Have you tried plumbing supply places,Lowes,Home Depot? I have no idea what you are talking aobut with the jig so can't help you there!LOL Hope you find what you are looking for..........Lillie

'Some day soon' I would like to build a copper pipe trellis to support vines as a privacy screen between my driveway and the neighbor's. I have a 10 foot high by 12 ft long copper trellis supporting passion fruit vines, and screening the pool house, in the back yard. I would like something a little more ornate in the front. The problem with using copper pipe, is that standard connectors are limited to 90, and 45 degree angles. Flexible copper pipe and tubing can be easily bent into curves for decorative effects, but it doesn't offer any structural support. If I was clever and skilled enough I could add other repeating geometric shapes such as diamonds, octagons. I think I would first need to make cutting jigs, so I could cut the precise angle and lengths. All of which seems complicated and time consuming, so I hoped some one had an easier answer.

Diamonds can be made with 90 degree angles and octagons with 45 degree angles. . . . .

To cut pipe, I use my old (i.e. not my good) chop saw. You can adjust the angle of the table as you would with a piece of wood. (Wear safety glasses and ear protection and gloves and long sleeves - those little shards of flying copper dust are not pleasant. Also, be careful cutting a short piece - the saw can grab, and you do want to keep all your fingers...)

There are pipe cutters that work by scoring the pipe all around, then you snap the pieces apart. It clamps to a table surface, and there is no flying dust. Lowes, Home Depot or other hardware supply places must sell them.

I have also been looking for unusual copper pipe fittings. It would be great if they had one in the shape of a cross (Like a two sided "T"). I've designed a cool trellis, but can't make it with the standard fittings. I've tried googling but can't find anything different.
....Jan

janandalan. these are plumbing supplies we're using. I don't think that you'll find anything unusal. I've taken to beating up copper tubing using a hammer. A heavy masons hammer. Makes different shapes. I use a pipe cutter to cut the regular copper pipe. Don't buy a cheap one.

Hi, just happened over here and saw your inquiry. I googled "copper plumbing" and got quite a few hits. I didn't look at most of them, but this one looked promising. Their PDF catalog had many different angles. The fittings were B&W, so not sure they were actually copper, but the site leads me to believe they are.
http://www.elkhartproducts.com/retail/retailcatalog.html

Have you given thought to spray painting zinc coated fittings with copper paint? It would be quicker & cheaper, I would guess. Brash might be another way to go.

Good luck. Hope this helps a bit.

pt

Here is a link that might be useful: Elkhart products Catalog

I just emailed'em asking what stores carry their products. See what happens.

You might try these if you have near you.
From: bdevonshire@pa.net [mailto:bdevonshire@pa.net]
Sent: Wednesday, August 10, 2005 5:53 PM
To: Vergon, Vicki A.
Subject:

So, Vicki, what stores sell your copper products. There are a number of people who are making trellises using copper. Not only the people here, but others at different forums.

The only place if you are not a wholesaler that I can refer you to is an ACE, TRUE VALUE or DO IT BEST .Let me know where your located and I can have you contact our warehouse in that area and they can refer you to a wholesaler
DO IT BEST IS HWI HARDWARE WHOLESALERS Original

I've heard that when you want to bend copper pipe, so as not to get kinks in it, you should fill it with sand first...cap an end off first.

You can get a pipe bender at any hardware store, and should be able to use that to bend the copper. I wonder if you heated it first, using a butane torch, if it would be more pliable?

I know what you mean about the fittings you'd want...I've always wished I could find a four sided fitting.

I'm planning to try the True Value on my way home from work friday or saturday. See what they have. Price. Lowes has a lot of copper stuff. Found a web page where a guy shows how to cut a copper pipe in half lengthwise to make copper plate -sheet..Have it bookmarked, now to find it. There is a x shaped fitting - four sides.

True Value has nothing. Lowes is better. Some of the products in the elkhartproducts catalog might be brass.
You can use 45 and 90 degree angles.I'll do a diagram and post it to my website. Will post the URL( addie) here when done.

This is a good site,a how-to with pixs of coulpings.

Here is a link that might be useful: millardlumber

You can make a copper cross for non fluid applications such as trellises. For a one half inch fitting using a tee you can bore through the vertical part with a five eight inch diameter metal cutting hole saw. I have done this many times. The inside diameter of a half inch copper is approximately .625". Some five eights hole saws aren't exact in their outside diameters. The last one that I purchases was .639". I simply ground the OD of the teeth until it fit into the copper tee.
Copper crosses are hard to find. The cast type crosses are six to nine dollars each!! I found a Chinese site that had the basic copper ones but they had a minimum order of 1000!!!