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When it comes to exhaust pipes, many different types immediately come to mind.
There are metal pipes, plastic pipes, metal or plastic spiral tubes, and many more.
All these different types of pipes also come in different diameters.
It’s no surprise that when you search for cutting exhaust pipe with a Sawzall, you get over 2 million results.
To say there is a lot of information about cutting exhaust pipes with a Sawzall is an understatement. You can also see our guide about how to use Kreg Pocket hole jig saw.
However, none of the tutorials we found were very helpful or detailed enough for us to guide anyone confidently. Still, this article will provide you with complete information on Sawzall.
Why Is It So Difficult To Cut An Exhaust Pipe With A Sawzall?
Cutting metal with a Sawzall is a two-step process.
- First, the saw blade must cut the metal with the teeth on the blade.
- The teeth must then stick to the metal so that it falls off.
When you’re trying to cut a piece of metal as thick as a piece of the exhaust pipe, getting the Sawzall to cut it can be a real challenge. You can expect the blade to have difficulty penetrating the metal.
The blade will likely slow down as it tries to pass through the exhaust pipe. Then as you start to pull it away, the exhaust pipe will prevent the blade from falling freely. When you add the vibration of the Sawzall and rotating blades, this can become a very dangerous situation.
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Important Things To Keep In Mind While Cutting The Exhaust Pipe With Sawzall
When cutting pipe with the Sawzall, you must be careful to cut it long enough. You must ensure that you cut the pipe enough so it will fall away from the Sawzall. If you don’t cut it long enough, the pipe will stick to the blade, and the blade will slow down as it reaches the end of the pipe. This can be very dangerous.
The blade may become dull to the point where it cannot rotate freely. This will cause the blade to stop spinning—or worse, it will vibrate and jam. It can get caught in the blade if you don’t cut the pipe long enough. When this happens, the only way to get the blade to spin freely again is to turn off Sawzall’s power and remove the old blade. If you’re not good at using the skill saw, you can see our blog about how to use a Skill Saw for a DIY home.
If you don’t cut the pipe long enough and it gets stuck, you won’t be able to turn the Sawzall off until you remove the blade. This can be dangerous and even cause a fire if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Step-By-Step: How To Cut An Exhaust Pipe With A Sawzall?
- Cut the end of the exhaust pipe about 1″ longer than the distance between the blade and the Sawzall. This will give you room to close the pipe and rotate the blade.
- Hold the blade to one end of the pipe and clamp the pipe to one end of the Sawzall.
- Cut the pipe the same way you would cut wood. Make your first cut about 2 inches from the clamp.
- Go to the other end of the pipe and make a similar cut about 2 inches away.
- Move the clamp down the pipe until it fits between the two cuts. Make one last cut to finish the cut.
Tips for Success When Cutting Pipe with a Sawzall
These are some of the most important points when cutting pipe with a Sawzall.
- Make sure the blade is rotating in the correct direction.
- Always place the pipe on the same side of the saw with both clamps.
- Cut the pipe long enough that it falls freely from the Sawzall.
- Be careful to keep your hands out of the path of the blade.
However, we also recommend reading as much research on the topic as possible.
We hope everything we have told you helps you cut the exhaust pipe. However, we recommend that you read this article as much as possible. There may be something that can guide you.
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Why Do Most People Find It Hard To Cut The Exhaust Pipe With Sawzall?
We’re not sure what the real reason is, but we can make some guesses. First, we suspect that most people who try to cut an exhaust pipe with a Sawzall are trying to do so by rotating the blade in the wrong direction. This leads to frustration because the blade digs into the pipe, spins, and then gets stuck. After all, the pipe chips are too far away.
Next, we suspect that most people who attempt to cut an exhaust pipe with a Sawzall do not know how to clamp the pipe onto the Sawzall properly. Without a proper clamping method, the pipe will not rotate freely. Finally, we suspect that when people successfully cut an exhaust pipe with a Sawzall, they don’t understand what they did or why it worked.
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FAQs
What materials can be cut with a Sawzall?
Masonry, metal, wood, fiberglass, plaster, stucco, composite materials, drywall, and more can be cut with a saw. Using the right blade type for your cutting material is essential.
Can the Sawzall be used without a brush?
If you decide to go cordless, consider a portable reciprocating saw with a brushless motor like this one. Because brushless motors are electrically commutated, they do not have brushes that come into contact with the commutator like brush motors.
Conclusion
We hope you now understand better how to cut exhaust pipes with a Sawzall. It just takes a little preparation and patience to get it right. Cutting an exhaust pipe with a Sawzall is usually a simple project you can complete with just a few tools. First, you need a saw and a blade. Next, you must clamp the pipe using a pair of pipe clamps.
Finally, it would help if you made a suitable cut on each side of the pipe so that it can be removed from the Sawzall without being cut. If you have an exhaust system with a large exhaust pipe that is difficult to clamp, you can use a pipe clamp with a wider mouth for more coverage.