Pro tip: A simple change to my pipe bevel prep cut my weld time in half

I was working on a 6-inch carbon steel header in a plant near Toledo last month. My old way was to just grind the bevel and go, but it always took me two full passes to fill the joint. This time, I spent an extra five minutes with a die grinder to put a tight, clean 1/16-inch land on the pipe edge before the bevel. The difference was huge. The root pass went in perfectly smooth in one go, and the whole weld was done way faster. Has anyone else tried this on schedule 80 pipe?

3 comments

3 Comments

oscar_ellis17d ago

Yeah, that land makes all the difference on the root. I run a 3/32 land on most of my sch 80 work. It gives the rod a place to sit so you don't blow through as easy. Saves a ton of time on the hot pass too.

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quinn9685d ago

I've found the angle of your grind matters just as much as the land size. A 10 degree angle on the bevel with that 3/32 land gives a wider shelf for the rod to rest on before the feather edge. It stops that roll-in feeling.

blair_dixon17d ago

Totally get what you mean about the land giving the rod a place to sit. I was working on some 2-inch sch 80 last week and tried a tighter land, maybe a 1/16. Man, it was a fight the whole time, kept wanting to drop through. Went back to my usual 3/32 and it was like night and day, just a smooth ride all the way around. That little bit of extra room makes everything so much easier to control.