM
 making the effort. It’s unlikely that the federal government
will offer a larger tax credit or incentive even after the next
relief package is passed.
Defer Social Security Taxes
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES)
Act allows employers to defer paying their part of Social Se-
curity taxes through the end of 2020.
The first half of the deferred amount is due Dec. 31, 2021,
and the remaining amount is due Dec. 31, 2022. This strategy
offers immediate liquidity to businesses in need. Even if you
neglected to opt for this by the end of the year, it is still worth
discussing with your CPA, as certain accounting methods
may make it possible to pay the taxes as late as August 2021
and still claim the deduction for 2020.
Claim Disaster Losses for Refunds in the Short Term
Another tax strategy to consider with your company’s tax
professionals is claiming disaster losses from 2020. Certain
losses caused by a disaster can be claimed on a prior year’s
Business Brief_JF21TPJ.indd 37
tax return. This can allow businesses affected by a disruption,
such as the coronavirus pandemic, to receive refunds quicker
to mitigate damage.
The previous administration declared all 50 states as disas-
ter areas, meaning every U.S. business might be eligible to
claim refunds for certain types of losses due to COVID-19. As
an example, if a fabrication firm suffered losses due to halted
operations in the face of the pandemic, it might be able to
claim those losses on an amended 2019 return.
Receive Quick Refunds from Current Losses
Another provision from the CARES Act that might be useful
allows businesses to use current losses against past income
to claim refunds immediately. It allows a five-year carry back
for net operating losses that arose in 2018, 2019, and 2020
for refunds against earlier returns. If your company dealt
with losses, your business might be able to benefit from this
provision.
Neil Shah is a managing director for alliantgroup lp,
844-898-3280, www.alliantgroup.com.
The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 37
1/13/21 9:00 AM
 tube & pipe market update
Visit https://prestonpipe.com for more information.
By paul vivian, ph.d., and rick preckel
Manufacturing Performance
T
he durable goods manufacturing index in November
as compared to October increased by 1.5% but remains
4.3% below year-ago levels, according to the U.S.
Federal Reserve. Most durable goods categories experienced
increases month to month but gains were strongest in motor
vehicles and parts (5.3%) and primary metals (3.8%). The only
categories that had unfavorable comparisons to the prior
month were nonmetallic mineral products (-0.1%); machinery
(-0.5%); and electrical equipment, appliances, and components
(-0.8%). Comparing November 2020 to November 2019 shows
primary metals down by 8.2% while fabricated metal products
and machinery manufacturing were down by 6.9% and 4.9%
respectively. Motor vehicles and parts manufacturing was flat
with last November.
The November Manufacturing Report On Business®, as
published by the Institute for Supply Management® (ISM®),
indicated that the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI®) was
57.5%, down 1.8% from the October reading of 59.3%. The
New Orders Index was 65.1%, a decrease of 2.8% from the
October reading of 67.9%. The Production Index registered
60.8%, off by 2.2% compared to the October reading of 63.0%.
The Backlog Index continued to increase, registering a gain
of 1.2% for the month to a reading of 56.9%. Although most
readings continued to indicate manufacturing expansion,
growth slowed in November. Difficulties related to COVID-19
continue to put a damper on activity. For more information,
visit www.ismrob.org.
Domestic pipe, tube and steel mill news
U. S. Steel says it has exercised its option to acquire the
remaining 50.1% stake in Big River Steel for $774 million,
giving it ownership of one of the newest, most advanced flat-
38 The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021
TubePipe Marketplace_JF21TPJ_4.indd 38
recovery coasts,
but two factors
likely to help it accelerate
Vaccine approval and federal budget
to augment recovery efforts
rolled mini-mills in the country. U. S. Steel also restarted the
1.5 million tons per year No. 4 blast furnace at its Gary works
facility in early December. According to an Argus article, 19
million tons per year of steelmaking capacity had been taken
offline as a result of demand destruction from the pandemic.
U.S. Steel celebrated the start-up of its first electric arc furnace
the week of Dec. 7.
Cleveland-Cliffs announced that it completed the purchase
of substantially all of ArcelorMittal’s domestic steelmaking
operations for approximately $1.4 billion. Following its
acquisition of AK Steel, it is reported that the company now is
the largest flat-rolled steel producer in North America.
Shipping & Imports
Overall pipe and tube shipments for the sectors of the market
that we cover increased in October from September by about
1.1%. Imports increased by 9.2%, while domestic shipments
Preston’s Research
The primary pipe and tube category that Preston analyzes
that is of interest to The Tube & Pipe Journal readership is
mechanical tubing. This category includes conduit, off-
the-welder tubes with wall thickness less than 0.156 in.,
hot-finished seamless, cold-drawn seamless, and drawn-
over-mandrel products.
According to Preston’s data, the sum of all pipe and tube
shipments from domestic mills in 2019 approximated the
amount of steel used in the automotive sector, a clear
indication of the significant contributions pipe and tube
products make to the steel economy.
Founded in 1982, Preston Publishing Co. is a market
research and consulting firm that provides steel tube and
pipe market data, statistics, and analysis in the monthly
Preston Pipe & Tube Report. Additional services include
other monthly reports, custom research, consulting,
expert witness services, and speaking engagements.
1/13/21 8:19 AM
 declined by 1.2%. October shipments were about 33.5% below
year-ago volumes. Year-to-date shipments were down by Hot-rolled Band and
29.6% in total, while domestic and import supply was down Mechanical Tube Price Indices
by about 22% and 44% respectively. Oil and gas product July 2004=1
shipments were off by 59.1% year to year, while construction Hot
Source: Rolled Band & MechPreston
SteelBenchmarker, Tube Price Indices Co.
Publishing
Base Period, July 2004 = 1
and manufacturing products were down by 9.9%. Source: SteelBenchmarker, Preston Publishing
In mechanical tubing products, October shipments 1.70
1.50
increased by about 2.9% from September but were down by 1.30
1.10
14.4% from October 2019. Imports and domestic shipments 0.90
both increased by 2.9% from September 2020 but were 36.9% 0.70
0.50
and 7.8% below October 2019 totals.

