Cutting a 275 gallon tank

[Pete S]

Well,........spring is coming,.......right? Anyway, I'm looking to cut the 275 gallon barrel that I have to make a temp/outdoor evaporator for my 3 x 2 & 2 x 1 pans.

I tried to search and find threads that had folks various methods of doing the deed.

I have an old circular saw that I would use an abrasive blade(s) to do it,..........just looking for soem tips and ideas,..........other than HEARING PROTECTION! This is gonna be loud!

Thanks!

[The Birdman]

goggles going to be alot of sparks. get 2 or 3 blades they wear out fast.

[brookledge]

I'd either cut it with a plasma cutter or a demo saw(chain saw with a round blade).You could probably rent a saw from a rental place. Cutting with a hand circular saw will be very slow.
keith

[swud11]

A sawzall with a good metal cutting blade works great.

[twobears1224]

i just cut mine with a sawzall..zipped right thur it with one blade!!

delbert

[lpakiz]

Yep, did the sawzall thing too--about 10 minutes.. I skipped an inch here and there to hold everything together till I was done cutting, then snipped those last bits holding it together...

[Haynes Forest Products]

I have cut drums with my air chisel if you get the Home Depot Cambell Hausefeld setup there cheap and come with the 3 finger cutter will go thru anything.

[Grade "A"]

You could try clamping angle iron to the tank to help keep a straight line when cutting. A good sawall blade will make fast work of a tank.

[BarrelBoiler]

did mine with an angle grinder the small wheels didn't last long i think it took 3.. for info's sake ther is an overlap of steel where the weld is on the side

[C.Wilcox]

Another vote for sawzall. Worked like a charm. I would make sure you have someone standing by with a fire extinguisher in case any residual fuel oil in the drum decides to catch fire.

[jtthibodeau]

15 years or so ago, a friend of mine used a setup that was manufactured from a fuel oil tank. I recall the top third was removed, shortened and re-welded upside down to the end to lengthen the unit. Of course, the ends were removed. Angle iron was welded to the perimeter and, it carried a 6 foot raised flue pan with a 2 ft. syrup pan. Just food for thought....

I'll also vote for a sawzall because most people have one. But, the plasma cutter would be on the top of my list if one was available.

[Dave Y]

I would borrow or rent a nibbler,so ar air and some are electric. I would go to the rental store and try to find one. Another place to look is your local auto body shop.

[The Birdman]

They have reg metal blades for skil saw. I cut 55 gal drums with a panling blade works great.

[wolfram]

Not sure if the tank ever held flammable material, you might want to review the following thread and the thread that is referenced in it. Safety First.

Cutting Tanks (http://mapletrader.com/community/showthread.php?t=5012&highlight=cutting+fuel+tank)

[smitty76]

One advantage of useing a sawsall is the lower risk of fire or explosion. They do not create the heat or sparks that grinder/cutting wheels or cutting torches/plasma cutters do.

[KenWP]

I watched a guy braze a gas tank with a torch once as a kid. He would only do it if the tank was full of gas.
I have only had a furnace blow up in my face and that's enough for me. Eyebrows took a while to grow back. I would be pretty carefull with a used tank if I ever cut one.

[NH Maplemaker]

Last time We worked on a tank that was used for fuel. We put water in it to the level just below were we wanted to cut it! Worked well! No fumes,No sparks Jim L.

[Brian Ryther]

When I weld on fuel tanks I fill them with Argon.

[wegnerwelding]

Pete, bring it up here and we'll cut it with the plasma cutter. I have all of the above means of cutting. Milwaukee metal cutting circular saw, sawzall, and plasma cutter.

[buxtonboiler]

I just did the same thing this summer. Tried the circular saw, broke the hub out of the blade. Switched to sawsall and angle iron guide, worked like a charm.

[Breezy Lane Sugarworks]

If the tank had flamable liquids in it deffinitely don't hit it with sparks right away. try to flush it out and then make sure the bungs are out of it to relieve any pressure. I welded on a 55 gallon barrel this fall that had waste oil in it at one time, but the barrel was empty at the time of welding. and it had been outside in the sun all day and the fumes were under quite some pressure because the caps were still on. well as i went along a a spark dripped through the barrel and it all went bad from there. the top blew off, sent me against the wall, and the barrel went about 9 feet in the air and landed in the open hood of a truck. several face fractures and 2 small skull fractures. there are 4 hours i don't remember and started remembering when i was getting transferred to a different hospital. was in the house for a week and a half and couldnt lift for a month. I'm NOT trying to make anybody feel sorry for me and whatnot, but i just wanted to let you guys know what COULD happen so it does NOT happen to anybody else!

[KenWP]

I grew up in the oil feilds of Alberta. Seen more then one blow up where people thought it was safe untill things went worng. Or the guy who stored gasoline in his basement apartment due to a price war.

[Goggleeye]

I just finished cutting a 400 gal with an angle grinder. It did burn through 2 thin cutting wheels, but worked well for me.

[Pete S]

Here's a few photos of my progress. Please don't grade welding.

As of these photos, including the fire brick (I have about 360) it's all reclaimed stuff.

Hope to test boil in a week'er so. I have a 2 x 3 and a 1 x 2 that will sit on the upper portion. Plans are to have the stack out the top of the back. I was going to leave the back of the tank there as a manifold, BUT that would eliminate space for my coffee pot and a cooking surface,.............I have my priorities!

Looking for a door!!!!!!!

Would rather use an old cast door off a furnace/boiler, than make one but will do what I need to get'er dun!

Pete