If you’re a welder and are looking for the best way to cut tube and pipe, you have two options: use an orbital tube-facing tool or try your hand at cutting your materials with a saw-zaw or bandsaw. While unguided saws can adequately cut tube and pipe, it’s important to remember that proper cutting tools will save you time and money in the long run, especially when it comes to having materials be weld ready immediately after you cut. While buying a whole new tool can be expensive upfront, the investment in an orbital saw, like the Axxair CC172, can save pipe fitters, welders, and manufacturing teams priceless time and resources. We're exploring the big differences between orbital saws and free-handed cuts.
The benefits of using an orbital saw
An orbital welding saw can cut tube and pipe with little need for facing and deburring the workpiece. Using a saw, like an Axxair system, creates a seamless connection between the workpieces. With the concentric clamping system on the saw, you can also quickly change the size of the material you're cutting. Orbital saws are also far faster than hand-cutting or bandsaws. Lab tests have shown a 3-inch 304L stainless steel tube can be cut in as little as 20 seconds (Axxair).
You're also able to use a wide range of blades to cut your materials. Most orbital saws are able to equip stainless steel, titanium nitrate, oversized, broad-toothed, and standard cutting blades onto their heads. The motors on Axxair saws even provide flexibility in the position of the motor. You can attach the motor to the machine's inside or outside frame to cut oversized tubes and pipes.
The drawbacks of using band saws and free-hand cuts
Band saws are often more readily available and more affordable than orbital welding tools, but they can leave end prep work on the pipe or tubing that needs taken care of before it can be welded. Free-hand sawing often causes an uneven cut where one side of the workpiece has a clean face and the other does not, so welders need to spend time with a file or grinder to get them ready for welding. While facing your workpiece is something we always recommend using a subpar cutting method can often require operators to measure cut excess material to make sure they have the correct length after facing or deburring reducing the efficacy of the purchased material.
Why an orbital saw is the best choice for welders
Welders need quality weld prep to create a good weld, and using free-hand saws or bandsaws can result in a rough cut, which can negatively affect the quality of the weld. Orbital welding tools like the ones from Axxair and MIT give an almost weld-ready cut to tube and pipe with little need for facing. This helps them save time and get back to welding faster while ensuring that they have the best possible materials to work with to create a quality weld.
Welders need quality weld prep to create a good weld, and using free hand saws or bandsaws can result in a rough cut, which can negatively affect the quality of the weld. Orbital welding tools like the one's from Axxair and MIT give an almost weld ready cut to tube and pipe with little need for facing. This helps them save time and get back to welding faster, while ensuring that they have the best possible materials to work with to create a quality weld.