Nov-18
Dec-18
Jan-19
Feb-19

Jun-19
Jul-19

Oct-19

Dec-19
Sep-19

Nov-19

Jan-20
Feb-20

Jun-20
Jul-20

Oct-20
Sep-20
Apr-19

Aug-19

Apr-20
Mar-19

May-19

Aug-20
Mar-20

May-20
Outlook HRB Price Index
HRB Price Index
Probably the most significant of recent events that will affect the Mechanical Tube Price Index Carbon ERW 0.065" - 0.156"
Mechanical Tube Price Index, Carbon, ERW, 0.065 - 0.156 in.
outlook are new vaccines and a new federal budget. U.S. officials Mechanical Tube Price Index Carbon SMLS 0"- 4 1/2"
Mechanical Tube Price Index, Carbon, Seamless, Up to 4½ in.
predict that vaccinations will lead to a return to prepandemic
s activities by fall 2021; the federal budget approved on Dec. 27
9 included about $900 billion in economic stimulus.
Preston continues to track the CNN/Moody’s Analytics
. Back-to-Normal Index, which is a combination of 37 metrics
that measures the health of the U.S. economy. As of late
December, the index is 82—it has changed little in months— Mechanical Tube Volume Index
as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to increase and July 2004=1
Mechanical Tube Volume Index
e Source:Base
Preston Publishing
Period, July 2004 = 1 Co.
first-time jobless claims remain high. For more information,
g Source: Preston Publishing
visit cnn.com/business/us-economic-recovery-coronavirus.

May-19

May-20
Nov-18

Nov-19
Mar-19

Mar-20
Dec-18

Aug-19

Dec-19

Aug-20
Feb-19

Sep-19

Feb-20

Sep-20
Apr-19

Oct-19

Apr-20

Oct-20
Jun-19

Jun-20
Jan-19

Jan-20
Jul-19

Jul-20
The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s GDPNow model,
s 1.00
which tracks inflation-adjusted gross domestic product based 0.95
on available economic data for the current quarter, states that 0.90
0.85
the U.S. economy is on pace for 10.4% growth for Q4 2020. In
0.80
late December, Goldman Sachs boosted its GDP forecast to 0.75
t
5% for the first quarter of 2021 and 5.8% for the full year. 0.70
t Durable manufacturing continued to improve in November, 0.65
0.60
s although growth slowed. Machinery manufacturing, a more
pipe-and-tube-intensive sector than many other sectors, was
one of the few segments that declined slightly in November.
Oilfield activity continues to improve and is forecast to grow in
2021. Preston expects some growth in tube and pipe shipments
for 2021 overall to support activity and inventory growth.

Hot-rolled steel HSS Volume Index

According to data from the SteelBenchmarker, the index January
HSS Volume 2010=1
Index
for base HRB prices increased to 91 in October from 82 in Source: Preston
Base Publishing
Period, January 2010 = 1 Co.
Source: Preston Publishing
September. Data indicates that improvements in pricing have
May-19

May-20
Nov-18

Nov-19
Mar-19

Mar-20
Dec-18

Aug-19

Dec-19

Aug-20
Feb-19

Sep-19

Feb-20

Sep-20
Apr-19

Oct-19

Apr-20

Oct-20
Jun-19

Jun-20
Jan-19

Jan-20
Jul-19

Jul-20

continued. This should not be a surprise. As noted earlier in 1.80

this column, primary steel production is further below year- 1.70
ago levels than are steel-consuming sectors. Also, scrap prices 1.60
are increasing. In the coming months, the restart of the U.S. 1.50
Steel furnace at Gary along with the startup of Big River’s 1.40

second caster should help to align supply and demand, 1.30

slowing the pace of steel price increases. 1.20

Paul Vivian can be reached at pvivian@prestonpipe.com;

Rick Preckel can be reached at rpreckel@prestonpipe.com.

The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 39

TubePipe Marketplace_JF21TPJ_4.indd 39 1/13/21 8:19 AM

 News and information from the Fabricators
& Manufacturers Association, International ®

in the ADVANCING METAL FABRICATION TOGETHERTM

FabCast: Strategic Planning for Fabricators

Feb. 11, 2021 | 10-11:30 a.m. CST

UPCOMING Learn how to establish a long-term strategic plan for your business to help you properly allocate resources.
EVENTS For instance, you will know whether you should hire more welders, purchase a faster fiber laser, replace
your 20-year old press brake, purchase new ERP software, or purchase automation.
Coming Soon… Steve Zerio, partner at Triumph Partners and member of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association,
FabCast: Strategic Planning International® (FMA) Management Advisory Council, will explain why strategic planning is important, what
for Fabricators a strategic plan is, and the process of how to create a strategic plan for your business.
Feb. 11, 2021 | 10-11:30 a.m. CST
Looking Ahead…
FMA Virtual Annual Meeting
Register | fmamfg.org/training/webinars
March 3-4, 2021
Precision Press Brake
Virtual Certificate Course
March 22-24, 2021
FABTECH
Sept. 13-16, 2021
Receive Recognition
fmamfg.org/events
888-394-4362
for Safety Excellence
The new year is here and FMA is now accepting applications in its annual Safety Award Program.
Distinguish your company’s commitment to safety by applying with these easy steps! Simply submit
the OSHA Form 300A to audrey@fmanet.org.

