Machine Screw Cutters

[Quickstep192]

I stumbled on these machine screw cutters and wondered if anyone has them or has tried them.

I often find myself shearing small machine screws using the shear in wire stripper/crimping tools, but those tools don’t like stainless screws and only go to #10

These things go to 1/4-20 and there’s a metric version.

They’re pricey which causes me to want to check around a bit before diving in.

Anybody got ‘em?
Anybody heard of Esco or J.Kogu?

 

[Dave455]

I don’t own these, but a friend does, and they’re on my wish list.

He owns the ESCO ones, who I assumed were the manufacturer, but maybe not.

The good news and the bad….

They work really well. If you hadn’t realised, you actually screw the screw in, so it’s held very positively, and gives a clean sheared screw, ready to use, no burrs or thread damage.

The bad - I’ve only seen these in metric. ISO metric to be precise. And because you screw the screw in, you can’t use them on something “close enough”, it has to be the exact size screw, and the same thread pitch!

I probably wouldn’t go cheaper. The tool needs to be well made, decent steel, and decently treated. These are all that, as far as I have seen.

 

[Rinspeed]

I always just used a die grinder with a cookie wheel.

 

[RTM]

I always just used a die grinder with a cookie wheel.

I use my Dremel for this (Cue up other thread.). But I only do it a few times a year, not daily.

Just run a nut down, cut, use nut to clean up afterwards. Can buy a lot of discs for $100, and get lots of burns when you forget how hot the off cut gets🫢

 

[KnurledNut]

Stanley used to make a good one.

 

[dcoleman88]

I have the Stanley shown above and would love a metric version. Did Stanley ever make this tool in metric?

 

[Quickstep192]

I have the Stanley shown above and would love a metric version. Did Stanley ever make this tool in metric?

I’ve never seen the Stanley tool in metric. Given the vintage, that makes sense.

 

[larry4406]

I recently bought the Doyle brand mini-bolt cutter from HF for a fencing project.

Works great snipping off the tails of the screws on metal romex connectors.

I think it was $8-9.