Jig Makes Pipe Welding Easier

Jig Makes Pipe Welding Easier FARM SHOP Tools 26-6-39 Anyone who has ever tried to tach weld a nipple fitting onto a steel pipe or tank knows it can be tricky. You have to hold the fitting with one hand and at the same time tach weld it into place with the other, all the time keeping the fitting level. A new welding jig makes the job a lot easier. The Align-O-Let can be used on pipe from 1/2 to 2 in. in diameter. "It lets you work with your hands free and takes all the guesswork out of welding on pipe," says inventor John Davio, Whitecourt, Alberta. The tool is shaped like a small sawhorse. There's a 2-in. dia. opening in the middle, with a thumb screw on one side and a leveling bubble on the other side. You insert the fitting you want to weld through the opening and use the thumb screw to tighten it down. Then you adjust the jig as needed and make a couple of tach welds to hold it in place. "It makes a very tedious fitting job much easier," says Davio. "It works just as well on flat surfaces as it does on pipes, so you can also use it to weld fittings and spigots onto fuel tanks, water tanks, etc. It also works great for welding threaded fittings onto hydraulic cylinders where the hose hooks onto the cylinder. "The tool is made of a composite material with a melting temperature of 500 degrees F., so as you tach weld the electrical current can't go through the tool and cause it to weld itself to the pipe. Sparks from the welder will just bounce off the tool without sticking to it." Davio says the Align-O-Let can also be used to help you cut out the hole in the pipe where you plan to install the fitting. "The tool makes it much easier to find top dead center and mark where to cut the hole," he says. Sells for $59 (U.S.) including S&H. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, John Davio Welding Ltd., 16 Chickadee Drive, Whitecourt, Alberta, Canada T7S 1G3 (ph 780 778-3597).

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