The FMA and CNA awards program recognizes several levels of success with numerous awards.
All business-level members who qualify receive an award!

The highest level of recognition in FMA’s Safety Award program is the Rusty Demeules Award for Safety
Excellence, celebrating one company each year that excels beyond OSHA recordable incidence rates.

Award recipients will be honored during a recognition dinner this October at the FMA Safety Conference.

Learn more | Apply | fmamfg.org/safetyawards

40 The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021

In The Know_JF21TPJ.indd 40 1/12/21 11:33 PM

 RESERVE YOUR

FABTECH 2021
EXHIBIT SPACE
SEPT 13-16, 2021
McCormick Place \ Chicago, IL

FABTECH provides an unparalleled

opportunity to engage a captive
audience of high-level decision makers.
Exhibit at FABTECH to fill your sales
pipeline and meet the pent-up demand
of your customers.

There has never been a more critical

time to come together and move the
metal fabrication industry forward.

Your safety, security, and health are

always our top priority. Safety protocols
will follow all recommended guidelines.

Reserve your booth today.

fabtechexpo.com

NORTH AMERICA’S LARGEST METAL

FORMING, FABRICATING, WELDING
AND FINISHING EVENT

In The Know_JF21TPJ.indd 41 1/12/21 11:33 PM

 Forming & Fabricating® Band Saw buyers' guide©
Material
Features
Cutting Capacity (In.) and Angles Drive System Feeding
(See Legend)*
System
Cutting Angle
Model Type Frame Blade Max.

Shuttle
Straight Cut Miter Cut Miter Cut

Rollers
Attack Drive
0 Deg. 45 Deg. 60 Deg. Speed HMI BCC LCP
Angle (HP)
Width x Width x Width x (Deg.) (FPM)
Height Height Height
AKYAPAK, Tampa, FL
AST 1200 Automatic Dual Column 47 x 20 31 x 20 20 x 20 5 15 330 3 3 CNC 3
DANOBAT – Elgoibar, Spain
Gantry Style, Two
GV 11.11 Automatic 43 x 43 15 259 3
Post, Straight Cutoff
IDS 5A Programmable 23.6 x 20.5 15 150 CNC 3
V 20.20 Automatic Gantry 80 x 80 30 301 3
DAKE, Grand Haven, MI
General Purpose,
Work-A-Matic SXC Vertical, C-frame 9 1 540
Manual
General Purpose,
V-26E Vertical, C-frame 26 x 13 0 3 540
Manual
KAAST MACHINE TOOLS INC., Aldan, PA
L: 9 x 6
HBS 230 DG Semiautomatic Scissor 12.5 x 9 L: 4.5 x 4 1.5 230 3 3
R: 9 x 6
L: 16 x 17
HBS 440 DG Semiautomatic Dual Column 25 x 17 L: 10 x 17 2 5 325 DRO 3 3
R: 15 x 17
HBS 1500 C Semiautomatic Dual Column 59 x 59 20 230 3

HBS A 230 Automatic Scissor 9.5 x 9 2 230 3 DRO 3 3

HBS A 320 G Automatic Scissor 13.5 x 12.5 L: 9.8 x 7 L: 6 x 6 3 325 3 Display 3 3

HBS A 540 G Automatic Dual Column 28 x 21 L: 18 x 21 L: 9 x 21 2 5 325 3 Display 3 3
OCEAN MACHINERY, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Terminator DCM R: 17 x 20
Automatic, Miter Dual Column 30 x 20 R: 10 x 20 10 300
20/30 L: 17 x 20
Terminator DCM R: 25 x 18
Automatic, Miter Dual Column 42 x 18 R: 15 x 18 10 300
18/42 L: 25 x 18
Terminator DCM R: 16 x 18 R: 10 x 18
Automatic, Miter Dual Column 25 x 18 10 370
18/25 L: 16 x 18 L: 10 x 18
PAT MOONEY INC. MACHINE TOOL, Addison, IL
9.8 x 5.1 or R: 5.9 x 5.9 or R: 5.3 x 7.9 or
FMB Phoenix Manual Miter (Right) Tilt-frame 10 1 200
9.1 x 8.5 R: 5.3 x 7.9 R: 3.5 x 3.5
Automatic Miter R: 13 by 13 or
FMB Pegasus Tilt-frame 18 x 13 R: 9.1 x 6.3 10 4 3 3
(Right) R: 14.2 x 7.5
Semiautomatic Miter
FMB Olympus 2 Tilt-frame 29.5 x 17.7 R: 17.7 x 16.9 10 5 230 DRO 3
(Right)
PEDDINGHAUS CORP., Bradley, IL
L: 35 x 24
DGP 1270 50 x 24 R: 21 x 24 20
R: 33 x 24
L: 27 x 20 L: 17 x 20
DG 1100 44 x 20 12.2
R: 27 x 20 R: 17 x 20
SCOTCHMAN INDUSTRIES INC., Philip, SD
SU-280G Horizontal 8 7 41⁄4 11⁄2 262 3 Manual 3 3
TORMACH INC., Waunakee, WI
AF50 Automatic feeding Tilt-frame 6x8 1 394 3
VOORTMAN USA, Monee, IL
L or R: 18.5 Windows
VB-1050 Automatic Dual Column 44 x 20 L or R: 28 x 20 5 10 400 3 3 3 3
x 20 CNC
L or R: Windows
VB-1250 Automatic Dual Column 50 x 24 L or R: 20 x 24 5 15 400 3 3 3 3
39.375 x 24 CNC

*HMI = Human-machine Interface • BCC = Bundle-cutting Capability • LCP = Light Clamping Pressure for Thin-wall Materials

This information is provided by the manufacturers. For more information, use the links in the online buyers’ guide at www.thefabricator.com. ©Copyright 2021 by FMA Communications Inc. Reproduction in full or in part without written
permission of the publisher is prohibited. Buyers’ guides are a part of the Forming & Fabricating Industry Directory. Go to www.thefabricator.com/directory to add your free company listing.

