Tubing Tool Controversy

[wnybassman]

I am putting 20 of my taps on tubing this year and will do the remaining 15+ next year, and I bought the one handed tool from Bascom's. I have only pressed on a handful of fittings so far, but I already see the value in this tool. It took me since last spring to decide on whether or not to buy it, but sure glad I did. Being a very small operation like myself, I figure this tool will last me a lifetime if I take care of it.

[BAP]

VTTSA Don't feel bad about chewing your tubing. I think a lot of these guys on here are too young to know that chewing tubing to put it on fittings used to be a necessary evil of sugaring. Having tools to put the fittings together is a relatively new invention. Every fitting had to have the tubing chewed to get it in. Hard on the teeth and jaw. The old Lamb tubing and fittings that would break if you looked at them wrong, led to a lot of chewing when tapping to keep everything fixed. Unfortunately, most of the tubing tools you can buy for way overprice, are not really very well designed for the fittings. The one handed tools, have slots in them too big to grab the fitting properly. The fitting manufacturers don't put any effort into designing fittings that the tools can grab on both sides easily, in fact most of the tee, "Y" and connector designs are the same ones used before rigid tubing. Nowadays, having at least 1 single sided tubing tool is really a must for getting the fittings in new tubing properly. It will take a little more time with a single sided tool versus having both a single and double tool, but it can be done if you are on a tight budget.

[FDA]

I'm with you Russell. I was a heavy truck/equipment mechanic for many years, and have fabricated countless tools. Now, the one thing I don't mind paying for is the proper tool. Running tubing can be frustrating enough at times without having something that doesn't work quite right. I work 10+ hours at my day job and do this on the side, so don't have much time in my life for reinventing the wheel. That being said though, if I were doing this as a hobby with 100 taps, it would be hard to justify buying these tools.

I couldn't agree more with both of you! No since in wasting hours making junk. With 100 taps buying or making a tool is a waste of time, just use hot water.

[wishlist]

Wishlist

When you cut your handles off replace them with pipe instead. I made one that looked just like yours last year and it was hard on the hands. I also widened out the handles for leverage but used pipe instead of flat and it should be easier on the hands. Put the end of the pie that will be welded to the flat in a vise and flatten out, this will weld up easier.

Good idea SS.