Cutting Cast Iron 3" Pipe

Hey guys,

I have a 3" soil pipe that I need to cut off 1.5" from the hub. My buddy says I should do it with a sawzall with remgrit blades to avoid breaking it.

So what do you guys think sawzall or soil pipe chain cutter?

Tom

You can saw it, but a snap cutter is easier. Most tool rentals carry them.

I didn't know that such tools existed and just used my reciprocating saw with a cast-iron cutting blade I picked up at Home Depot. It's not really a blade...no teeth but rather an abrasive o some kind. It didn't take all that long as I only had two cuts to make. Once you make the initial cut through the wall of the pipe it goes much faster.

Terry
I prefer the Wheeler Rex ratchet cutter. Much easier to use in my estimation.

Snap-cutters are the professional tool to break cast iron pipe, but they take some getting used to and you have to build up some skill with them to avoid shattering the end of the pipe so that you will end up with a fairly even cut. Since you are only wanting to remove 1.5" from the end of a pipe, you will find that the snap-cutter will end up shattering the pipe. So I would suggest for only small jobs like this where you are only trimming off an inch or two, I would just use a carbide recip blade and get a nice easy clean cut.