PVC Pipe Cutter Needed

[cybermeez]

Hi Guys,

I'm making supports for my live rock in preparation for moving it into the new tank. I need to cut some 2" and/or 4" PVC pipe and the cuts need to be flat and level. The lengths of pipe will be around 4-5" once cut. Does anybody have a tool or something that can do this?

Thanks!
Robin

 

[dherrera83]

I used a small hand saw. But cutting flat mgiht be an issue if you dont have a good hand. Your welcome to borrow it if needed just let me know. Otherwise take a trip to Homedepot they have some at a cheap price that you can pick from. Should run you no more than 20 bucks...

 

[duke62]

you can pretty much use anything to cut it with from a hack saw to a table saw.you can even buy copperpipe cutter.

 

[wonderballz]

In order to get it nice and flat/level, I would make your cuts and then use sand paper to flatten everything level. I got one of those hand held ratcheting pvc cutters from home depot. It couldn't have been more than 5 bucks, but it often cuts at a little bit of an angle.

 

[lfsmarineguy]

If you want flat even cuts the only way that's going to happen is with a table saw. It doesn't have to be large but HD does rent tools so it shouldn't be a problem getting one for a few hours. I'm probably going to be spending a lot of time on the upper west side shortly if you need help with this. I might even have access to my partner's saw but I'll have to check and see what my schedule is like.

 

[LatinP]

Hand saws don't really make great cuts as long as the pvc pipe is 2" or smaller you can get a pvc pipe cutter at home depot (costs under 20 bucks) which would give you clean cuts every time.

 

[beerfish]

This is how I cut PVC. Perfectly straight cuts.

http://www.google.com/products/cata...a=X&ei=78ylTvu2NsLl0QHtrYjSBA&ved=0CGAQ8gIwBA

 

[dherrera83]

This is how I cut PVC. Perfectly straight cuts.

http://www.google.com/products/cata...a=X&ei=78ylTvu2NsLl0QHtrYjSBA&ved=0CGAQ8gIwBA

HD has it too, think i saw it there for 7 bucks... Good idea!

 

[rebelson]

A compound miter saw will work 100x better than a table saw. If you can come by I can cut the pipe to your measurements.

 

[thirty5]

Chop saw....

 

[WilFresco]

this is what i use to cut pvc, really easy to cut with
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

 

[Turbovr3six]

I use the ratcheting style.

 

[NewfiDog]

The best is the chop saw but for 4 inch pipe you need a big chop saw, if you keep it down to 3 inch PVC you dont need a big chop saw. If you have to use 4 inch then the metal chop saws are better as they allow you to cut bigger material. The cutters wilfresco shows work well but you would need a couple different sizes and 4 inch might be rough not sure i dont use them for PVC just PEX. The other thing if you wanna travel to bergen county ill chop them for ya but the new tolls might cost more than renting a chop saw or something.

 

[albano]

I'm pretty sure that 1 1/2" is the max size for those PVC cutters (from Home Depot, that are about $20)


IMO...you probably should also drill some holes in the pvc, so that you don't have 'dead'/stagnant water sitting in those pipe/supports

 

[lfsmarineguy]

Like Albano said, the small PVC cutters only go up to 1.5" and they don't cut straight all the time. Big chop saw is best, especially with the laser guides. You can process all the pieces you need before a hand saw gets through 1.

 

[LatinP]

My PVC pipe cutter can cut up to 2.5" pipe, though I've never cut anything bigger than a 2" pipe with it. This is why I said as long as it's under 2" you should be fine. A good pvc pipe cutter (not the sale priced 9.99 one) can cut with fairly good precision, I get straight cuts 90% of the time for the times I don't pvc plastic can easily be sanded down and is MUCH cheaper than renting a saw from Home Depot (especially in the long run).

 

[cybermeez]

Thanks for all the great advice guys! A lot of this I never would have thought of. I think I'm going to give Beerfish's mitre box suggestion a try. If that doesn't work well, I make take one of you up on the offer to cut it for me.

If the PVC pipe segment alone don't work well enough as supports, I may notch the tops of them and use them like legs for some eggcrate. I can then cover it with substrate and not worry about my Jawfish causing a collapse and getting squished.

 

[KathyC]

Hey Robin - the point of this is to get the rocks up off the bottom glass so your jawfish can build his burrow wherever he wants and you don't have to worry about him destabilizing your aquascaping...right?

Why not do it the way Albano did his?
http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/tank-threads/63397-hundreds-corals-fish-free-9.html
Post # 255 second picture

 

[cybermeez]

How do I keep the rock from fracturing during the drilling process? Also, can I use a corded drill without getting electrocuted?

 

[KathyC]

How do I keep the rock from fracturing during the drilling process? Also, can I use a corded drill without getting electrocuted?

Drill slowly, be sure to use a masonry bit. (hope you don't have Marco rock, that stuff is petrified and as hard as...ok, harder than rock!!)

Assuming you take the rock out of the water you should have no issues even with a corded drill..though you will probably have some die off