# What do you use to cut Cast Iron?



## ECH (Jul 27, 2018)

Assuming a snapper wont fit, or the pipe is weak and you don't want to risk it, what is your go to tool to make a clean cut?

I think I have tried every sawzall blade out there and nothing seems to cut for more than 2 or 3 cuts. An angle grinder cuts pretty well, but something about fine sewer dust floating into my bodily orifices makes me long for a better way.........

What else is out there?


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## Debo22 (Feb 15, 2015)

Diablo steel demon carbide tip blades. Expensive but worth it.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

Debo22 said:


> Diablo steel demon carbide tip blades. Expensive but worth it.


I heard diablo before but didn't know exactly which one. I'll be looking at HD!


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## The Dane (Feb 19, 2015)

I also recommend diablo steel demon carbide tipped blade for cast iron. It's probably around $14 and still don't truly last much more than 4-6 cuts in 4" cast iron. It does however cut very well and fast using my corded milwaukee sawzall. The first 3 cuts go like cutting butter and next 3 is ok and you might get a couple cuts more out of it but I refuse to cut or drill with a dull edge. Using my m18 hackzall is just not going to get the job done so cutting cast I keep a corded saw but anything else is cordless. Oh and get the 9" it is big enough for 4" and the 6" is just a bit to short for 4"









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## Alan (Jun 18, 2008)

I've used diamond impregnated abrasive sawzall blades before, and they work pretty good, but I second the steel demons.

I really don't like using the snap cutter on super old stuff, and sometimes it's just not worth the hassle of trying to get it into the space.


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## Debo22 (Feb 15, 2015)

Tango said:


> I heard diablo before but didn't know exactly which one. I'll be looking at HD!


http://www.diablotools.com/products/product/DS0908CF


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## ECH (Jul 27, 2018)

I have tried them, they do ok, but still only last for several cuts. Maybe one jobs worth. I guess if that the best that's available it is what it is.

I have heard that the diamond grit type blades stay sharp for a while if kept wet, but who has a third hand to spray down the blade.........


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## The Dane (Feb 19, 2015)

ECH said:


> I have tried them, they do ok, but still only last for several cuts. Maybe one jobs worth. I guess if that the best that's available it is what it is.
> 
> I have heard that the diamond grit type blades stay sharp for a while if kept wet, but who has a third hand to spray down the blade.........


I used the diamond grit blades before the diablo blades and the diablo last better than the diamond dust ones. I did not see much difference between wet or dry on the diamond grit ones. The diablo blades cut faster and last longer. If you are not satisfied with the performance or price then I would with all due respect say that you are delusional for expecting to be able to cut a big chunk of strong cast iron any faster or with less wear on the cutting tool.

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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

I give another vote for the diablo..they last long enough to get the job done..they are considered disposable so they wont last forever..


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## Alan (Jun 18, 2008)

Cordless Port-a-band ?


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## V.A Hydro-ooter (Oct 14, 2018)

I also go with the Diablo carbide for thick metal. They are more expensive than regular metal blades but I just add it on to my bid. Usually they last me for only that one job.
A guy I used to work with swore by the portable band saw but I've never used one myself. I don't see why it wouldn't work well but odds are if you don't have space for the snapper you probably don't have space for that either.


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## The Dane (Feb 19, 2015)

Alan said:


> Cordless Port-a-band ?


I have not tried a bandsaw but it might work well. I do how ever see problems working it around many situations like this picture from earlier this week. The 4" cast is under the shovel and you can see the hole in the top of the pipe. I had to cut out at both ends of the trench and fit 2 fernco couplings and a Wye in that spot and groundwater was up to the center of the pipe. Now how would a bandsaw do that without spending much more time removing more concrete and dirt and how about that water? My sawzall and diablo blade works in all the spots I have had to cut a cast pipe in with no trouble.









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## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

Alll I want to do is get the cast cut in a tight spot where a cast cutter will not fit....or I got to dig half-way to China to make it work..
.. cost is not an issue to me 15 bucks for one blade that saves me two hours of greif and trouble is well worth it.... 

They cut though 4 inch cast like butter but they can grip up when you are doing a verticle cut and you got to pull out and finish from the other side into your cut.....this seems to tear them up faster.. but I dont care.... 

if you are that much of a tight ass to worry about 15 bucks, go get a second job at mcdonalds.. I hear they pay 15 an hour now.....:devil3:


...


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## Toli (Nov 7, 2015)

SometimesI use a side grinder. If I can’t get all the way around I’ll cut a chunk out and finish it from the inside. The metal dust can me bad. At least wear a paper mask.


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

I've been using the diamond grit Sawzall blades for years. I spray it down during the cut, and I like them. 


I'll have to get the Diablo blade since you guys say it's really good.


