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Round Tube to Square Tube-- Possible Processes

7.92 NorCal

Plastic
Joined
Jul 11, 2019
I'm doing a personal project that requires thin walled square mild steel tubing. Something around 1 1/4" with 18ish gauge wall. It's a very small project, i'd only need about a foot of the stuff.

In short, my question is if had say, 3/4" round tube with 18 gauge walls, would it be feasible to turn it into previously mentioned square tubing? Some sort of swaging operation, perhaps? Final wall thickness isn't particularly important, although internal dimensions would be. Some quick math tells me the amount of material would be there, but actual processes are outside my knowledge.

Other possibly more practical options include machining down larger tubing, or doing a stamping. I'm just curious if an operation like this is even a thing, and be worth looking into.

Or perhaps there's a source for small quantities of thin walled square tubing that I haven't come across.

Open to everyone's thoughts and suggestions!
 
16 gauge isn't close enough. I've already checked easy sources like that, speedymetals, onlinemetals, metalsdepot etc. Big places don't have it, and I haven't come across any place that does. At least not any place that without a minimum order.
 
Well swaging round tube to make readily available square tube at face value of what your asking sounds stupid "no offense". What's wrong with 1.25" x .065" wall square tube? There's many eays to skin a cat, but a drawing of what your trying to accomplish would be helpful.
 
just another tool for the toolbox, dude. thats why i was asking about processes. just exploring my options.
 
Grinding .065 down to .048 wall x 12" long on 4 sides is an easy job for a wet surface grinder.

One might trepan cutter it on a mill.

I might would fill it with wax or low melt plastic to make it more solid
 
I overlooked where you say you only need a foot. If wall thickness isn't important, but 16 ga. isn't close enough (contradicting?), what exactly are you looking for?
 
Could also bend and whatever size tube you want from 18ga. steel sheet. I could do it for you on the cheap depending on tolerances and corner radii.

1.25" x .065" wall square tube may work too, it sounds like you need the 18ga. wall, question is where does the material have to be removed, OD or ID?

What's exact dimensions and tolerances of what your looking for?
 
QT Op: [requires thin walled square mild steel tubing. Something around 1 1/4" with 18ish gauge wall.

Taking from outer wall would be easy but it would no longer be 1 1/4"

16G (.059)to 18G (.048) would be about .022 smaller than 1 1/4" (.011 per side)

If that was Ok then a surface grinder or mill job.

Perhaps fill it with wax to make it stiff.

Quick job on a surface grinder because little set-up time required. would use a course wheel and full wheel to take .008 the full side with long travel and down feed, wet grinding,then incremental cross the last .002. Flip and do next side. So about 10 minuet a side for a 50 minuet job.

Grinding for steel tube, for aluminum would trepan or end mill it on a mill.
 
Depending on the specifications of the transition from round to square, you might be able to start with round tube and with a solid square insert of the correct size for the internal dimensions, forge the round to square around the square. Probably not a fast process.

Bob
WB8NQW
 
I'm doing a personal project that requires thin walled square mild steel tubing. Something around 1 1/4" with 18ish gauge wall. It's a very small project, i'd only need about a foot of the stuff.

In short, my question is if had say, 3/4" round tube with 18 gauge walls, would it be feasible to turn it into previously mentioned square tubing? Some sort of swaging operation, perhaps? Final wall thickness isn't particularly important, although internal dimensions would be. Some quick math tells me the amount of material would be there, but actual processes are outside my knowledge.

What you trying to do is not clear to me. I was first thinking you wanted to make a round to square transition piece, going from 3/4 round to 1 1/4 sq.
When you say the material is there what do you mean, and how did you figure it. My math says 3/4 tube is aprox 2 3/8 inches around(.75x3.14) and 1 1/4 tube is more than double that at 5 inches (1 1/4x4).
Do you just want to make 1 1/4 tubing out of 3/4 round you already have? I dont see this ever happening, wall is to thin and will tear if you try to swage it that far.
 
I concur with Rob F., it is not feasible to turn 3/4 round tube into 1-1/4 square tube without a substantial amount of equipment and research. Maybe even a wand.
 
It's very possible and very feasible if you use the proper material. Normal steel? No way. But gold? Easy. Gold is very malleable and can be formed in this manner. I'd use gold.
 
Take 2 pieces of the 3/4, 1 foot long each. Split them down the centerline and flatten them out. Then form them into 1-1/4" angle. Then just weld the 2 [pieces of angle together to make a square tube.

Simple. :nutter:

I've got some 1-1/4" square sitting here but it's .083 wall...
 
1 1/4 pipe forges to 1 1/4 square with small radius edges. Not all pipe sizes do this 1 to 1 relationship. even the thinnest schedule is .06 I think. Maybe conduit? or, just buy square tube, at 7.25$/hr you can get a 2 feet of square tube delivered while you use that time to muck out work area for the bigger project in need of tube.
 
What is the issue with moderation lately? We’ve got this guy, that fool trying to kludge together a lathe from a transmission shaft, and the idiocy on peck drilling being “bad”, as a 3rd grader might say.

This site really has fallen from grace.
 
What is the issue with moderation lately? We’ve got this guy, that fool trying to kludge together a lathe from a transmission shaft, and the idiocy on peck drilling being “bad”, as a 3rd grader might say.

This site really has fallen from grace.

And that's without page upon page of postings on centring work in a 4 jaw and draw filing ;- both 1st year apprentice subjects. :rolleyes5:
 








 
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