Exhaust cut off tool

[paramudduck]

Do any of you still use these? If so which are the best any more? I have to cut tubing in strange places at times and hate running the lines off the truck for a 5 min job.

[krusty the clown]

a sawzall is your bet bet

[paramudduck]

Love my sawzall just hate starting the generator running the cord crawlin under making two cuts then putting everything back up.

I think I'm getting lazier in my old age. I am often out in the middle of the fields trying to fix stuff fast. May do a tube once or twice a month. I was mainly just wondering if they had ever gotten those tools where they would work for small jobs.

[vssjim]

The chain wrench works good had a KD tool one for many years

[rickairmedic]

I would say if your only doing one or 2 cuts you need to look into a battery powered sawzall I use mine all the time .


Rick

[rsanter]

I used to use a sawsall but that is really a sloppy way to cut exhaust if you are in confined spaces.
I have both types you show. the first one I think works smoother but the second one is better if you are in really tight places as you dont have to swing it as much for it to cut

if you buy a good quality one I think it just about as fast as a sawsall

bob

[paramudduck]

I had one of each style years ago and they were not very dependable then. I was hoping they had improved over the years.

The more I look at them the more I think the chain style might be best for my needs. Usually all I'm doing is quick patches to last until I can get it in the shop. But the areas I'm working in can be major tight.

[jay50]

Cutoff wheel on a die grinder

[ImportTuner]

The chain wrench works good had a KD tool one for many years

+1 on the chain wrench .. make sure it is well lubricated ..

Sawzall is faster tho ..

[nissan_crawler]

sawzall and cutoff wheels are damn limiting on where you can use them. On my pickup, that's pretty much...NOWHERE. You're going to punch the frame, floorboard, or fuel lines wherever you are, not too mention having to jack it up to get the saw under it at the right angle. Cutoff wheels only work if you can get all the way around the exhaust, which 95% of the time, you can't. The chain ones work fine. That and a pipe expander are invaluable.

[russlaferrera]

+1 on the chain wrench .. make sure it is well lubricated ..

Sawzall is faster tho ..

+1 on KD chain wrench. It works in tight areas.

[eschoendorff]

I had one of each style years ago and they were not very dependable then. I was hoping they had improved over the years.

The more I look at them the more I think the chain style might be best for my needs. Usually all I'm doing is quick patches to last until I can get it in the shop. But the areas I'm working in can be major tight.

Your best bet is a cheap battery powered reciprocating saw. I don't think those other tools will work in tight spaces. They need room to swing around.

[allthumbs]

I need some assistance with what is probably a silly question...
On recommenation from my mechanic, I bought a sawzall to remove a catalytic converter. Within 5 minutes, my metal blade had no teeth, and the tube barely had a scratch... could someone explain, as though to a 5 year-old, how I should go about this with a sawzall?

[Merkava_4]

^

I'd guess your blade is not suitable for cutting steel. :dunno:

[eschoendorff]

I need some assistance with what is probably a silly question...
On recommenation from my mechanic, I bought a sawzall to remove a catalytic converter. Within 5 minutes, my metal blade had no teeth, and the tube barely had a scratch... could someone explain, as though to a 5 year-old, how I should go about this with a sawzall?

Buy some decent blades. The Lenox are great, as are the Milwaukee branded ones. If you get the Milwaukee, go for the ones called "The Torch." They don't take "NO" for an answer.

I used a Ridgid 24v Li ion recip saw with a Milwaukee "The Torch" blade and it did a great job when I changed out the exhaust on my Vette.

[allthumbs]

Thanks, eschoendorff... the Torch took about 8 seconds! :)
(the stock Ryobi blade wasn't suitable for cutting butter... let alone steel)

[Frank Elson]

+2 on the chain wrench.

[goodfellow]

Still have the KD chain wrench and it's still nice and sharp. Although the sawzall has been the preferred tool for stubborn exhausts, or the plasma cutter in tight areas.

[paramudduck]

The sawzall does great in shop. I just hate getting it all out to fix a piece of tubing someone has smashed on a stump. Just a quick cut out throw on the fix and get back hauling.

Goodfellow a plasma cutter? Isn't that a bit of an overkill.

[goodfellow]

Heck no :bounce: -- if you think that's overkill, before I had the plasma or the sawzall, the only way I'd tackle a stubborn exhaust was with an O/A cutting torch. Never had a problem at all.

[IDASHO]

If I am fabbing an exhaust system, I use an abrasive cut-off saw, and an air die grinder to clean up the edges.

On the rig, sawzall is it.

I use Bosch blades. :)

[paramudduck]

The last batch of Bosch blades I bought were not so good.

They were very brittle the least bind and they shattered.

[IDASHO]

really? What type (specifically) were they? There are a few different types, as well as grades.

Ive been very happy with mine. They seem to do better and last longer than the Milwaukee blades. :headscrat

[paramudduck]

This was back in the beginning of the summer. I can remember that they were Bosch and thats about it. I bought them at my local hardware dealer.

I broke five of them cutting through one 4 inch pipe. Bad part was the almost explosion like shatter. Just went into very small jags of metal. I had never had that happen with them before.