42 The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021

Band Saw Blades BG_JF21TPJ.indd 42 1/13/21 11:04 AM

 2021 Forming & Fabricating® Saw blade buyers' guide©
Application Blade
Tube and Pipe Specifications
Bar,
Blade Billet, Size Thickness Tooth Style or Pitch
Name or Castings, Flying Coatings
Identifier Forgings Stationary Cutoff Type Description In. mm In. mm In. mm Available
AZAK TOOL TECHNOLOGIES, Kocaeli, Turkey
Ferrous
Ferrous Ferrous OXY, TiN,
Non- Circular HSS 6-24 160-630 1.6-6
Nonferrous Nonferrous TiAlN, TiCN
ferrous
BAHCO, Throop, PA
Sandlfex® Ferrous Ferrous Std. .025-
Band Bimetal, M42 Std. sizes .5-.9 Combo. Combo.
Cobra™ Nonferrous Nonferrous sizes .063
Teeth
High-nickel alloys,
1.4/2, tipped with
Carbide Band, stainless steels, and Std. Std.
Ferrous Ferrous Std. sizes Std. sizes 2/3, a special
Triple Set® honed abrasive tool steels sizes sizes
1/1.25 carbide
and aerospace alloys
grade
Carbide Suitable for titanium
Band,
Triple Set ® alloys, matrix alloys, Std. Std.
Nonferrous Nonferrous triple-set, Std. sizes Std. sizes .7/1 to 3/4
XTRA™ aluminum with high sizes sizes
honed
TSX silicon content
CONTROX INC., Springfield, OH
Non-
Circular HSS 20-250 .2-6 .8-3.0
ferrous
CS UNITEC INC., Norwalk, CT
1001 HSS, Extra-thick blades
Ferrous Recipro-
1002 for 90° cutting with 6-8 .060 8
Nonferrous cating
007D/200 pipe clamp
1003 HSS bimetal, heavy-
Ferrous Recipro-
1004 duty, double shank, 6-12 .035 10/14
Nonferrous cating
1005 freehand cutting
Bimetal, general
3013/150 Ferrous Recipro- purpose, universal
6-8 .035 14
3013/200 Nonferrous cating 1/2-in. shank, metal
up to 1/8 in. thick
Bimetal, general
Ferrous Recipro- purpose, universal
3014/150 6 .035 18
Nonferrous cating 1/2-in. shank, metal
up to 1/8 in. thick
Mega Sharp
Series: Bimetal, M42,
007/150 patented tooth
Ferrous Recipro-
007/200 design cuts in two 6-12 .035 M-tooth
Nonferrous cating
007/280 directions, cuts twice
006/150 as fast
006/250
9-in. Series
721-23048
Ferrous Ferrous
721-23060 Circular TCT 9 .073 48-84
Nonferrous Nonferrous
721-23068
721-23084
9-in. Ultra Ferrous Ferrous
Circular 9 .055 60
Thin Nonferrous Nonferrous
10-in. Series
600598 Ferrous Ferrous
Circular TCT 10 .073 60-66
600654 Nonferrous Nonferrous
600654SI
This information is provided by the manufacturers. For more information, use the corresponding advertising code at www.ffid.net or the links in the online buyers’ guide at www.thefabricator.com. ©Copyright 2021 by FMA Communications
Inc. Reproduction in full or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. Buyers’ guides are a part of the Forming & Fabricating Industry Directory. Go to www.thefabricator.com/directory to add your free company listing.

