I just installed the FD cable, and when I cut the end, one strand frayed off (that is, before I had a chance to put the crimp end on). Not a big deal, because it's already clamped in and adjusted, but I'd like to avoid that next time I cut the end of a cable.

What's the solution to this -- superglue?

How did you cut it? I've run into that problem if I used ordinary lineman's pliers. But if you cut it off with a Dremel tool and cutoff wheel, or a real V-shaped cable cutter, you should have no problem.

I've found that with brake cables, you can usually re-align the one frayed strand (back into the spiral), and get it all back in line before putting the crimp on.

Solder the portion of the cable you are going to cut ahead of time.

a cable cutter uses a V or U in both jaws to compress the cable as its cut.

Shimano's Cable cutter also is needed to cut their shift cable.

Yes, it's a U-shaped cable cutter.

Make sure it's sharp, too. If it crushes before it cuts, it will fray. You can sharpen with a set of needle files.

Good pair of cable cutters or use Silver Solder the area and cut with any pair of cutters you have.

Pet peeve # 364: Abusing a cutting tool to cut the wrong things with them.

A quality cutter that hasn't been dulled by abuse should not cause the cable to fray or splay at all. It's possible that sometimes one single strand might flop out of the braided twist if you bump it but it should lay right back down if you carefully twist your fingers over the cable the direction of the twist of the cable and gently sliding them downwards off the cable as you turn.

If this isn't the case then your tool is wore out or not very well made/designed for cutting cable or defective. Check it for nicks/burrs or wear with a good magnifying glass or jeweler's loupe for flaws. A bypass-blade cutting tool requires sharp blades and very high tolerances to operate correctly. If the blades are dulled, chipped, or the pivot is worn or bent so that the blades are not held closely together or impact each other as they pass by each other it will not cut cleanly.

Such cutting tools are extremely sensitive to abuse and will dull very easily if used on the wrong material or used incorrectly. If the cutter is allowed to twist when cutting through heavy material it can bend the blades away from each other or distort the pivot so they are no longer held closely together.

Usually with cable cutters such issues usually manifest as a problem when getting clean cuts on the cable housing. A twisty curlicue will often form on the metal housing coil because the cutter is too dull to make a clean cut through it and it twists/collapses instead at the start or finish of the cut. Cutting the cable cleanly is much easier than cutting the housing.

Often people abuse a sharp cutting tool by using it for the wrong things. Heavy-duty cutting of heavier steel wire (like solid tie wire) or rod is not a good idea using a bypass cutter. A blade & anvil cutter like that found on a side-cutter or diagonal cutting tool should be used instead on heavier materials as it puts too much stress on the bypass blades and dulls them or can even chip them or cause the tool to twist and bend them. The blade and anvil cutting design doesn't make as clean of a cut as the bypass cutter and instead pinches the metal as it muscles through it with brute blunt force, pushing it to either side of the blade as it comes down on the anvil. But it is much more durable because the blade isn't as sharp and the angle of the cutting edge is much less fine. Most of the force is made up for by leverage of the tool with longer handles.

My bicycle cable cutter was expensive and I bought it because I was sick of messing around trying to fix mashed and collapsed housings using a side-cutters or diagonal pliers. When it comes to expensive specialized tools that need to be sharp when they are used the last thing I'm going to do is use them for anything but the purpose they were purchased for. It's bad enough that they get dulled a tiny bit every time they are used but if used properly should last many hundreds of braided cable and housing cuts before they start to dull even a little.

I work as an electrician and I don't let anyone touch my wire cutters and strippers because all it takes is one wrong move to damage them. Tin snips are the same way. I once lent out my $12 Weiss offset tin snips to some bozo apprentice for 5 minutes who cut god-knows what with them. When I got them back they wouldn't cut anything and every time I tried the tool would twist and the material would slide sideways between the sloppy blades. They were almost brand new

Cable cutters. Not electrical pliers, side cutters, or tin snips.

A good pair of high-end tin snips will cut the cable no problem without fraying or damaging it, it will also cut the housing too but that is harder since a tin snips does not have the parrot-beak contour of two U-shaped blades which captures the material and keeps it from sliding down the blade or twisting. If you have a good pair of snips and are very careful it can be done without damaging either the housing or the tool.

Best to use the right tool though.

