# Cutting and joining pipe

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cutting-and-joining-pipe/954625>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 19, 2021, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cutting-and-joining-pipe/954625 "2021-11-19T13:13:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2021, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cutting-and-joining-pipe/954625/1 "2021-11-19T13:13:14Z")

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Earlier this week I helped my sister take down and old clothes line. It consisted of two “T” posts with the clothes lines running between.  
The “T” posts were metal tubes about 2 1/2 or 3 inches in diameter. Where the cross bar and upright were joined, the upright was cut such that it formed a saddle that conformed to the shape of the cross bar. How is that saddle measured, figured, and cut?

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**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2021, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cutting-and-joining-pipe/954625/2 "2021-11-19T13:36:37Z")

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With a [tube/pipe notcher](https://www.amazon.com/Woodward-Fab-Tube-Pipe-Notcher-WFN6/dp/B01G9B2M0Y) and a hole saw with matching diameter. Or, if you prefer to do without, this guy seems to do okay.

[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/mHBanmfn_CA/maxresdefault.jpg "TFS: How to Notch Tubes Without a Tube Notcher") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHBanmfn_CA)

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**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2021, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cutting-and-joining-pipe/954625/3 "2021-11-19T13:40:45Z")

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I don’t know how that particular assembly was manufactured, but the “saddle” is just a circular cut matching the OD of the other piece of pipe. There are many types of grinding and cutting tools that come in standard circular shapes. I doubt it was ground, but a circular cutter would do the job very quickly. I’m sure they had a standard jig set up so they could just clamp the vertical pipe in place and move it to the cutter (or vice-versa).

Darn! Ninjaed. Of course, I’m thinking of a manufacturing environment emphasizing production and speed.

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**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2021, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cutting-and-joining-pipe/954625/4 "2021-11-19T15:38:46Z")

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You can get templates that wrap around the pipe. A skilled fitter can pretty much cut a notch by eyeball and then tune it with a grinder.