The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 43

Saw Blade BG_JF21TPJ.indd 43 1/13/21 11:07 AM

 2021 Forming
Forming & Fabricating
& Fabricating
®
Saw® blade
Saw blade
buyers'
buyer's
guideguide
©

Application Blade
Tube and Pipe Specifications
Bar,
Blade Billet, Size Thickness Tooth Style or Pitch
Name or Castings, Flying Coatings
Identifier Forgings Stationary Cutoff Type Description In. mm In. mm In. mm Available
12-5/8-in.
Series
TCT: for I-beams
608276
Ferrous Ferrous Circular and steel plate up to 12.625 .073 84
(std. use)
3/8 in.
608276SI
(stainless)
14-in. Series
600570
600570SI
600580 Ferrous Ferrous
Circular TCT 14 .073 60-96
600590 Nonferrous Nonferrous
60059
600595
600594
SuperBand‚™
Series
9-2506-0010 Ferrous Ferrous
Band M42 cobalt steel 44.875 .025 8-18
9-2506-0020 Nonferrous Nonferrous
9-2506-0030
9-2506-0040
SuperBand‚™
Series
9-2506-0220 Ferrous Ferrous
Band M42 cobalt steel 66 .025 8-14
9-2506-0230 Nonferrous Nonferrous
9-2506-0240
9-2506-0200
SuperBand‚™
Series
Ferrous Ferrous
9-2506-0350 Band M42 cobalt steel 71 .025 6-14
Nonferrous Nonferrous
9-2506-0340
9-2506-0330
DESERT DIAMOND INDUSTRIES, Las Vegas, NV
Segmented
Circular,
The Safety Ferrous Ferrous Vacuum-brazed .085- Cutting
angle 4.5-30 114-762
Blade™ Nonferrous Nonferrous Diamond .200 Edge,
grinder
Diamond
Circular, Continuous
The Safety Ferrous Ferrous Vacuum-brazed 4, 4.5, 102, 127,
angle rimmed,
Blade™ Nonferrous Nonferrous Diamond 5, 7, 9 177, 228
grinder Diamond
Circular, Continuous
The Safety Ferrous Ferrous Vacuum-brazed 4, 4.5, 102, 114,
angle rimmed,
Blade™ Nonferrous Nonferrous Diamond 7 177
grinder Diamond
Circular,
Segmented
angle
The Safety Ferrous Ferrous Vacuum-brazed 4.5, 114, 127, .060, Cutting
grinder,
Blade™ Nonferrous Nonferrous Diamond 5, 7 177 .080 Edge,
worm
Diamond
drive
Segmented
The Safety Ferrous Ferrous Husqvarna Vacuum-brazed Cutting
14 355 .155
Blade™ Nonferrous Nonferrous ring saw Diamond Edge,
Diamond
EVERETT INDUSTRIES INC., Warren, OH
Fiberglass
reinforced,
Ferrous Abrasive
Ferrous Ferrous .0625- 1.5875- resinoid
45FG Non- cutoff, dry General purpose 7-26 177-660
Nonferrous Nonferrous 1.250 31.75 bond,
ferrous cutting
aluminum
oxide

44 The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021

Saw Blade BG_JF21TPJ.indd 44 1/13/21 11:07 AM

 2021 Forming
Forming
& Fabricating
& Fabricating
Saw
® ®
Saw
blade
blade
buyer's
buyers'
guide
guide©
Application Blade
Tube and Pipe Specifications
Bar,
Blade Billet, Size Thickness Tooth Style or Pitch
Name or Castings, Flying Coatings
Identifier Forgings Stationary Cutoff Type Description In. mm In. mm In. mm Available
Fiberglass
reinforced,
Ferrous Abrasive
Ferrous Ferrous For machines with .0625- 1.5875- resinoid
23020FG Nonfer- cutoff, dry 7-26 177-660
Nonferrous Nonferrous automatic wheel feed 1.250 31.75 bond,
rous cutting
aluminum
oxide
Fiberglass
reinforced,
Ferrous Abrasive
Ferrous Ferrous .0625- 1.5875- resinoid
2069FGE Non- cutoff, dry Heavy-wall cutting 7-26 177-660
Nonferrous Nonferrous 1.250 31.75 bond,
ferrous cutting
aluminum
oxide
Fiberglass
reinforced,
Ferrous Abrasive
Ferrous Ferrous .0625- 1.5875- resinoid
T32 FGE Non- cutoff, dry Thin-wall cutting 7-26 177-660
Nonferrous Nonferrous 1.250 31.75 bond,
ferrous cutting
aluminum
oxide
Fiberglass
reinforced,
Ferrous Abrasive
Ferrous Ferrous .0625- 1.5875- resinoid
GTK-7FG Non- cutoff, dry Stainless tubing 7-26 177-660
Nonferrous Nonferrous 1.250 31.75 bond,
ferrous cutting
aluminum
oxide
HAAS SAW, Summerville, SC
TUBESaw™-S for
Circular tubes without ID
Saw Scarf, TUBESaw™- TiAlN,
.098-
TUBESaw™ Ferrous Blades IDS for tubes with ID 14-24 350-600 2.5-4.0 AlCrN,
.158
for Flying Scarf, TUBESaw™-O TiCN, DLC
Cutoff for Orbital Cutoff
Machines

HSS, M2, Steam- Steam

BlackCut™ Ferrous Ferrous Circular 225-500 1.6-4.0 Various
oxide Treated Oxide
HSS, M2,
Coated for
GoldCut™ Ferrous Ferrous Circular 225-500 1.6-4 Various TiN
Increased Wear
Resistance
HSS, M2, Coated for
Difficult Ferrous
BluCut™
Ferrous Ferrous Circular 225-500 1.6-4 Various TiCN
Applications,Cutting
with Coolant
HSS, M2, Coated for
Steel- Difficult Ferrous
Ferrous Ferrous Circular 225-500 1.6-4 Various TiAIN
Master™ Applications,
Dry Cutting

Multilayer
Solid HSS (M2, Chip
Chip Breaker, PVD (TiN,
Cobalt), Carbide- Breaker,
.035- Triple Chip, TiCN, TiAlN,
Circular Tipped, Cermet- 5-108 160-2,750 .9-19.0 Triple Chip,
.750 Alternate TiCrN, CrN,
Tipped, Friction Alternate
Bevel Duralloy,
Cutting, Hot Cutting Bevel
Chrome)