When I was an apprentice years ago, my journeyman had me cutting cast iron in a hotel for a re-model. He had me using a regular metal Sawzall blade. He said, "It'll take about {20} minutes, but it will cut it." He was right. But of course, who wants to stand there for that amount of time? Except some kid who is paid hourly....LOL.


Wetting the cutting area keeps the saw dust level down, plus wearing a particle mask. I never liked the taste of iron in my mouth from cutting cast iron, so now I wear a mask and spray the cut with water.


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## The Dane (Feb 19, 2015)

Tommy plumber said:


> Wetting the cutting area keeps the saw dust level down, plus wearing a particle mask. I never liked the taste of iron in my mouth from cutting cast iron, so now I wear a mask and spray the cut with water.


The diablo steel demon carbide tipped blade also seems to make less dust than the diamond grit blades, another plus.

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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

Toli said:


> SometimesI use a side grinder. If I can’t get all the way around I’ll cut a chunk out and finish it from the inside. The metal dust can me bad. At least wear a paper mask.


Paper masks don't filter enough! Get yourself a mask with cartridges. I have accumulated over a dozen of them while working, got some VOC cartridges too. I'll be using the VOC cartridge next time I have to solder a lead toilet flange. Got sick for over 5 months last time coughing everyday.

I remember back when companies didn't have paper masks, then they did then you had to fight to get one with cartridges or prove to the company you knew how it worked! One place you had 4 hours of training to use one plus you went to a lab did a fit test, smoke test! Now new construction is mandatory for employers to give you one. Get caught drilling drop anchors without a mask by the safety board you get a fine.

https://www.achooallergy.com/3m-6291-hepa-masks/


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## Alan (Jun 18, 2008)

Tango said:


> Paper masks don't filter enough! Get yourself a mask with cartridges. I have accumulated over a dozen of them while working, got some VOC cartridges too. I'll be using the VOC cartridge next time I have to solder a lead toilet flange. Got sick for over 5 months last time coughing everyday.
> 
> I remember back when companies didn't have paper masks, then they did then you had to fight to get one with cartridges or prove to the company you knew how it worked! One place you had 4 hours of training to use one plus you went to a lab did a fit test, smoke test! Now new construction is mandatory for employers to give you one. Get caught drilling drop anchors without a mask by the safety board you get a fine.
> 
> https://www.achooallergy.com/3m-6291-hepa-masks/


I have a mask with cartridges that I bought years ago, but I really hate the straps on the thing.

Which one do you like the best?

I looked at these a while back, although they don't have a cartridge, they look pretty comfortable.
https://rzmask.com/


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

Alan said:


> I have a mask with cartridges that I bought years ago, but I really hate the straps on the thing.
> 
> Which one do you like the best?
> 
> ...


The 3M mask like the link I provided is the best one, I have several brands too. You got to make sure the proper size fits your face. Small, medium large. My size is medium. It can also be cleaned easily with dish soap and sanitized with alcohol. I keep mine in a large ziplock bag and keep alcohol wipes in the bag. I used to clean it a lot when I was grinding 3/4 thick bevels and used up a complete box of zip cuts or sandpaper disk in a single day at the mill. There would be 1/4" thick of dust all around me at the end of the shift on top of the scaffolding or on the ground. I would wrap my whole head and neck to keep the dust out. When I was the the welding table I got my hands on a fan to blow the dust away as I was prepping the bevels.


The problem with yours in the link is that dust will bypass around the nose even though they have a clip to the nose. It has been proven that you will breathe a lot of dust with these similar designs. Then the other issue is that it real hard to keep clean and forget about sanitizing it.

I'll take pics later on.


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## Plumbus (Aug 4, 2008)

Cut off saw, if you have the room and don't mind using a heavy, chain saw type tool.


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## ECH (Jul 27, 2018)

The Dane said:


> I used the diamond grit blades before the diablo blades and the diablo last better than the diamond dust ones. I did not see much difference between wet or dry on the diamond grit ones. The diablo blades cut faster and last longer. If you are not satisfied with the performance or price then I would with all due respect say that you are delusional for expecting to be able to cut a big chunk of strong cast iron any faster or with less wear on the cutting tool.
> 
> Sent from my BLN-L24 using Tapatalk





Master Mark said:


> Alll I want to do is get the cast cut in a tight spot where a cast cutter will not fit....or I got to dig half-way to China to make it work..
> .. cost is not an issue to me 15 bucks for one blade that saves me two hours of greif and trouble is well worth it....
> 
> They cut though 4 inch cast like butter but they can grip up when you are doing a verticle cut and you got to pull out and finish from the other side into your cut.....this seems to tear them up faster.. but I dont care....
> ...



