Tube & Pipe Notchers

To notch a tube so that it fits cleanly against another tube, the hole saw size must match the Outside Diameter (OD) of the tube it is intersecting with, not the tube you are cutting.

You should use a hole saw that matches the outside diameter (OD) of the receiving tube that your notched piece will be welded onto, rather than the OD of the tube being cut.

A tube and pipe notcher shapes the end of a metal tube or pipe into a precise fishmouth curve so it can fit snugly and weld cleanly against the curved surface of another piece of stock.

Specialty Metalworking & Fabrication Suppliers: Trick-Tools, Summit Racing, and Speedway Motors offer top-tier fabrication notchers (like JMR and Baileigh). Industrial Machinery Distributors: Northern Tool, Grainger, and Acme Tools stock benchtop hole-saw notchers and commercial units. General Hardware & Tool Outlets: Home Depot, Harbor Freight, and specialized welding distributors carry budget-friendly hobbyist options.

Hole-Saw Tubing Notchers: The most popular style for home and custom shops, which mounts into a drill press or uses a hand drill/bench vise to spin a standard bi-metal hole saw across the end of a tube at adjustable angles. End Mill / Milling Notchers: Heavy-duty vertical or horizontal milling machines using solid carbide or high-speed steel end mills for hyper-precise, high-production notches in heavy-wall tubing. Notch Press / Punch Presses: Dedicated hydraulic or manual punch units that shear a clean fishmouth curve into thin-wall tubing in a single stroke without twisting forces. Contour / Belt Sanders (Tube Copers): Industrial belt grinders equipped with matching curved contact wheels that grind away the end of a pipe rapidly against a coarse abrasive belt.