Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire oilfield upset tubing

While I've cut quantities of upset tubing in the past, I just now am wondering how well a regular pipe cutter would work for the job.
In the current build, a pipe cutter would be faster than a torch, and simpler than a cut-off saw.
Experiences please?

A handheld bandsaw is your huckleberry. Let it bite on its own weight so you get a straight cut.

Mark if you don’t have a handheld bandsaw I can bring you mine if you’re gonna be a Armijo Springs!

Porta Band

I had to look up "Upset tubing". I never knew that was the formal name for drill stem. (drill stem and sucker rod are what I usually see the oilfield stuff sold as) That drill stem is usually harder than a preacher's pecker in a room full of choir boys. I hate using it, other than for a top rail on pipe fencing. You never know what it's off-gassing when you torch it and if it's ever had salt water in it. It works good for top rails, because it's so stiff. It doesn't get as much weld deflection and maintains a nice straight run.

I use this Shur Kut Jig for making my notches/saddles. It works really slick and better than anything I could do freehand.

Edit: I think the drill pipe would be much too hard for a pipecutter. They work well on mild steel, but hard steel would be a problem.

My grandson uses a Evolution cutoff saw (carbide tipped blade) on most of his fence and corral work. He does a lot of fabrication when not on the road.

Those look handy as hell for laying out saddles. I could have used a few back in '82-'86. But we would have needed jigs all the way to 16 inch.

Elbows of any angle are quick and easy, no matter the size of the pipe with a "Curve-o-Mark"

What is the diameter, weight and grade?

Cut above and below the tool joint a few inches and you’ll just be cutting regular oilfield tubular pipe, but likely thicker wall and maybe higher yield strength. A regular pipe cutter might struggle.

That tool is great for a miter on pipe, saddles not so much.

If you're cutting multiple sizes, there are lots of options. If you're using 2 3/8 of 2 7/8 pipe, the Shur-kut jig is the way to go.

Exactly, 'tis why I mentioned elbows. I also used it to lay out reducers, as in 16 inch to 10 inch pipe. Which is simply a series of short miter cuts.



Saddles, we layed out freehand, using the wraparound. And trimmed with the torch to fit well enough for welding. 90 degree saddles are pretty easy, 30 degree, 45, or 60 degree are a bit tougher. One of the toughest fitments I made was building a true Y on a 14 inch juice line. I wish I had spent more years at that craft, I enjoyed it immensely. But better pay was offered in a different part of the plant.

Just as I was concluding my service on the "pipe crew" the guys were learning to use flange gaskets for laying out saddles. But I never got into that.

I typically use a jet cutter. Sometimes a chemical cutter.

2 7/8 inch mostly.
Posts are standing, cutting with my porta- band would be a PITA.
Reason I was asking.
I can cut saddles well enough, and just 90*cuts as needed - guess I'll just use the torch.

Thanks for the answers, guys!

I use my Metabo cutoff with CGW slicer wheels. Cleaner cuts especially if the tubing has some scale inside it, less fire danger too since there’s no big molten slag coming off. Wear good eye and ear protection though. I do saddles with it too much of the time.

I’d go Porta band saw or a torch

I know this an old post and you've probably found your solution. But I'll offer this tip for anyone building a pipe fence.

Set all your poles and leave them just slightly long. Then, take a string and route it pole to pole, following your upper rail height that you want. (I keep the string in position on each pole with a loosely pulled plastic zip tie.) Step back a decent distance and see how that string aesthetically follows the contour of the grade. Go adjust the string height at each pole as necessary to give the sweep of the ground contour you like. DO NOT make a story pole and mark each pole or your top rail will be as wavy as all get out.

Once that string looks like the way you want your top rail to look, take a soap stone and mark where the string hits on each post. Pull the string down and clamp your Shurkut jig where it hits each soap stone mark and cut your saddles. Your cutting torch tip rides on the very edge of the Shurcut jig, so your not freehanding and your cuts come out very high quality with minimal dross and grinder touchup necessary.

I use a builders level, stringline, Metabo jigs, and whatever else it takes to get a good job done.

Butting guardrail into 2 7/8 pipe posts, on the ends of runs & offsetting 2 7/8 line posts.
Using a 2 3/8 top rail, butted into the end posts & made top clips out of 3" angle, capping the line posts, & holding the top rail from the side.
A 3" piece of 1 1/2" angle supports the top rail from underneath.
Quick and simple as I could come up with - while being pretty stout.

Oilfield tubing and drill pipe are two different animals. Tubing is primarily used for production purposes and drill pipe is used by the drilling rig to drill the hole. Several other difference, such as weight of the pipe, hardness, threads, what the pipe is made of, etc. Tubing is not nearly as tough as drill pipe.

It may be a bit inconvenient*, but a "chop" (miter?) saw with a good metal cutting blade is the cat's meow for clean, square cuts!

* - set up on a table in a shop to support both ends of the pipe.