Kevin needs to cut a steel pipe lengthwise at a taper (why make it easy?!), so he gets out the extenders for his plasma cutter’s “training wheels” for the first time to help him do it. In this how-to video, he shows how the extenders work so the plasma cutter’s tip can have enough clearance as it rolls down the round pipe. First, he shows the extenders, or extensions, on the collar that goes on the bushing of the plasma cutter. The extensions make up for the roundness of the steel pipe. He shows how he usually mounts the training wheels, which help him get a smooth cut as he moves along the surface, to cut a flat piece of metal. Then he shows how the extenders address the roundness of the pipe so the cutting tip won’t drag. He clamps down his piece of steel pipe to his work table, attaches his ground to the table so it is out of the way, then attaches a clamp on the other end of the metal pipe to get his shape and stablize the pipe. He explains that the wheels that are now installed on the cutting head want to go straight, so he has to, as he says, “go two ways at once” to get it to follow the chalk line he has drawn on the pipe to get his taper. Next Kevin does a dry run, starting off the edge of the metal pipe and then aligning the seam on the head of the plasma cutting torch with the chalk line. Then he puts on his safety gear, fires up the plasma cutter, and cuts the metal pipe. He shows the section he cut out, and signs off so he can clean up the cut, and put the pipe back on the slip roll to get his shape the way he wants it.
