Thinking of taking Angle Grinder to steerer tube

phil_pompey

Hi,

Need to cut my steel steerer on my recons. I've tried using the "good old hacksaw" but i'm now on my 4th blade and not even 1/4 way through it. Decent quality blades too made by stanly. Its a stubborn little bugger so I was thinking of taking the angle grinder to it.

Good or Bad idea?

Only thing I'm worried about is tube distortion really.

Chunkers1980

OK idea - it's clearly made of stern stuff.

I was through my last Alu one in about 50 stokes of a pants blade.

A pipe cutter?

supersonic

Pipe cutters can distort too. Steel steerers are hard as nails, but a good blade will have it.

phil_pompey

Thanks for that guys, as i said, I've already started cutting so if I had a pipe cutter it would be a ball ache to get it on there now. I don't want to go forking out for any new tools so think I'll use the grinder, just taking it easy! Beginning to wish I'd held out for the Alu steerer now

bikaholic

It must be your sawing technique - I've cut loads of thick chromolly steerers using the same hacksaw (usually can get about 10 done before the blade becomes too dull).

Like I learned at school many moons ago: hold the saw like you're shooting a gun with your trigger finger supporting the handle. Start slow using your other thumb as a guide for the blade. Apply long even strokes, and let the blade do the work.

Support the forks any way that you see fit. Some people use a large vice, myself, I just hold them still under my left foot (the forks are wrapped in an old rag for protection, of course).

Deburr using a file or an angle grinder.

phil_pompey

I had them clamped in a B&D Workmate via an old stem which also doubled up as my guide. Maybe I got a dodgy batch of blades..... Or I'm just a heavy handed C*&t LOL

The Rookie

Don't force it, the blade should glide back and forth, too much load and it will catch and ruin the blade....

Simon

stubs

You are using a proper sized hacksaw arent you? If its a Junior hacksaw no wonder your struggling there only meant for plumbers to cut copper pipe. I recently cut a steel steerer (On-one fork) with my cheapo Draper hacksaw and it took a couple of minutes to cut.

.blitz

As above a proppa man's hacksaw will go through a steel steerer in a couple of minutes. Remember that the blade only cuts on the forward stroke.

Dirtrider

and let the saw do the work, not you.

I really wouldnt take an angle grinder to it. Even if it means going through another 12 blads to get it cut.

butcher of bakersfield

phil_pompey wrote:

I don't want to go forking out for any new tools..

Can totally appreciate the rationale. We don't always have the circumstances to live in an ideal world (like most people would recommend your life on the internet ) but it's worth bearing in mind that good tools will last a lifetime, and it might not be often some of them are used, but for those few instances it's often worth it.

Clank

You'll want a blade with a minimum of 28 tpi. Bigger teeth won't be good.

I've cut 4 steel steerers i the last 10 days - same blade.

ilovedirt

Yeah again, a decent hacksaw (not even that decent really) should cut through it, it'll take longer than an alloy steerer, but it should work. I've only ever cut one steel steerer, but the blade on the saw certainly wasn't new, and i had no issues.

phil_pompey

Thanks, for the replys guys.

Steerer cut and I can breath again now. You know that sinking feeling you get when you think "Have i done this long enough?" Well its about 190mm long. I've got a ritchey zero stack headset, 35mm of spacers under stem, a chunky syncros AM stem and a 5mm spacer ontop of the stem. My first self build in about 10yrs is coming together nicely