To deburr or not to deburr? Any Ham Radio do-it-yourselfer who has suffered a painful cut while working with machined metal or plastic tubing knows there can only be one answer to that question.
Further, taking the time to remove burrs—those thin, knife-sharp raised edges that appear after cutting or drilling—can ensure your projects look great and tubing sections fit properly without any hassle. Skip deburring and you save a few minutes but ultimately pay in bandages and dollar bills tossed in the swear jar. Devote some time with the proper tools and your tubing’s edges and boom holes will have a smooth, professional finish for your next antenna or other home-brew project.
Now that we’ve all agreed about the importance of deburring, the next step is finding the right tools for the job. A good place to start—and end your search—is DX Engineering. DX Engineering offers two types of deburring devices: Tube Deburring Reamers and the Adjustable Deburring Tool.
DX Engineering reversible reamer-style deburrers feature hardened steel cutting surfaces arranged in a conical shape. Both the interior and exterior of the tool’s cone may be used to smooth the rough edges of the inside and outside of the cut ends of pipe and tubing, whether made of aluminum, fiberglass, copper, steel, or plastic. These tools’ rotational symmetry allows easy reaming and deburring of rough-cut tubing edges with minimum effort, ensuring smooth telescoping of sections without galling and seizing that can occur with the slightest roughness.
The DXE-UT-2125 tube deburring tool works on all tubing and pipe sizes from 3/8 to 2-1/8 inches O.D. The DXE-UT-3500 tool covers sizes from 1-7/8 to 3-1/2 inches O.D.
The complete tool kit, DXE-UT-KIT-DBR, includes both sizes of conical tools, a small adjustable hand deburrer, a half round file and carrying case.
Watch a video showing how to use all the tools in the UT-KIT-DBR kit here.
Helpful hint: Only a couple of revolutions with very light pressure is needed to produce excellent results using the conical deburrers. Put too much muscle behind your efforts and you risk creating more burrs and additional work.
DX Engineering’s Adjustable Deburring Tool (DXE-22600) is handy for cleaning burrs after cutting or drilling aluminum, steel, cast iron or brass. This rugged hand tool features an adjustable length blade holder to allow access to burrs deep inside tubing or other hard to reach places.
Features include:
* One blade for aluminum and steel and one blade for cast iron and brass
* Holder telescopes from 1/2 to 5 inches for reaching inside objects
* Handle has storage compartment for spare blades
* Blade can be inserted at 90 degrees for deburring cross holes
Replacement deburring blades for the DXE-22600 are also available.
What Hams think about the DXE-UT-KIT-DBR Complete Deburring Tool Kit
“High-quality made in the USA kit. Would recommend to anyone. Works great. Will deburr the inside and outside of pipes, comes with a round file and an additional adjustable length, handheld inner deburring tool. The storage case is great for keeping them all together and clean.”
