Only the feet. If you’re going as short as possible so the two plastic pieces touch, i think it’s ok to cut them a little short, maybe 1/8 inch.
I can promise you none of the pipes on my Primo are less than 1/8" off from each other 
I had to cut all my tubing with a hack saw. (not stainless steel)
Good to know, thanks y’all!
Good day, all!! Long time lurker and wanting really bad to pull the trigger, but just haven’t been able to quite convince the better half of the necessity as I have another large format CNC (Maslow) that I get plenty use out of. I do want to get a tabletop version though and I like what I have seen here with the capability to swap from a router to laser and other tools. @vicious1, from everything I have read here, you have a great concept and machine, and I can’t wait to actually get started.
After reading many many posts here about getting tubing, @christyvi’s mention of the Amazons to get tubing, I lept head first into that rabbit hole and started a search. I came across this: Econoco RU4 Display Hangrail, Round Tubing with 1" Diameter, 4’ Length (Pack of 10) (www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NQWL71U) (no actual link as this is a new account, but you can add the “.” in the appropriate place, along with the “www” and the other accoutrements that are needed…I tried!!)
Now from what I can see from that post, and a little further research, I have been able to confirm they are made of steel. From the amazon listing, they are said to be 14ga, but one of the answers to the questions states they are 16ga, and the Grainger website says they are 17ga. That gives a wall thickness of 0.058 to 0.083 depending on what gauge they actually are. So I ask of the powers that be here, would this work? These tubes are made to be used as clothes racks in department stores, and with as much as clothes can weigh, not to mention the many times I have see rug rats literally swinging from them, I would think they would. At an Amazon listed price of $72.88 for a 10 pack, that is $7.29 per 4ft length. And with Amazon, you can usually catch Free Shipping (especially if you have Prime). Not a bad deal…if they would be viable.
Thanks again for letting me lurk and learn, this would help me in getting closer to pulling that trigger.
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If you can not actually measure them, you might be very cautious. We need the dimensions to be very close, so when you buy tubing from a steel shop it is measured precisely (usually), I get the feeling a clothes rack might be a guesstimate.
If it is accurate, though, that would be a great find.
How close is close? from the same listing someone answered the 1in measured out to 25.52mm (1.003 in). I know your models are 25.4mm. Would that be close enough? I wouldn’t mind getting them and trying it out if it were close enough in your opinion, but would have a hard time trying to figure out what to do with them if it were too far out.
I also saw a listing for Unpolished (Mill) 1008-1010 Steel Round Tube (8ft length) for $30.00. I was looking at the standard 24x24 cutting area, and think none of the calculated lengths were over 4ft (I’ll have to double check), and I think I would need 3-4 of the 8ft tubes to get all the pieces cut. That is $90-120. I don’t necessarily want to go completely “cheap,” but the cheaper I can get what is needed is always a plus.
And again, thank you for this!
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25.5mm should be close enough. The data point I have is that there is a 25.0mm version, so 0.4mm is too far off.
Do you have any idea what the thickness is? The picture makes it look ok. But some of the clothing rods I’ve had in the past are like drinking straws. They were also pretty cheap, made from chrome coated something.
It is a risk. But it is worth trying. The cheaper steel alternative is to not do stainless and instead find some DOM tubing. That is very rigid and can usually be found from a local metal supply shop.
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@jeffeb3 I wanted to double check all of that when I first found the listing. As I had in my original question about viability, with the research that I did, I was able to confirm they are made of steel and are chrome coated from there. As for the thickness, the actual listing says it is 14 gauge, one of the answers in the question section asking “Are these aluminum with a chrome finish?” has a manufacturer answer of: “econoco.'s round tubing Is made of steel that is 16 gauge thick,” and the Grainger website (ECONOCO Round Tubing: 1 in x 48 in x 1 in, For Circle Tube Shape, Silver, Chrome - 45KV64|RU4 - Grainger) states it is steel and 17 gauge. I used this site to get the measurements for the different gauges.
My guess is the chrome coating will get demolished by the bearings.
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I have no idea what constitutes “expensive” for you guys but I figured that since the tubing is a key component I’d try to get something that would work for a long time. I used polished stainless steel which is commonly used on boats, bought it directly from a fabricator, paid less than the price advertised here and had it cut precisely to length and nicely finished ends to boot.
Here’s an indicative price anyway (I can’t vouch for the wall thickness though) - you can faint or call me crazy or whatever, but it won’t rust and it’s unlikely to wear out in my lifetime. (Given that I haven’t fired up my machine that’s specially true! 
)
https://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-marine--stainless-steel-rail-tubing--P024_722_003_002
Stainless prices have doubled in the last year! As others have suggested you’ll probably do better shopping local. Heck, even my local Metal Supermarkets b&m store undercuts their online order price by quite chunk.
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