The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 45

Saw Blade BG_JF21TPJ.indd 45 1/13/21 11:08 AM

 2021 Forming & Fabricating® Saw blade buyers' guide©
Application Blade
Tube and Pipe Specifications
Bar,
Blade Billet, Size Thickness Tooth Style or Pitch
Name or Castings, Flying Coatings
Identifier Forgings Stationary Cutoff Type Description In. mm In. mm In. mm Available
HABERLE/KEN BERGMAN & ASSOCIATES, Oak Lawn, IL
TiCN, AlTiN,
2.0/2.5/ AlTiN-XL,
HSS 9-18 225-450
3.0/3.5 ALTiCN,
ALTiCrN
Crn, TiN,
TiCN, AlTiN,
HSS, CBT 9-18 225-450 2-4 AlTiN-XL,
ALTiCN,
ALTiCrN
ICO SURFACE COATINGS, Brunswick, OH
AlTiSiN,
.039-
Circular TCT 8-68 200-1,727 1.0-15 .275-1.00 7.0-24.0 AlTiN, TiCN,
.590
TiN, CrN
AlTiSiN,
.039-
Circular TCT 8-68 200-1,727 1.0-15 .275-1.00 7.0-24.0 AlTiN, TiCN,
.590
TiN, CrN
.200-
Circular Friction 20-86 500-2,200 5.0-12.7
.500
AlTiSiN,
3.937- .039-
HSS M2, M35 100-630 1-5 .039 1 AlTiN, TiCN,
24.803 .196
TiN, CrN
AlTiSiN,
3.937- .039-
HSS M2, M35 100-630 1-5 .039 1 AlTiN, TiCN,
24.803 .196
TiN, CrN
Coils up AlTiSiN,
.025-
Band Bimetal to 250 1-18 AlTiN, TiCN,
.065
ft. TiN, CrN
Coils up AlTiSiN,
.025-
Band Bimetal to 250 1-18 AlTiN, TiCN,
.065
ft. TiN, CrN
Coils up AlTiSiN,
.025-
Band TCT to 250 1-4 AlTiN, TiCN,
.065
ft. TiN, CrN
Coils up AlTiSiN,
.025-
Band TCT to 250 1-4 AlTiN, TiCN,
.065
ft. TiN, CrN
KINKELDER USA, Machesney Park, IL
HSS; low friction
coefficient; for steel
Pulsar Ferrous Circular 175-630 1.2-5 64-380
and stainless (300
series, 409, 412, 441)
Flying cut-
Speed- TCT, burr-free,
Ferrous off, single
Master no scarf
or twin
Tube-
TCT cutting speed:
Master Ferrous Orbital 300-420
60-120 MPM
Stainless
Flying cut- TCT and PVD-coated;
Scarf-
Ferrous off, single withstands heavy 350-600 PVD
Master®
or twin scarf
KLINGELHOFER CORP, Mountainside, NJ
Circular HSS 6-20 150-500
Circular Carbide Tipped 10-18 250-460
Circular Segmental 11-60 275-1,510

46 The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021

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 2021 Forming & Fabricating® Saw blade buyers' guide©
Application Blade
Tube and Pipe Specifications
Bar,
Blade Billet, Size Thickness Tooth Style or Pitch
Name or Castings, Flying Coatings
Identifier Forgings Stationary Cutoff Type Description In. mm In. mm In. mm Available
L.S. STARRETT CO., THE, Athol, MA
Ferrous 4-6, Positive
Versatix Ferrous Ferrous Bundled tubes and
Non- Band saw 3/4 19 .035 .90 Rake, N/A
MP Nonferrous Nonferrous structural materials
ferrous Heavy Set
Ferrous 5-8, Positive
Versatix Ferrous Ferrous Bundled tubes and
Non- Band saw 3/4 19 .035 .90 Rake, N/A
MP Nonferrous Nonferrous structural materials
ferrous Heavy Set
Ferrous 6-10, Posi-
Versatix Ferrous Ferrous Bundled tubes and
Non- Band saw 3/4 19 .035 .90 tive Rake, N/A
MP Nonferrous Nonferrous structural materials
ferrous Heavy Set
Ferrous 8-12, Posi-
Versatix Ferrous Ferrous Bundled tubes and
Non- Band saw 3/4 19 .035 .90 tive Rake, N/A
MP Nonferrous Nonferrous structural materials
ferrous Raker Set
Ferrous 10-14, Posi-
Versatix Ferrous Ferrous Bundled tubes and
Non- Band saw 3/4 19 .035 .90 tive Rake, N/A
MP Nonferrous Nonferrous structural materials
ferrous Raker Set
Ferrous 3-4, Positive
Versatix Ferrous Ferrous Bundled tubes and
Non- Band saw 1 27 .035 .90 Rake, Heavy N/A
MP Nonferrous Nonferrous structural materials
ferrous Set
Ferrous 4-6, Positive
Versatix Ferrous Ferrous Bundled tubes and
Non- Band saw 1 27 .035 .90 Rake, Heavy N/A
MP Nonferrous Nonferrous structural materials
ferrous Set
Ferrous 5-8, Positive
Versatix Ferrous Ferrous Bundled tubes and
Non- Band saw 1 27 .035 .90 Rake, Heavy N/A
MP Nonferrous Nonferrous structural materials
ferrous Set
Ferrous 6-10, Posi-
Versatix Ferrous Ferrous Bundled tubes and
Non- Band saw 1 27 .035 .90 tive Rake, N/A
MP Nonferrous Nonferrous structural materials
ferrous Heavy Set
Ferrous 8-12, Posi-
Versatix Ferrous Ferrous Bundled tubes and
Non- Band saw 1 27 .035 .90 tive Rake, N/A
MP Nonferrous Nonferrous structural materials
ferrous Raker Set
Ferrous 10-14, Posi-
Versatix Ferrous Ferrous Bundled tubes and
Non- Band saw 1 27 .035 .90 tive Rake, N/A
MP Nonferrous Nonferrous structural materials
ferrous Raker Set
Ferrous 3-4, Positive
Versatix Ferrous Ferrous Bundled tubes and
Non- Band saw 1-1/4 34 .042 1.10 Rake, Heavy N/A
MP Nonferrous Nonferrous structural materials
ferrous Set
Ferrous 4-6, Positive
Versatix Ferrous Ferrous Bundled tubes and
Non- Band saw 1-1/4 34 .042 1.10 Rake, Heavy N/A
MP Nonferrous Nonferrous structural materials
ferrous Set
Ferrous 5-8, Positive
Versatix Ferrous Ferrous Bundled tubes and
Non- Band saw 1-1/4 34 .042 1.10 Rake, Heavy N/A
MP Nonferrous Nonferrous structural materials
ferrous Set
Ferrous 6-10, Posi-
Versatix Ferrous Ferrous Bundled tubes and
Non- Band saw 1-1/4 34 .042 1.10 tive Rake, N/A
MP Nonferrous Nonferrous structural materials
ferrous Heavy Set
Ferrous 3-4, Positive
Versatix Ferrous Ferrous Bundled tubes and
Non- Band saw 1-1/2 41 .050 1.30 Rake, Heavy N/A
MP Nonferrous Nonferrous structural materials
ferrous Set
Ferrous 4-6, Posi-
Versatix Ferrous Ferrous Bundled tubes and
Non- Band saw 1-1/2 41 0.050 1.30 tive Rake, N/A
MP Nonferrous Nonferrous structural materials
ferrous Heavy Set
Ferrous 3-4, Posi-
Versatix Ferrous Ferrous Bundled tubes and
Non- Band saw 2 54 0.063 1.60 tive Rake, N/A
MP Nonferrous Nonferrous structural materials
ferrous Heavy Set

