How To Cut Stainless Steel Tube

If you don't take a full shop with a vice and so on, it can exist tough to make a nice clean square cut in stainless tubing.

We've been working to beef up the stainless on our dinghy davits in grooming for a new, very large solar panel. Nosotros could only get the new stainless tubing in half-human foot increments, plus we wanted to dry fit it and mark exactly how long it needed to be. And we were reusing one one-time section of tubing to make two shorter diagonal supports.

Overwhelmed with all at that place is to learn as you're starting to cruise? Assistance is hither: Overcoming the First-Year Learning Bend (a free mini-class from The Boat Galley).

That was going to exist 3 cuts. The squarer we could make the cuts, the more deeply they'd fit into the connectors and the stronger the overall structure would exist.

Here's the best manner nosotros've found to practice it, working in the cockpit with minimal tools. We've tried using the Dremel tool to cut and found that while information technology would piece of work, it would have forever. And nosotros don't have a stainless tubing cutter (a worthwhile investment for a bigger project only note that you lot have to have a tubing cutter designed for stainless, such as this i on Amazon, and it still helps to mark the tube and begin the cut with a file as described beneath and so that the cutter doesn't wobble and spiral).

So it'southward a hacksaw for us. A new blade helps a lot. A full size hacksaw would also be faster than the mini ane, which is better for working in confined spaces. Alas, we don't have space for every believable tool on board and it's a compromise.

Start by dry fitting the parts as much every bit is possible and making a small mark where it needs to be cut. A Sharpie or a piece of record works well to make the initial mark.

And so we mark all the way around the tube, using a carpenter's square to go on it square. You tin as well utilize ane of your fittings if you accept the blazon that encircles the tubing. We use a Sharpie to make the marking.

We've establish that marking all the way around really helps in making a square cut as information technology gives a visual reference all through the cutting process.

So we take a small triangle file and etch where nosotros'll start the cut. This is really important as it keeps the hacksaw from slipping.

Now we're ready to hacksaw! With the blade in the groove we made with the file, we (okay, it'southward Dave with me helping to agree) start slowly until we've got a straight line established.

Equally he cuts, Dave gets to a point where the tubing starts to V and bind the hacksaw. I'm usually helping to hold the tubing, and now I commencement holding DOWN on the outside end, but pulling Upwards with the hand nearer the cutting. I'm not trying to actually elevator the tubing, simply continue it from V-ing down as Dave cuts.

Use a file to smooth the cutting end.