Capital repairs. A frightening phrase for many: after all, you will not only have to re-paste the wallpaper and paint the ceilings but also completely change the pipes. Of course, one of the main operations will be cutting the pipes to the desired length. It is best to produce it with a pipe cutter.

The principle of operation and classification of pipe cutters

The tool is easy to use. First, you need to measure the required distance of the pipe and determine the place where you will make the cut. Pipes made of any material (except plastic and metal-plastic) must be lubricated with oil or poured with water. Next, put on the pipe cutting machine and move it to the place of the intended cut. Clamp the pipe by tightening the screw and rotate the pipe cutter several times around the pipe. Then you need to tighten the screw again and scroll the tool again. Do this until the pipe is cut off.

The work that can be done with it depends on the device of the tool.

• Telescopic pipe cutters are a body in the form of a bracket, on one side of which there is a cutting roller, and on the other, a carriage with guides located on the axis. When the screw is rotated, it moves, clamping the pipe. It is necessary to turn the tool several times around the pipe, each time tightening the clamping screw. It is common that the pipe to be cut is close to the wall so that a conventional pipe cutter cannot be rotated around it.
• Ratchet pipe cutters look like large scissors. On the one hand, there is a cutting part, and on the other, there is a recess in the form of the letter “c”, in which the pipe is placed. To cut off the necessary part of the pipe, you need to bring the handles together.

How to choose a pipe cutter?

Imagine that a person has purchased a tool for cutting copper pipes with a diameter of 42 mm. And then, for the sake of experiment (or out of forgetfulness), I decided to try it on a steel pipe of the same diameter. The result is a damaged pipe cutter, unsuitable for further use, and a dented pipe. What is this story about? Do you want the instrument to serve faithfully for many years? Choose the right pipe cutter and observe the operating conditions.

First, it is necessary to consider several important technical characteristics:

Pipe diameter

The range shows what diameter pipes a particular tool is intended for cutting. You can pick up a tool for working with pipes of different diameters. For example, for a pipe with a diameter of 35 mm, model 35p 1/5/20 enkor 9631 is suitable, and for pipes with a diameter of 300 mm – gerat 63358.

Pipe material 

It is an important characteristic that determines for which pipes a particular tool can be used, and for which it is impossible. There are models for working with copper, steel, plastic, and metal-plastic pipes. For copper, the gerat 83187 pipe cutter is recommended. If you must work with different materials, then it is more profitable to purchase a steel tool, for example, gerat 63175, which is somewhat universal – it can work with copper, metal-plastic, and steel.

Features of use

When working with a pipe cutter, one important point must be clearly controlled, namely, the clamping force of the pipe. Due to excessive force after the first turn, the beginning of the cut line may not coincide with its end, i.e., get a helix line. No need to try to fix it, it is better to start a new one a little to the side, otherwise, the application of excessive force will lead to the breakage of the pipe cutter.

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