If you have a really good pair of side-cutters you can cut the cable without fraying it too. Ideal or Klein brand 9-1/2" will do it if they are still in pretty good shape and haven't been worn by too many hard cuts.

That's what I do too. As a bonus, assuming you don't do a gloppy soldering job, it makes it easy to slide the cable back through the cable housing.

just re-align the frayed section and superglue away. i have had good luck with that method. i like doing that on unfrayed sections too. works easier then using that little crimp doo-hickey to secure the end of the cables and allows you to easily remove the cable housing to clean it from time to time.

I did a bunch of test cuts, and was able to do 9/10 with no fraying.

Super glue will indeed bind the cut ends together and will make rethreading the cable for reuse much easier.

The ultimate method is to solder the cable at the cut line before you cut. Soldering older galvanized or plain steel cables was a cinch but better quality stainless steel requires special fluxes and solder or silver solder.

Pair of diag's.
Solder/super glue not necessary either.
Thin strip of duct tape, at least 2 revolutions, where you're gonna cut,
Run the tape along, not against, the lay of the cable, kinda tight.
Cut, peel back leftover tape working along lay of cable.
Cable unfrayed, ready for crimping/ jamming thru std. housing.

So there you are - Murphy's law at work.

If you can sharpen one of these cutters with a file, you'll be doomed to do it regularly. Quality cutter jaws are too hard to be filed and need to be ground.

Am I the only one finding unintended irony here?

Quality tools are made of materials with edges shaped for specific jobs. Tin snips are for cutting sheet metal, wire cutters for cutting solid wire, and cable (or wire rope) cutters for cutting multi-strand wire, or wire rope.

When you cut wire with a pair of snips, you risk nicking the edge which isn't made for the kind of concentrated stress that round wire causes. Even among simple cutters like diagonal cutters, the jaws are ground differently for cutting copper wire, mild steel wire and piano wire, which is the hardest grade.

If you want to cut cables, buy a dedicated V-jaw cable cutter and use it only for that kind of multi strand wire. (index housing is OK)

Solder? Dremel? All I do is pinch the cable next to the cutter while cutting (I look away as I'm cutting in case the loose end goes flying).

Often simple is the easiest way. I do the same thing and it works just fine. If a strand does jump out it is only a little and by just running my fingers over the cable following the spiral it snaps back into place. Just like mentioned earlier.

No irony. These are two different situations.

You aren't going to hurt a tin snips cutting cable. They are similar bypass blade cutting tools with only a different blade shape (scimitar versus parrot-beak)

Because the stranded cable might slide down the curved face of the scimitar blade it is difficult to position. You might mess up a cut and have to cut it again. At the worst you destroyed a $2 cable or will have to use it in a shorter location. But it isn't going to destroy the tool. Tin snips are fairly tough and the only way you are going to destroy them is to twist a piece of flat metal into the jaws and spread them -something that is almost impossible to do with stranded cable or cable housing.

Using an expensive tool like a bypass-blade cutter on something that IS going to hurt it like using a cable cutter to cut extruded wire or rod WILL dull, chip and damage it.

Am I making myself clear here, or do I need to draw a picture for you?

You mean you hold it with your fingers very close to the point at which you cut? That sounds like a great solution.

Sharp cutters made for the job will not fray a multi-strand wire. If one strand does separate it still has memory and can easily be twisted back to stay long enough to get a crimp on.

If you're super paranoid, you can purchase shrink fit tubing in places like Radio Shack. This shrinks when heated and makes nice covers for bare wire along the frame tubes to prevent scratching when carrying the bike (far better at the job than the little donuts sold for the job.

You can also use as a anti-fray. Cut a short length, slide it to the cut, shrink it, then cut the wire through the tubing. Leave it on in lieu of a crimp. It'll be easier to slide off for service than a crimp is. This is probably overkill, but is for those who can't accept a simple solution for a non-problem.

No need for a picture, and you're perfectly free to use shears or snips to cut wire as long as they're not mine. I wouldn't have posted except you twice made such a point about use of tools for incorrect applications.

Superglue will work. Even when you're using the right tool, there's good and poor technique. Try this experiment- take a cut using a very slow, smooth motion. Then make another cut using a quick, aggressive motion. I'll bet the quick, aggressive motion results in less fraying. Cut cable like you'd cut off your finger, if you had to.