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Jim Wilkins[_2_]

wrote in message
...
On 17 Jul 2014 01:38:01 GMT, "DoN. Nichols"

wrote:

On 2014-07-16, wrote:
I have a couple of Ridgid pipe cutters. They are fine for many
cuts in
copper but when cutting thin brass conduits even a slightly blunt
cutting wheel causes problems.

Replacement wheels cost $10+ here.

Questions:
1) Has anybody tried sharpening them? I had a go with a diamond
hone
while clamping the wheel on its mandrel in a lathe. The jury is
out on
the result.

I would be more tempted to use a toolpost grinder with the
compound set to parallel the sides of the wheel.

2) There are at least two kinds of wheels: Copper and stainless
steel.
What is the difference? Would the stainless steel cutter be better
for
the thin-walled brass conduit? Will the stainless steel cutter cut
copper but not vice versa?

As in "made for copper" or "looking like copper"? If the
latter, I would suspect that in reality it is simply copper-plated
steel, intended to minimize rust.

If made for use on copper, I would expect it to be sharper, as
the stainless would take more force to cut, and might crush the edge
of
a sharp and hard wheel.

I should mention that I use the cutters to cut rings of various
diameters in copper and brass which means quite a few cuts and
consequent expense if the wheels have to be replaced frequently.

Hmm ... the cutter makes for less waste material, compared to
even the thinnest grooving tool.

Do you use it in the lathe, or do you turn it around the
pipe/tubing by hand?

Is it possible to make a toolpost mount for the cutting wheel,
and use it up close to a collet for maximum support.

Thanks.

The wheels that come with the two Ridgid tube cutters (apparently a
"pipe" something bigger), #10 and #20, are F-158 which are
designated
to cut "copper, aluminum and brass". You can replace them with a
slightly more expensive E2990 which is designated to cut stainless
steel. If I understand you correctly to use these to cut brass would
not be a good option.

I use these manually although on occasions I have been known to grip
the end of the tubing in a chuck for ease of manipulation.

I have cut the rings on the lathe using a parting tool but that has
its own problems: The bigger the diameter and the thinner the wall
of
the pipe the more difficult the procedure. Cutting the brass
conduits
this way is impossible.

I wonder how many spare cutting wheels would I be able to buy for
the
cost of one tool post grinder :-)

I suspect in the end the thing will be to try a new F-158, E2990 and
a
sharpened F-158 side by side and see which performs the best.

Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC

BTW asking the staff in the "specialist" plumber shop locally
yielded
zero useful information in keeping with previous experience:-)

http://www.amazon.com/GearWrench-203...JCS6HPG HMCWJ
-jsw