The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 47

Saw Blade BG_JF21TPJ.indd 47 1/13/21 11:08 AM

 2021 Forming & Fabricating® Saw blade buyers' guide©
Application Blade
Tube and Pipe Specifications
Bar,
Blade Billet, Size Thickness Tooth Style or Pitch
Name or Castings, Flying Coatings
Identifier Forgings Stationary Cutoff Type Description In. mm In. mm In. mm Available
MOOREFIELD SYSTEMS, Alta Loma, CA
Ferrous Band saw,
Ferrous Ferrous Bimetal, Carbide,
Non- Cold saw,
Nonferrous Nonferrous HSS
ferrous Abrasive
NEW FORM TOOLS LTD., Stratford, ON Canada
HSS, TCT (tungsten
Circular Yes
carbide tipped)
PAT MOONEY INC. MACHINE TOOL, Addison, IL
Segmental
Cold Saw Cold Saw 16-63 400-1,610 4-11
Blades
TiN, AlTiN,
Circular, Band, M2 Circular, .025-
48-384 75-630 1-5 .714-.666 1.5-33 TiCN,
Band Carbide-tipped .062
TiAlN, CrN
Kanefusa For Nakata, Kusak-
Orbital To To Proprietary
Ferro Max Ferrous abe, SMS Meer, Oto, To spec.
Cutoffs spec. spec. Coating
Tube FC-2 Sumitomo, other mills
Kanefusa
Cuts Stainless Steel To To Proprietary
Ferro Max Ferrous Ferrous Circular To spec.
Solids and Tube spec. spec. Coating
SUS
Kanefusa
Cuts Thin-wall Tube To To Proprietary
Ferro Max Ferrous Circular To spec.
and Pipe spec. spec. Coating
Tube
Kanefusa Cuts Carbon & Alloy
To To Proprietary
Ferro Max Ferrous Ferrous Circular Steel Tube, Pipe, To spec..
spec. spec. Coating
Speed Solids at High RPM
SCOTCHMAN INDUSTRIES INC., Philip, SD
Non- Nonfer-
74326 Nonferrous Circular Carbide-tipped 12 304 .085 120 40-mm bore
ferrous rous
Non- Nonfer-
74327 Nonferrous Circular Carbide-tipped 12 304 .125 72 40-mm bore
ferrous rous
Non- Nonfer-
74329 Nonferrous Circular Carbide-tipped 13.5 343 .125 84 40-mm bore
ferrous rous
74490
Non- Nonfer- 80, 95,
74495 Nonferrous Circular Carbide-tipped 20 508 .161 50-mm bore
ferrous rous 120
74500
74505 Non- Nonfer-
Nonferrous Circular Carbide-tipped 24 600 .177 72, 132 50-mm bore
74510 ferrous rous
74300
74304
Ferrous
74302 Ferrous Ferrous
Non- Circular HSS-DMO5 10 250 .080 All All
74306 Nonferrous Nonferrous
ferrous
74305
74307
74360
74361
74362 Ferrous
Ferrous Ferrous
74363 Non- Circular HSS-DMO5 10.75 275 .080 All All
Nonferrous Nonferrous
74365 ferrous
74366
74367
74309
74308
74310 Ferrous
Ferrous Ferrous
74311 Non- Circular HSS-DMO5 10.75 275 .100 All All
Nonferrous Nonferrous
74312 ferrous
74313
74314

