So I've been making a few manifolds. Currently I cut the stainless weld elbows with a 1mm cutting disk on a hand grinder and then swap to a 60 grit flap disc to put the bevel on.

Is there a more consistent and quicker way of doing this?

Do most people use an abrasive chop saw? Or perhaps a horizontal band saw? Which cuts straighter? How long does the blade last cutting stainless?

And is there a better way to put the bevel on?

Any advice appreciated.

Doug.

 

Depends on how deep your pockets are. I could not imagine making a manifold with hand cut pieces.

I use a chop saw because its cheap plus the cutting wheels are cheap and readily available almost anywhere.

step up to a band saw which is a little slower cut but doesnt have near the clean up but with a much higher cost from a chop saw.

then there is a cold saw which doesnt have large amounts of clean up either but the cost of a cold saw is pretty large.

all depends on how often you make a manifold and how much money you can afford to put towards shop tools.

 

Port-a-band with a stand does the trick but is more for flat pieces IMHO. (I have one)
The little band saws will also do the trick for a little extra coin.

If "cutting time" is an issue for you, I'd go with a chop saw that will allow you to fit one of thee Carbide Tipped Circular Saw Blade (Milwuakee is my pers pref)
^These blades are NOT cheap but will last a long time.

 

I built my first couple of manifolds with a chop saw. Still not sure how i never lost a finger. But then I started using a 20 year old band saw that kept my fingers safe but took 10 mins to cut a piece of schedule 10.

Finally I said **** it and bought this:

Grizzly.comŽ --

I love it and it use it for everything I can.

Not cheap, but time is money.

I use a Porter Cable sander from Lowes to bevel the edges and a Northern Tool bench grinder with a wire wheel to polish. I plan to upgrade the Norther Tool unit after the new year.