ebruce1361
The man with the plan. And some duct tape.
Here's a simple tube marking and cutting rig if you need something more versatile than the yellow tube marking rings from Estes. It's a scrap 2X4, a metal yardstick, a three foot length of angle aluminum, a plastic clamp, scraps of wood (I used a large paint stir stick) some screws, and silicone glue. The angle aluminum is screwed down first, and a tiny hole it drilled (I used 1/32") near the end of the aluminum (placement of the hole doesn't need to be exact, but less than an inch from the end). From there, silicone glue is applied to the wood behind the aluminum, and the ruler is placed in it. This allows you time to line up the zero mark exactly with the hole you drilled. While that's drying overnight, glue two square wood scraps to the jaws of a plastic clamp. Be sure the edges line up, but it doesn't have to be perfect since the plastic clamps have a little flex to them anyway. You'll be accounting for misalignment with each use.
Presto! To use, place the clamp vertically on the angle aluminum with one jaw at the length you want. Adjust the other jaw to line up with the first one. Place your tube in the angle up against the second wood jaw, poke a pencil tip through the hole, and rotate the tube. From there, you can wrap the tube with layers of masking tape and cut along the edge like normal, or you can poke the tip of and xacto knife blade through the same hole. Depending on how far up from the bottom of the angle aluminum you make the hole, this rig can accommodate nearly any diameter tube. I am able to mark everything from 13mm to 4in. I'm sure it could work with even bigger tubes, but I didn't have any on hand to test with.
Presto! To use, place the clamp vertically on the angle aluminum with one jaw at the length you want. Adjust the other jaw to line up with the first one. Place your tube in the angle up against the second wood jaw, poke a pencil tip through the hole, and rotate the tube. From there, you can wrap the tube with layers of masking tape and cut along the edge like normal, or you can poke the tip of and xacto knife blade through the same hole. Depending on how far up from the bottom of the angle aluminum you make the hole, this rig can accommodate nearly any diameter tube. I am able to mark everything from 13mm to 4in. I'm sure it could work with even bigger tubes, but I didn't have any on hand to test with.