48 The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021

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 2021 Forming & Fabricating® Saw blade buyers' guide©
Application Blade
Tube and Pipe Specifications
Bar,
Blade Billet, Size Thickness Tooth Style or Pitch
Name or Castings, Flying Coatings
Identifier Forgings Stationary Cutoff Type Description In. mm In. mm In. mm Available
74355
74356
74357
Ferrous
74345 Ferrous Ferrous
Non- Circular HSS-DMO5 12.5 315 .100 All All
74348 Nonferrous Nonferrous
ferrous
74350
74352
74354
74390
74391
74392
Ferrous
74393 Ferrous Ferrous
Non- Circular HSS-DMO5 14 350 .100 All All
74394 Nonferrous Nonferrous
ferrous
74395
74396
74397
Ferrous
Ferrous Ferrous
074372 Non- Circular Power 2000 12.5 315 .070 All All Coated
Nonferrous Nonferrous
ferrous
Ferrous
Ferrous Ferrous
074349 Non- Circular Performance 3000 12.5 315 .100 All All Coated
Nonferrous Nonferrous
ferrous
STEEL INDUSTRY SERVICES, Baltimore, MD
Ferrous Band, Wavy,
M.K. Ferrous Ferrous .035-
Non- Portable Bimetal 35-252 Raker,
Morse Nonferrous Nonferrous .045
ferrous Band Others
TRU-CUT SAW INC., Brunswick, OH
TiN, TiCN,
Ferrous
Aggressor™ Ferrous Ferrous .05- AlTiN,
Non- Circular Carbide-tipped 8-72 200-1,828
Series Nonferrous Nonferrous .600 AlTiCrN,
ferrous
AlTiSiN, Cr
TiN, TiCN,
Ferrous
Phantom Ferrous Ferrous .05- AlTiN,
Non- Circular Cermet-tipped 8-72 200-1,828
Series Nonferrous Nonferrous .600 AlTiCrN,
ferrous
AlTiSiN, Cr
TiN, TiCN,
Ferrous
Ferrous Ferrous AlTiN,
M2 Non- Circular HSS M2 4-24.8 100-630 1-5
Nonferrous Nonferrous AlTiCrN,
ferrous
AlTiSiN, Cr
TiN, TiCN,
Ferrous
Ferrous Ferrous AlTiN,
M 35 Non- Circular HSS M35 4-24.8 100-630 1-5
Nonferrous Nonferrous AlTiCrN,
ferrous
AlTiSiN, Cr
TiN, TiCN,
Ferrous
Ferrous Ferrous Coils to .025- AlTiN,
Non- Band Bimetal
Nonferrous Nonferrous 250 ft. .065 AlTiCrN,
ferrous
AlTiSiN, Cr
TiN, TiCN,
Ferrous
Ferrous Ferrous Coils to .025- AlTiN,
CT Non- Band Carbide-tipped
Nonferrous Nonferrous 250 ft. .065 AlTiCrN,
ferrous
AlTiSiN, Cr
Chrome Vanadium, Up to
CV Ferrous Ferrous Ferrous Friction 500-2,200 3.0-12.0
Flame-hardened Teeth 49.2

The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 49

Saw Blade BG_JF21TPJ.indd 49 1/13/21 11:08 AM

 ADVERTISERS Index
Airmo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
www.airmo.com

Asmag USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
www.asmagusa.com

BLM Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
www.blmgroup.com

Bystronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
www.bystronicusa.com/en/Products/tubing.com

Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, Intl. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

www.fmamfg.org

FABTECH® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
www.fabtechexpo.com

Huth - Ben Pearson International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

www.huthbenders.com

Innovative Tube Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

www.tube-equipment.com

J & S Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
www.jsmachine.com

Kent Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
www.kentcorporation.com

Mazak Optonics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
www.mazakoptonics.com

New - Form Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

www.newformtools.com

Pat Mooney Saws . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

www.patmooneysaws.com

Randolph Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
www.randolphtoolco.com

Sharpe Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
www.sharpeproducts.com

Steelcraft Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
734-522-7130, www.steelcrafttool.com

Trilogy Machinery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
www.trilogymachinery.com

TRUMPF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
info@us.trumpf.com

The Tube & Pipe Journal® (ISSN 1091-2479) is published monthly except Jan/Feb, Apr/May, Jul/Aug and Oct/Nov when it is published by-monthly by
FMA Communications Inc. 2135 Point Blvd., Elgin, IL 60123. The Tube & Pipe Journal is circulated free upon request to those who qualify and who are
involved in the tube and pipe industries. Subscription to all others is $55.00 per year. Foreign subscription is $85.00 per year. Periodicals Postage Paid at
Elgin, IL, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Tube & Pipe Journal, 2135 Point Blvd., Elgin, IL 60123, 815-399-8700,
FAX 815-484-7700.
Copyright 2021 by FMA Communications Inc. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

50 The Tube & Pipe Journal _JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021

Index_JF21TPJ.indd 50 1/13/21 8:52 AM

Index_JF21TPJ.indd 51 1/12/21 11:42 PM
 PRODUCTION MITER
SAWING REDEFINED
HIGH PRODUCTION RATES FULLY AUTOMATIC
IN STRUCTURAL TUBES LEFT/RIGHT SAWING
Nishijimax NHC-100M High-Speed BSS 360 AR
Circular CNC Miter Saw
’ Ideal for tubes, profiles with angle cuts
’ 3-4 Times faster than vertical tilt frame
band saw ’ 9"6" xx 9"6" Capacity at 90 degrees
Capacity at 45 degrees
’ Fully automatic, handling both left ’
and right miter cuts

’ Short remnant end in auto cycle

’ Automatic loading table

A miter angle adds an extra level of complication when sawing and not just because
of the longer cut. You need accuracy and repeatability in order to generate substantial
cost savings and quality parts. And adding a material handling and exit system can
dramatically improve workflow and production throughput. Count on Pat Mooney
for expertise and innovation in cutting faster, producing the best surface finish, and
automating your saw production line.

Schedule your LIVE virtual demo today!

patmooneysaws.com
800-323-7503

Index_JF21TPJ.indd 52 1/12/21 11:43 PM