Your both right of course, the cost is nothing compared to the speed of the diablo. I was just starting the conversation in case there was some other miracle tool I didn't know about. :biggrin:

I used one today, it cut pretty fast through some thick 2in. Took about 30 seconds.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Demosaw- gas is ridiculous inside, electric is still loud, doesnt fit tight spots. Dust is a huge issue if you dont have a water system.



Bandsaw- doesn't fit everywhere but it uses cheap longlasting blades which in my experience cuts most cast iron. Usually abendroth brand gives me some trouble as it's high in silicon


Sawzall- Fits in tight spots, both carbide and diamond abrasive blades are 14-20$ and you get about 5-10 cuts, more with the diamond if you keep it cool so the epoxy doesn't fail. Most cordless sawzalls dont last very long here. 



Snapper- a little more room than the sawzall is required. Certainly quick. Might risk cracking the pipe longways if it is already weak. Doesn't leave a perfect edge.


Angle grinder- Works really well even in tight spots. If you dont want to buy expensive sawzall blades this is the option for you. Works on clay pipe, others really dont. Cuts as fast or faster than the sawzall.



My 18v brushless makita rocks btw. Did like 9 cuts through xxh 4" in a crawlspace that was at least 110f because of the steam pipes. New 4ah battery and a diamond blade. It got so hot I had to use a rag around the front. 120$ish I think



My only other brushless tool is my angle grinder. 89$. It too is really good on power and battery. I just dont like the switch, clicks off too easily. When I am in the mood to ignore the noise and I want speed I do use it to cut cast.


Did I miss any options?


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## 89plumbum (May 14, 2011)

Our pre-fab shop has several of the Exact saws. They're awesome, but not always practical for the field.


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## Alan (Jun 18, 2008)

89plumbum said:


> Our pre-fab shop has several of the Exact saws. They're awesome, but not always practical for the field.
> https://youtu.be/4b-_SGSwY0g


That thing is friggin awesome.

Definitely not practical for what I do, but I do love oogling at some tools.


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## JohnnieSqueeze (Mar 23, 2016)

i break the sheetrock and studs snap the pipe and tell them they are going to need a carpenter. 


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## Logtec (Jun 3, 2018)

The Dane said:


> I also recommend diablo steel demon carbide tipped blade for cast iron. It's probably around $14 and still don't truly last much more than 4-6 cuts in 4" cast iron. It does however cut very well and fast using my corded milwaukee sawzall. The first 3 cuts go like cutting butter and next 3 is ok and you might get a couple cuts more out of it but I refuse to cut or drill with a dull edge. Using my m18 hackzall is just not going to get the job done so cutting cast I keep a corded saw but anything else is cordless. Oh and get the 9" it is big enough for 4" and the 6" is just a bit to short for 4"
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I use my m18 hackzall to cut thru 4” cast iron regularly w/o any problems...


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

I had some 3" cast iron today that I couldn't touch with the bandsaw and the cutoff wheels in the grinder weren't working well either. The slotted diamond blade in the grinder worked good. This stuff was super hard and the wall was like 3/8" thick. I have only seen walls that thick on dur-iron. I've never even seen 4" with walls that thick.


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## Andrej (Nov 18, 2018)

Plumbus said:


> Cut off saw, if you have the room and don't mind using a heavy, chain saw type tool.


That!

Mind you, that clause "IF you have the room" is pretty much a given.

Also, while I would love to be able to use a grinder, band-saw, and the like - seen real plumbers use them - the problem is the side-wall of the pipe. 300 mm mains are, imho, well past the capabilities of a grinder (at least, in my 10 hour shift). Have to crack a cast water main cross, or a tee, with a grinder - I doubt it is possible.

In most cases, I have no more than 10 cm below the pipe, and it is unlikely that I will have access to both sides. That rules out the quick 3/4 top, 1/4 below cut (switching sides, and BOTTOM first if pipe is floating). In those cases, I am actually making 10 cuts, in (usually) 2.5 cm cast sidewalls, before I end up with a square(ish) cut.

I have (repeatedly) asked for a chain-cutter. I keep getting told it's too expensive.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Andrej said:


> That!
> 
> Mind you, that clause "IF you have the room" is pretty much a given.
> 
> ...



If your boss is charging by the hour than it makes sense that he doesn't spend 300$ on a chain style snapper when it will make him lose even more money on lost labor.


If you really want one than save up your pennies by not buying a pack of cigarettes everyday and buy one yourself. If a pack of cigs is 10$ and you switch to a half a pack a day from a full pack that's a savings of 150$ a month. In two months you'll have saved enough for a snapper.


https://www.ebay.com/itm/132799037111


https://www.ebay.com/itm/372173578098


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## Andrej (Nov 18, 2018)

skoronesa said:


> If your boss is charging by the hour than it makes sense that he doesn't spend 300$ on a chain style snapper when it will make him lose even more money on lost labor.
> 
> 
> If you really want one than save up your pennies by not buying a pack of cigarettes everyday and buy one yourself. If a pack of cigs is 10$ and you switch to a half a pack a day from a full pack that's a savings of 150$ a month. In two months you'll have saved enough for a snapper.
> ...


