Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - The official how to cut cables and housing without a cable cutter thread

You don't need to buy special tools. Take a pair of lineman's pliers, or any other wire cutters, I would assume, and place them on the ground with the levers perpendicular to the floor. Place your cable/housing, not both at the same time, inside the cutting surfaces. Give a purposeful whack with a deadblow hammer or a rubber mallet. A clean cut every single time. No filing or other work needed. You are good to go.

I just squeeze real hard. Man up?

Sometimes it works better (with regular cutters) to work my way across the cable/housing rather than try to cut it all the way across at once.

if you have a dremel with a cutting wheel (but somehow no wire cutters) that works great.

Who has brake cables? http://mk1love.com/forums/images/smilies/1-guns.gif

There are special tools for cutting cables housing?

You don't need to buy special tools. Take a pair of lineman's pliers, or any other wire cutters, I would assume, and place them on the ground with the levers perpendicular to the floor. Place your cable/housing, not both at the same time, inside the cutting surfaces. Give a purposeful whack with a deadblow hammer or a rubber mallet. A clean cut every single time. No filing or other work needed. You are good to go.
I'm gonna have to try this. I always use electrical wire cutters by hand, and I always mangle the cables. And $40 seems kinda expensive for something I use like, once a year. Thanks for the tip! :)

bolt cutters.

Lump hammer + anvil + cold chisel.

Not a set of tools to take with you on the road mind you.

I used a combination of wire cutters and kitchen shears. I then filed with a regular ******* file (I bet it won't even let me say ******* file, but that's what it's called) and opened the end with a nail. It worked out great.

There are special tools for cutting cables housing?

$13, love 'em. http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=24387&subcategory_ID=4202

$13, love 'em. http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=24387&subcategory_ID=4202

Nice!

I do it with linesman pliers, but I put an old cable inner in the housing to keep it from getting smashed and mangled. Then I carefully work my way around the housing, making nice clean cuts till it's all done. Most of the time they turn out great, sometimes I have to do it again or clean it up with a file.

Note: Regularly cutting cables and housing in the way that the original poster described may result in additional wear and tear on your wire cutters.

Personally, I finally caved and bought some cable cutters. They make nice, clean cuts on cables without needing dremel bits, mallets, or hack saws. As an added bonus they are pretty good at cutting housing, with only a little of work sometimes needed to clean up the housing ends.

Who has brake cables? http://mk1love.com/forums/images/smilies/1-guns.gif

Deathhare, you are fast becoming my favorite devil's advocate.

i typically just cut housing with normal wire cutters and then re-open the end with an awl. works really well.

Deathhare, you are fast becoming my favorite devil's advocate.

woot! http://www.mk1love.com/forums/images/smilies/shocked2.gif

Bench vice + side cutters. easy

reciprocating saw. easy.

The small shearing edge on the bottom of my multi-tool's needlenose works great.

+1 dremel. incredibly clean cut

I just bite it in twain with my teeth, then file it smooth on my beard stubble.

Hahahaha twain.


I just use dikes (diagonal cutters).
http://www.matcotools.com/ProductImages/spdc3.jpg
I use them to cut all kinds of metal stuff all day at work, so why should this be any different?