This video is about making a light-duty chain from PVC pipe. Individual links are cut to about 7/16" and then every other link is split for connecting them together. Without cementing the splits, this chain will break at around 15 lbs. of tension- so be advised, and be careful, if kids are using it for play.
For those of you without a band-saw, there are other ways to do this. I started out by using the table-saw (and a sled), but the jig was a bit more involved, and the blade would sometimes chatter against the sides of the pipe as the cut went in the whole way. Another alternative: if you've ever seen one of those little wooden mitre boxes, the ones that use a back saw (or box saw), it wouldn't be so bad to make a small length of chain using one of those. Before you complain about the hard work, remember- PVC is hollow, so you're mostly cutting air.
If I were asked to batch this chain out, like if I had to make 100' of it, I would use a mitre saw. Hear me out on this method, because I've done something like this before. To keep those little circles from rolling all over the place and exploding behind the blade guard, it works nicely to tape three pieces of pipe together with masking tape. That way, each slice will fall away in a triangular arrangement, and the thin piece of tape holding the bundle together can easily be peeled off. Using a mitre saw also makes a cut smooth enough that you can skip the sanding. Next process for the batching involves cutting large amounts of thin slits for those split-links. For that, my first attempt would involve the hacksaw. A simple jig made from a dowel with a cut down its length could have a dozen links slid onto it, and then be fit into the vice to make the cut. A hacksaw has a thin kerf (cut), so it would be less noticeable and easier to repair with cement than, for example, cutting down the length of the pipe with a table-saw prior to cutting away the links.
As an aside, if you do ever want to make a rip cut in PVC using the table-saw, the art is in keeping it straight. If the pipe is short, an easy trick for this is to put a screw in the end, for a reference point. If the screw remains against the table-saw's deck for the entire cut, the cut will be straight. For a longer section of pipe, you may want to just tape it to a 2x4, or if batching, make a jig, perhaps something similar to a tapering jig. See the theme yet? Carpentry operations are always task-specific; there is typically no blueprint for it, because you must constantly balance the importance of the operation against time, expense, safety, repeatability, accuracy, visibility, and patron pickiness. I guess that sort of creative liberty can be appealing to some, because it gives the creator a sense of autonomy and agency, but the downside is that there is just no sure recipe for innovation under pressure. My advice? never stop tinkering! Tinkering is the fickle father of invention, and you already know his more demanding mistress.
Hey, all of those stupid skills gained on the fly do actually transfer to other facets of life, you know (kinda like reading does). So think of tinkering as a R&D investment.
Thanks for reading.
-pocket
26 янв 2017
