need help beveling

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I want to practise and need to make up some pieces with a 37.5 degree bevel on the ends. I can't afford a flame beveller so how can I do this with a grinder. Thank you very much in advance.
Reply:You throw the grinder at the plate and hope for the best....What do you think you do with it?  Grind, check the angle.  Repeat.There are no guides or standoffs that I know of, just practice and patience.Have we all gone mad?
Reply:I'd probably build a wooden jig if the angle was critical. Cut a 2x12 in my sliding mitersaw at the angle desired. Screw a wide "foot" to the bottom then rest the grinder on the angled surface. Set the pipe flat on the table and then bring the grinder to the pipe and grind, roll, grind... If you have a way to keep the pipe stationary and roll it in place that would be even better. I'd probably rough it out 1st by hand or with the torch and then grind to the final angle.That or just take the pieces to a machine shop and have them chuck them in the lathe and turn the angle you want on them..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Eyeball it. An angle gauge is a help, but the angle isn't really that critical for manual welding. The tolerance on many of the AWS SWPS's is from 30 to 45 degrees (60 to 90 included angle) for a groove.If you are doing plate, clamp it down and have at it. Don't work one area too much-- it is easier to do a clean job if you slowly work the entire edge, rather than work one area, then the next, then the next. If you are doing pipe/tubing, you can clamp it in a vise and either rock the grinder to go all the way around, or turn the piece periodically. Up to about 8" diameter, i rock the grinder.If you have a pipe threader or lathe, use it to turn the pipe. Then all you need to do is hold the grinder at the correct angle.The bevel isn't critical. Factory prep test coupons are usually pretty close (+/- a degree or two) to spec, as are factory pipe fittings and machined plate and pipe parts for manufacturing. In the field, prep quality and accuracy varies a lot, and often needs to be modified to fit.Even if you are practicing for in shop work, where everything will always be nearly dead on, learning to compensate for less than ideal prep and fitup is good. If you are practicing for work in the field, don't get used to perfection. imperfect angle, uneven land, and uneven gap are more the rule than the exception.