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Paper Template Generator -- TubeNotcher Update

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zipzit

Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2010
Messages
9
Location
Las Vegas, NV / USA
I'm the person who wrote the tubenotcher software at CobraTorch.net and as NovaCycles.com a few years ago. That software was based in Java, which hasn't kept up with the times.. There are a lot of security warnings and that kept folks away. I've been working on an update, which runs much better (JavaScript). I've also added a many new features. (Inches or MM, exhaust collector, a bit of square tubing or flat material mate up, elliptical tubes, etc...)

Paper templates offers a low budget home builder a chance to make an awesome project, with high quality, at no cost for expensive tooling. The program includes material thickness calculations, as well as centerline intersection references, so in theory you could cut long tubes, with notches at both ends in PERFECT location, without fancy fixtures (not that I'd recommend building that way, but you could...) Edge references are printed out right on the copy.

Simple-Tube-Notcher-wText.jpg


I would love to get some feedback on this thing. Are there any special features or special joints that are really hard to do on custom airplanes? The bicycle guys had a real problem on the seat stays to seat tube joint.. I added that feature for them. I've never done any airplane work, but any there any really hard things to do? (templates? Joints??) Something I could help with? How about more than two tubes doing a join up, with all center lines in a single flat plane? Do they do that on airplanes?


One feature I've worked hard on is exhaust style collectors.. either used for decorative purposes, or for exhausts, or hey, for tool or table stands. Is that something of interest to anybody? 2, 3, 4, 5, X into one?
manifold_03.jpg
7ee13c411b8e2815.jpg


Output is .pdf files, and that even works well for large tubing.. Adobe Acrobat Reader (free) allows you to print out large printouts on multiple sheets of paper. Adobe adds alignment tic marks and labels each page for you via the Poster option.


And hey, this software might even be helpful to the guys with the big machines. I'm not sure you could do this cut in a horizontal band saw. I just cut an accurate 20 degree angle in a 3" tube with my Portaband saw, but only because I marked out the entire cut before I started. (Was it flawless perfect? No, I had to take a few strokes with the file to make it that way.)

3inch tube on portaband.jpg



No cost. Click here, try it, let me know?


LB Corney
(Former Automotive OEM Design/New Model Launch)
Freelance Software Developer, DogFeatherDesign
Las Vegas
 
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