Pipe cutting or end prepping apparatus

A pipe and prepping apparatus capable of use in severely restricted spaces to be mounted on a hollow pipe in supported relation thereby gripping a cylindrical surface of the pipe, and form a predetermined bevel shape defining a truncated conical pipe and configuration to prepare the pipe for welding, comprising a rotatable tool bit carriage to be positioned immediately adjacent an end of the pipe to be prepped and located in concentric relation with the center axis of the pipe, the tool bit carriage having a front working end and a rear drive end spaced toward the pipe end from the front end and having a plurality of tool bit sockets for receiving elongated tool bits therein projecting along axes lying in a conical path diverging outwardly from the center axis of the carriage progressively from the rear to the front end thereof, the tool bits being located in a pair of mutually perpendicular diametric planes containing the axis of the tool carriage in a predetermined cutting attitude disposing cutting tips thereof in a truncated conical path corresponding to the bevel shape to be formed on the pipe end to engage and cut into the pipe end upon advancing movement of the carriage, a drive motor for the tool bit carriage to be located outwardly adjacent the pipe end and having a rotatable drive spindle to be aligned with the center axis of the pipe and project toward the tool bit carriage, a rotatable drive coupler releasably coupled to said tool bit carriage at the rear drive end thereof and to said drive spindle for rotation about the pipe center axis, an anchor forming assembly for supporting the tool bit carriage from the pipe comprising a radially expandable and contractable annular collet defining a cylindrical pipe gripping surface to engage and be forced into tightly gripping relation with a cylindrical surface portion of the pipe wall spaced inwardly along the pipe from the end to be cut, a collet adjusting nut and a collet abutting member intercoupled with each other by a threaded connection and having shaped surfaces engageable with coactive confronting surface portions of the collet to deform the collet into tight gripping engagement with the confronting pipe wall surface upon relative rotary movement of the adjusting nut relative to the abutting member, said anchor forming assembly providing a stationary anchor station forwardly adjacent and beyond the portion to be cut spaced along the pipe axis in a direction opposite the direction of the drive coupler from the pipe end, and a feed control assembly coupled to said anchor forming assembly having a manually adjustable threaded member and including means for supplying advancing force to said drive coupler and tool bit carriage for moving the drive coupler and tool bit carriage at a precisely controlled feed rate in relation to the anchor station and advance the cutting tips into the pipe wall to be cut in predetermined relation to rotation of the threaded member of the feed control assembly for precisely controlling the depth and speed of cut made by the tool bits, said tool bit carriage being a truncated conical body having grooves in the periphery of a cross section corresponding to the cross section of the tool bits to receive the tool bits therein with their radially outermost surfaces flush with the conical outer periphery of the tool bit carriage and the cutting end portions of the tool bits projecting forwardly from the front working end of said carriage, and a tool bit retainer of generally cylindrical configuration having a truncated conical well conforming to the major portion of the truncated conical carriage and tool bits supported therein to receive the carriage and tool bits in nested relation within said well, and said drive coupler having a threaded neck portion projecting through the tool bit retainer and into a threaded socket in said tool bit carriage to assemble the same together.

A pipe end prepping apparatus capable of use in severely restricted spaces to be mounted on a stationary hollow pipe in supported relation thereby gripping a cylindrical surface of the pipe and cut through or shape for welding a hollow cylindrical wall of the pipe at a cutting site along the pipe, comprising a rotatable tool bit support to be positioned immediately adjacent an end of the pipe to be cut and located in concentric relation with the center axis of the pipe to advance a cutting bit through adjacent portions of the pipe wall, the tool bit support having a front working end and a rear drive end spaced from the front end and having a tool bit carried by the tool bit support adjacent the working end in a predetermined cutting attitude directed outwardly relative to the pipe axis to position a cutting tip thereof to engage and cut into the pipe wall at the cutting site, a drive motor for the tool bit support to be located outwardly adjacent the pipe end and having a rotatable drive spindle to be aligned with the pipe center axis and project toward the tool bit support, a rotatable drive coupler releasably coupled to said tool bit support at the rear drive end thereof and to said drive spindle for rotation about and concentric with the pipe center axis, an anchor forming assembly for supporting the tool bit support from the pipe wall comprising a radially expandable and contractable annular collet defining a cylindrical pipe gripping surface to engage and be forced into tightly gripping relation with a cylindrical surface portion of the pipe wall adjacent the cutting site, a collet adjusting nut and a collet abutting member intercoupled with each other by a threaded coupling and having collet-forcing surfaces engageable with coactive surface portions of the collet to deform the collet into tight gripping engagement with the confronting pipe wall surface upon relative rotary movement of the adjusting nut relative to the collet abutting member, said anchor forming assembly providing a stationary anchor station adjacent the cutting site disposed at a location along the pipe axis spaced beyond the cutting site in a forward direction opposite the direction of the drive coupler from the cutting site, and a feed control assembly coupled to said anchor forming assembly having a manually adjustable threaded member and including means for supplying advancing force to said drive coupler and tool bit support for pulling the drive coupler and tool bit support at a precisely controlled feed rate toward the anchor station to advance the cutting tip into the pipe wall portion to be cut in predetermined relation to rotation of the threaded member of the feed control assembly for precisely controlling the depth and speed of cut made by the tool bit, said tool bit support being a carriage in the form of a truncated conical body having grooves in its periphery of a cross section corresponding to the cross section of the tool bits to receive the tool bits therein with their radially outermost surfaces flush with the conical outer periphery of the tool bit carriage and the cutting end portions of the tool bits projecting forwardly from the front working end of said carriage, and the apparatus including a tool bit retainer of generally cylindrical configuration having a truncated conical well conforming to the major portion of the truncated conical carriage and tool bits supported therein to receive the carriage and tool bits in nested relation within said well, and said drive coupler having a threaded neck portion projecting through the tool bit retainer and into a threaded socket in said tool bit carriage to assemble the same together.

