How to best cut PE Port Tubes"

[irishrugby]

So I have some PE flared port tubes that I need to cut down, but I am not exactly what the best method is. Its not PVC, so I am not sure about pipe cutters, and I don't have a miter box/saw. I am thinking about using a dremel, but not sure how well thats going to work.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[shawn_a]

Just use any kind of saw. Hacksaw, jigsaw, tablesaw, bandsaw, seesaw....

If you use the Dremel be aware that the port material gives off some pretty funky aroma when it gets hot and melty.

shawn

[irishrugby]

Yeah, thats what I was worried about with the dremel, as i was expecting melting, which probably isn't good. Looks like I will just go with the seesaw.

Thanks much.

[mstar]

> Yeah, thats what I was worried about with
> the dremel, as i was expecting melting,
> which probably isn't good. Looks like I will
> just go with the seesaw.

> Thanks much.

How important is it to have a rear flare? can you cut two with the flared end and join them so there is an intake flare as well? How would you join the two?

[kene]

> How important is it to have a rear flare?
> can you cut two with the flared end and join
> them so there is an intake flare as well?
> How would you join the two?

Cut your stuff correctly, and you may get lucky and find correctly-sized PVC joiners at your local home-improvement store, which you can use to bond your flares together using a PVC bonding compound such as "Red Hot Blue Glue". If no appropriate joiners can be found, you can rig one up using the scrap PVC "rings" you've cut away.

Flares are not an absolute necessity when you have reasonably large ports. My rule of thumb here is to keep the port diameter close to at least half the diameter of the woofer it's being coupled with, and I do fine without any substantial flaring. As you get smaller than this, flaring gradually becomes more important, and it does help to flare the inside as well as the outside.