Steerer cutter

aidso

Would this be a suitable cutter for cutting an aluminium fork steerer?
http://www.homebase.co.uk/en/homebaseuk/adjustable-pipe-cutter-557454

Levi_501

Pipe cutter are intended for copper tubing.

What is wrong with a hacksaw or grinder?

craker

I've used a pipe cutter successfully. Nice clean edge with a guaranteed horizontal tube cut.

I've used it on alu. and carbon, though you have to be more careful with carbon as it's possible to crush it and the innermost filaments bend in instead of cutting cleanly. Still a decent job though.

drlodge

Pipe cutter might work fine on an aluminium steerer, certainly wouldn't use it on carbon fibre. If you are thinking of buying one, better off buying a hacksaw and plastic mitre jig instead.

pesky_jones

Levi_501 wrote:

What is wrong with a hacksaw?

Thats what I used, I was nervous about doing it this way, but it turned out fine. The cut doenst have to be DEAD level seeing as nothing actually sits on top of the steerer, but it does have to be pretty level

pesky_jones

Most important thing is check twice, cut once! seeing as you only really have one chance if you cut it too short

aidso

Reason I didnt opt for a hacksaw was that in most of the videos I watched you needed a vice to steady it and I don't have one of those. I also don't really have a jig...
I thought the cutter might have been the easier/

Ouija

I use an old beatup stem as a guide. Just clamp it upside down on the steerer tube with what would of been the bottom of the old stem as the top and level with where i want to cut on the steerer. Also gives you a handle to hold onto and steady the fork with while your sawing with the other hand. It stops the saw accidentally wandering off course (just angle the blade as if you were trying to saw into the steerer itself). If you do get any bits that are higher than the stem base, then just use a file to file it down to the stem base. This is why i use an old stem, as you'll end up scratching it up quite badly with the saw blade and the file.

felix.london

I've always just cut mine with the forks in the frame. Use spacers to mark where you wanna cut (with a Sharpie), remove spacers, saw it off. Done

stubs

You can use a pipe cutter but the burr it leaves on the inside can make it awkward to fit the Star Nut. Last steerer I cut I wrapped some masking tape round the steerer to give me a straight line and cut it with a junior hacksaw then finished off with my sander.

paul.skibum

Two bits of tape to guide and a hacksaw was my last technique - worked fine with care and a new blade in the saw.

Could use Jubilee clips too. Holding the fork steady if you dont have a big ass bench clamp is the trickier part.

aidso

Went down the hacksaw route and it worked out really well .


http://imgur.com/a/F9VuT