cutting stainless wire

[jimmyk]

any ideas please. the most cost effective way of cutting 6 mm stainless wire. cannot really afford an expensive hydraulic cutter.
cheers

 

[Jabs]

electrical tape, vice, and gentle use of an angle grinder. Very gentle use.

Tony.

 

[sailorman]

electrical tape, vice, and gentle use of an angle grinder. Very gentle use.

Tony.

or junior hacksaw in place of grinder

 

[prof pat pending]

Dremel do some very good cutoff wheels.

Another vote for a couple of winds of tape either side of the cut

 

[Yngmar]

Rigger cut it all with a Milwaukee cordless angle grinder and cutting wheel. Hold wire in left hand (a bit away from the cut as it will get warm), grinder in right and chop it goes. Did it like this myself and no problem. Another option is a wire rope cutter.

If you have neither, a handheld saw with a good steel blade (Bahco) will do the job, although slower - take off any sharp edge with a file.

 

[evangeline44]

Having just replaced all of the standing rig my vote is for a full-size hacksaw with a good quality fine blade and two rings of pvc tape to cut between. And a cheap lidl vice!

 

[Javelin]

I use a cordless 4" grinder with a slitting disc.
Easy peasey.

 

[matthewriches]

Always just used a 1mm slitting disc in a 4.5" angle grinder. A few twists of tape to stop it tangling and be quick.

 

[LadyInBed]

I tape the wire and use bolt crops.
Tidy up the edge with whatever is to hand - grinder, flap wheel, file.

 

[jimmyk]

Thanks for the advice. I do have a cordless grinder. I'll look for the discs mentioned. And get myself some decent blades

 

[vyv_cox]

When YM looked at ways of cutting the rig in the event of dismasting, during the 'Crash test boat' series, Snooks' hacksaw was found to be one of the most effective methods. Ideally a fine blade, 32 tpi, would be better than an 18 tpi. The problem is always that individual strands separate and are difficult to cut, so working close to the vice jaws, or a swaged fitting, will help.

 

[sealegsjim]

I have just cut a gate in the guard wires of my boat and used a junior hacksaw and tape but instead of using a vice i cut a slot (6mm in your case) in a block of wood, lay the wire tightly into the slot and cut across with a junior hacksaw. It works perfectly.

 

[nigelmercier]

Get two bits of wood, say 25mm x 50mm, about 50mm long. Grip them together in a vice to make a 50mm x 50mm block, drill down the join to fit the wire (tightly). Now you have a jig to hold the wire.

 

[ricardio]

This worked very nicely for me. The long slot is routed to an easy fit for the wire

 

[lw395]

Gripping it in a vice between two bits of scrap wood helps.
For dinghy works, I normally use the dremel, as I have a cordless one. might be a bit slow on 6mm?

 

[merlin3688]

Felco cutters are great for that size wire, C16 I think are the size and great for keeping on board just in case you need to cut a wire, you can pick up second hand ones on Ebay for about £60.

 

[KAM]

A sharp cold chisel and a lump hammer always works for me. No debris left to cause rusty marks.