It's not about the money, on my end. It's not even about buying tools, to make my job easier.

I guess, it all ended for me, when I saw one of my company's transient labourers use my $200 torque-wrench as a hammer. If I could be sure I would be the only one using it, then fine. However, I'm also not lugging everything around that I need, which means it goes into my foreman's truck, which makes it accessible to, well, people who don't care about other's tools.

I didn't think the chain cutter was that cheap though. I'll probably pick one up, and leave it in my jeep, should I need it.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

Andrej said:


> I didn't think the chain cutter was that cheap though. I'll probably pick one up, and leave it in my jeep, should I need it.



Start supplying big tools and it's all downhill from there. Looks like your outfit is like most companies I worked for, boss has a new harley or truck, 2 million dollar house while he won't spend for tools and consider you as a disposable laborer. You are out real fast if you complain.


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## 89plumbum (May 14, 2011)

Andrej said:


> It's not about the money, on my end. It's not even about buying tools, to make my job easier.
> 
> I guess, it all ended for me, when I saw one of my company's transient labourers use my $200 torque-wrench as a hammer.


Don't even get me started! I've lost several hundred dollars in personal tools in just the last few months. Gone through about 15 temps here recently. The last straw for me was a few fridays ago. We were all getting ready to leave at 3:30. I said who's got my hand turbo torch, no one responded. I knew who had it. I asked again and the same guy who I know got one of my lasers the week before says, oh, oh I wasn't sure who this belong to as he removes his bag from his shoulder and then unzips it to pull the torch out.:vs_mad: I try not to lose my cool at work, but that was the end of him.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

89plumbum said:


> Don't even get me started! I've lost several hundred dollars in personal tools in just the last few months. Gone through about 15 temps here recently. The last straw for me was a few fridays ago. We were all getting ready to leave at 3:30. I said who's got my hand turbo torch, no one responded. I knew who had it. I asked again and the same guy who I know got one of my lasers the week before says, oh, oh I wasn't sure who this belong to as he removes his bag from his shoulder and then unzips it to pull the torch out.:vs_mad: I try not to lose my cool at work, but that was the end of him.


The guy was a thief and the reply was his back up plan pretending "he found it".

I found a few pairs of pump pliers or copper cutter, I would bring the tool back at lunch and ask the guys if it belonged to them. I would keep it a couple of days and if no one claimed it then it was mine. I did find a very dusty 18" pipe wrench forgotten in a supermarket on top of the roof beams. I wonder how many years or decades it was there.

I would never lend a tool to another guy unless I knew him and a decent one. All the others I would ask a deposit for the price of the tool. They would turn away quickly.

My tools were always in my box I wouldn't leave anything laying around and I would watch them like a hawk and lock them in places where it was dubious.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

Andrej said:


> I didn't think the chain cutter was that cheap though. I'll probably pick one up, and leave it in my jeep, should I need it.


Another thing, you bring in big or expensive tools, someone will take it like it happened to 89plumbum or WORSE The company will take it one day and give it to another crew on another jobsite and say it belonged to them. When you go to retrieve it they will say it's not yours and may even accuse you of stealing it.

Mark my words I've worked on pirate ships with cross bones flags all my life.


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## GAN (Jul 10, 2012)

Tango said:


> Another thing, you bring in big or expensive tools, someone will take it like it happened to 89plumbum or WORSE The company will take it one day and give it to another crew on another jobsite and say it belonged to them. When you go to retrieve it they will say it's not yours and may even accuse you of stealing it.
> 
> Mark my words I've worked on pirate ships with cross bones flags all my life.


Carving your name in the tool reduces that a bunch. Even did that with my Sharp Shooter Spade and job site Fan. MINE, keep your friggin hands off.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

I would torque someones face if they used my torque wrench as a hammer. In your case, only bring what you can carry. Before I had my own van I would bring two locking tool boxes. Didnt let them out of my sight. I used a dremel to carve my name into the back of the handles of my pipe wrenches. I also have a different, rarer brand of pipe wrench than all the other guys. I keep meaning to do this with my crescent wrenches and channellocks too. I do write my name with marker on the channellock handles. Most of my tools have my name somehow on them in multiple places, sometimes inside.


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## hroark2112 (Apr 16, 2011)

First time doing this one, cut a 4" closet riser with a Dremel tool


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

hroark2112 said:


> First time doing this one, cut a 4" closet riser with a Dremel tool


You can also use a pencil grinder for inside cuts. They have small zip cuts, grinder wheels, carbide gouuger etc.

I have 2 of them. One is a metabo with variable speed and my other is a dewalt.


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