"freecycle" wrote in message
...
Hi,
her-indoors bought a blind from Ikea and asked me to put it up,
and I needed to cut the metal tube it rolled on.
For the first cut I used a hacksaw, but it left so much jagged metal
that I cut it again. I used a junior hacksaw freehand this time,
trying to cut on a line I'd drawn. The blade bent and buckled
so much that the end was in and out when I'd finished.
What tool should I have used?

I used a hacksaw; the cut was a bit jagged but when the plastic end was put
on it concealed any minor imperfections.

I also filed any sharp bits.

Junior hacksaw should be fine as long as the blade is sharp and under
tension.

One thing - IIRC I clamped the metal bit in my Workmate to keep it stable
whilst I cut.
This stopped it flexing during cuttting and made cutting a straight(ish)
line easier.
These metal bits are medium flimsy so a firm grip on them is essential.

HTH

Dave R