A pipe end prepping apparatus capable of use in severely restricted spaces to be mounted on a stationary hollow pipe in supported relation thereby gripping a cylindrical surface of the pipe and cut through or shape for welding a hollow cylindrical wall of the pipe at a cutting site along the pipe, comprising a rotatable tool bit support to be positioned immediately adjacent an end of the pipe to be cut and located in concentric relation with the center axis of the pipe to advance a cutting bit through portions of the pipe wall, the tool bit support having a front working end and a rear drive end spaced from the front end and having a tool bit carried by the tool bit support adjacent the working end in a predetermined cutting attitude directed outwardly relative to the pipe axis to position a cutting tip thereof to engage and cut into the pipe wall at the cutting site, a drive motor for the tool bit support to be located outwardly adjacent the pipe end and having a rotatable drive spindle to be aligned with the pipe center axis and project toward the tool bit support, a rotatable drive coupler releasably coupled to said tool bit support at the rear drive end thereof and to said drive spindle for rotation about and concentric with the pipe center axis, an anchor forming assembly for supporting the tool bit support from the pipe wall comprising a radially expandable and contractable annular collet defining a cylindrical pipe gripping surface to engage and be forced into tightly gripping relation with a cylindrical surface portion of the pipe wall adjacent the cutting site, a collet adjusting nut and a collet abutting member intercoupled with each other by a threaded coupling and having collet-forcing surfaces engageable with coactive surface portions of the collet to deform the collet into tight gripping engagement with the confronting pipe wall surface upon relative rotary movement of the adjusting nut relative to the collet abutting member, said anchor forming assembly providing a stationary anchor station adjacent the cutting site disposed at a location along the pipe axis spaced beyond the cutting site in a forward direction opposite the direction of the drive coupler from the cutting site, and a feed control assembly coupled to said anchor forming assembly having a manually adjustable threaded member and including means for supplying advancing force to said drive coupler and tool bit support for pulling the drive coupler and tool bit support at a precisely controlled feed rate toward the anchor station to advance the cutting tip into the pipe wall portion to be cut in predetermined relation to rotation of the threaded member of the feed control assembly for precisely controlling the depth and speed of cut made by the tool bit, said anchor forming assembly being an external anchoring mechanism capable of deforming said collet to contract its cylindrical surface into outwardly encircling tight gripping contact with the exterior surface of said pipe wall to provide said stationary anchor station, the cylindrical gripping surface of said collet being a radially inwardly facing inner surface thereof and said collet having a tapered outer surface lying in a truncated conical path confronting the collet abutting member, said collet abutting member comprising an axially elongated annular cylindrical sleeve having an externally threaded front end portion and an inwardly facing tapered portion encircling and abutting the tapered surface portion of said collet, and said collet adjusting nut comprising an annular cylindrical nut member threaded onto the threaded front end portion of said sleeve having surface portions abutting the collet to force movement thereof axially of said sleeve for contracting the collet into tight gripping relation with the exterior surface of the pipe, said tool bit support being a carriage in the form of a truncated conical body having grooves in its periphery of a cross section corresponding to the cross section of the tool bits to receive the tool bits therein with their radially outermost surfaces flush with the conical outer periphery of the tool bit carriage and the cutting end portions of the tool bits projecting from the working portion of said carriage, and the apparatus including a tool bit retainer of generally cylindrical configuration having a truncated conical wall conforming to the major portion of the truncated conical carriage and tool bits supported therein to receive the carriage and tool bits in nested relation within said well, and said drive coupler having a threaded neck portion projecting through the tool bit retainer and into a threaded socket in said tool bit carriage to assemble the same together.