Anyone put together their own steel braided lines?

[Barnsnake]

My favorite method is to use two screw-type stainless hose clamps about 1/8 inch apart. Cut between them with a cutoff wheel and the braid on both sides is under control. When you get ready to put the collar on, loosen the clamp a bit and it will slide back down the hose as you thread the "collar" onto the hose. After the fitting is installed, loosen the clamp until it will slide over the fitting (or loosen it all the way apart if needed).
It is also a good idea to chamfer the inside of the hose before you clean it up and blow it out. This will ease installation and prevent cutting a "flap" on the inside of the hose when you screw the fitting in. A small amount of light oil on the inside of the hose is a must. Too much oil on the outside of the fitting can "hydraulic" and damage the connection's integrity.
A set of special vise jaws (from Summitt, etc.) makes the job much easier, especially if you are making a number of hoses.

[JustOne]

A guy at the local speedshop told me to use bolt cutters, which I did, and it works great. I can put a hose together in less than 1 minute.

Justin