Tube joints and means and method of making the same

Claim 1

A TOOL FOR JOINING THE TELESCOPED ENDS OF DUCTILE METAL TUBING COMPRISING A FRAME MEMBER HAVING A PAIR OF SPACED LEG PORTIONS TO STRADDLE TELESCOPED TUBING ENDS, A PAIR OF ADJACENTLY SPACED CONTINUOUSLY SMOOTH CYLINDRICAL ROLLERS ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON THE INNER SIDE OF ONE OF SAID LEG PORTIONS AND TRANSVERSELY THEREOF, THE AXES ABOUT WHICH SAID ROLLERS ARE ROTATABLE BEING IN SPACED PARALLEL RELATION AND DEFINING A FIRST PLANE, SAID CYLINDRICAL ROLLERS BEING ADAPTED TO PROVIDE SPACED CONTINUOUS LINEAR ENGAGEMENTS LONGITUDINALLY ALONG ONE SIDE OF TELESCOPED TUBING ENDS WHEN STRADDLED BY THE LEG PORTIONS OF THE FRAME, A CHANNEL INDUCING WHEEL, AND MEANS SUPPORTING SAID WHEEL ON THE OTHER LEG PORTION OF THE FRAME FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SIDE OF THE SAID TELESCOPED TUBING ENDS OPPOSITE THAT ENGAGED BY THE ROLLERS, SAID MEANS SUPPORTING SAID CHANNEL INDUCING WHEEL FOR FREE ROTATION ABOUT AN AXIS PARALLEL TO THE AXES OF SAID ROLLERS AND IN A PLANE DISPOSED NORMAL TO AND INTERSECTING SAID FIRST PLANE SUBSTANTIALLY MIDWAY OF THE AXES OF THE TWO ROLLERS, SAID MEANS BEING ADJUSTABLE TOWARD SAID FIRST PLANE TO PERMIT THE STRADDLED TELESCOPED TUBING ENDS TO BE TIGHTLY GRIPPED BETWEEN THE ROLLERS AND CHANNEL INDUCING WHEEL, THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF SAID CHANNEL INDUCING WHEEL COMPRISING A TRUE SEMI-CIRCLE IN SECTION WHICH EFFECTIVELY FLOWS THE DUCTILE METAL OF THE TELESCOPED TUBING ENDS INTO A CIRCUMFERENTIALLY EXTENDING CONTINUOUS CHANNEL WHEN THE TELESCOPED TUBING ENDS ARE TIGHTLY GRIPPED BETWEEN SAID WHEEL AND ROLLERS AND THE TOOL IS MOVED ABOUT SAID TELESCOPED TUBING ENDS IN ROTARY FASHION, THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF SAID CHANNEL INDUCING WHEEL HAVING A WIDTH MATERIALLY LESS THAN THAT OF THE ROLLERS AND BEING CENTERED WITH RESPECT TO THE WIDTH OF SAID ROLLERS SO THAT THE SPACED LINEAR ENGAGEMENTS OF THE ROLLERS STABILIZE THE TOOL IN THE CHANNEL INDUCING OPERATION.