Swapped my bevel gauge for a digital angle finder on Friday

Ngl I used to fight with my bevel gauge for 20 minutes on every pipe saddle, trying to transfer angles to the plate. I finally grabbed a digital angle finder at the supply house near the Gary mill last week. Changed my layout time by about 15 minutes per fitting. Anyone else ditch the old school tools for something faster?

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the_jordan3mo ago

Grabbed one myself after watching an old timer zip through a 6 inch saddle in like two minutes flat. Saves a ton of headache when you're marking up stainless too, since flipping a bevel gauge around always risked scratching the surface. Do you use the magnetic kind that sticks to the pipe, or the one with the locking arm?

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dakotacraig3mo ago

Man, I gotta say the magnetic kind changed the game for me. But here's something nobody brings up - if you're working with thin wall tubing, that magnet can actually warp the pipe slightly when you're trying to get a perfect transfer. You gotta be careful not to let it pull too hard or you'll end up with a cut that's slightly off. I stick with the locking arm for that reason, even though it's slower to set up.

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