Heavy-duty steel pipe and tube cutters are usually the easiest to use, but for tight spaces, an angle grinder or reciprocating saw may be needed. When using a metal pipe cutter, align the tool around the marked place on the galvanized pipe and rotate so that the wheel cuts deeper into the pipe until severed.
Galvanized pipe is steel pipe that is coated in zinc, which minimizes rust and corrosion inside the pipe. It is very strong and has historically been used for running water in homes. Whether you are installing new galvanized pipe or removing old pipes, if you need to cut galvanized pipe you will need the right type of tool to cut through it. If you can pick the right tool for your application, and use it correctly, you should be able to cut through the pipe quickly and easily.
Measure for your cut. Making a precise cut is important when installing new galvanized pipe. For example, if you are planning on threading your pipe, you need to take the length required for adding threads to the ends of the pipe into consideration when marking your cuts.
Being precise with your cuts is less important when removing old galvanized pipe. If you are removing pipe and you don't plan on reusing it, just cut wherever it makes removal of that pipe the easiest.
Choose to use a tube cutting tool when cutting new or old pipe. Tube cutters are often used by plumbers for cutting copper and steel pipe they are installing or removing. Tube cutters come in a variety of sizes. Each cutter will typically cut a range of sizes. However, if you need to cut both very small and very large galvanized pipe, then you may need several tube cutters.
These are specialized tools that are only designed to cut a pipe, so if you buy one you won't be using it for any other purpose.
Rotate the tube cutter around the pipe. Tube cutters typically have two rollers and a cutting wheel. These three points are rotated around the pipe by turning the handle on the tool. After every few rotations, the tool is tightened so that the cutting wheel cuts deeper into the pipe.
While a tube cutter is a hand tool with no motor, it is easy to use and much more efficient than other hand tools used to cut pipes.
