How and with what to cut the pipe: exactly at 90°, at an angle of 45°

Tools used

A simple operation at first glance, cutting pipes in practice reveals many nuances and pitfalls. If not, just cut the tubes evenly:

Thin-walled.
Large diameter.
With a bevel.

It is very important to choose the cutting method and special equipment suitable for each specific case. It is divided into individual, household and industrial.

Required Tools

For individual use

They are used in households, private construction and small businesses. Deal with small and medium diameters (up to 250 mm) used in systems

Water supply.
Heating.
Sewer.
Ventilation.

Such tools include:

Cutters. Used to evenly cut polymer pipes up to 75 mm. To make an even and neat cut they have a gear mechanism. The workpiece is first clamped with a shelf clamp, which securely fixes it and prevents it from leaving the cutting line.
Disc cutter. Suitable for ventilation and sewer polymer pipes with a diameter of up to 200 mm. The blade is not a secateur type, but in the form of a disk rolling along the surface of the workpiece. The cut is made in several turns. Not suitable for rolled metal-plastic, as it can crush the thin metal liner.
Guillotine. The flat oblique knife moves in the guides and allows you to cut exactly the required length in one pass. It is available both with an electric drive, which provides greater productivity, and with a manual drive.
Hacksaw for metal. A classic metalworking tool allows you to evenly cut a workpiece clamped in a vice. When using, it is important to drive the saw smoothly, with constant force and without distortion. Burrs formed after using a hacksaw should be cleaned with a file.
Angle grinder, angle grinder. In everyday life it is called “grinder”. This universal tool can handle any materials and diameters. In order to cut a pipe with a grinder, special abrasive cutting discs are used.
Electric jigsaw. A very popular tool among home craftsmen, it can also cut pipes, but due to the flexible blade moving to the side, you can only dream of accuracy.
Reciprocating saw. The instrument has not yet become widespread among Russian craftsmen. The adjustable stop of the saw and its powerful blade allow you to cut off rolled products even while suspended and close to the wall.

Cutter

Guillotine

Reciprocating saw

How to cut a pipe straight

To ensure an even cut from a general-purpose tool, special devices should be used to fix the workpiece. These can be templates, vices or miter boxes. In addition, it is very important to correctly mark the future cut and, while working, make sure that the cutting line does not go to the side.

For industrial use

Such equipment is used in industries where the volume of work is large or large diameter pipes have to be cut. To cut straight, use:

Lathe. Suitable for high-precision cutting of workpieces, chamfering, making ledges, diameter transitions and other shaped processing. Allows you to lathe and cut threads, both internal and external. The length of the part is limited by the overhang of the machine head. Diameter - overhang of the chuck jaws.
Tape machines. They are used to cut a large diameter pipe without removing it from a trench or collector point. They also work on deformed products.
Disc cutting machines. Highly automated installation with a pendulum saw and a workpiece feeding mechanism. Often included in the production line, it is used for high-performance cutting of rolled products into equal pieces.
Manual disk installations. Mobile equipment is used to cut the rolled products exactly right at the installation site. Equipped with a multifunctional clamp that allows you to securely fix products of different diameters and cut them evenly without damaging the edges. The rotating work table allows you to cut smoothly at any angle. The most advanced models are equipped with an orbital welding system. This allows you not only to cut, but also to connect segments.

CNC Pipe Cutting Machine

Cutting technology

As a rule, the volume and complexity of work required by a home craftsman does not require the use of high-performance and expensive production-level equipment. When making a greenhouse frame, you can completely cut the pipes with a grinder or a traditional hand saw.

Each type of cut has its own nuances, and some require special tricks.

Right angle

The accuracy of the cut is largely determined by the quality of the markings. Experienced craftsmen advise marking cutting lines not with a pencil, but with masking tape, following the following sequence of actions:

Set aside the required size and make a small mark with a marker or pencil.
Carefully, applying to the mark, cover the part with masking tape in a circle. The edges of the paper should meet without moving. This is a sign that the paper is pasted correctly. If the edges do not meet, the tape needs to be re-glued.
Securely fix the workpiece to prevent it from moving or distorting during work. For fixation, use a vice or clamps.
The cut (smaller) piece of the workpiece should be left hanging so that it does not pinch the blade or disk.
The cut starts from the top.
The grinder disk (or hacksaw blade) is guided exactly along the edge of the masking tape, without deviating to the side.

This will allow you to cut exactly the required length.

If the diameter is large, then the markings are done in the same way, but cut in parts, in sectors of 30-60°. After cutting the next sector, the fastenings are loosened and the pipe is rotated. Then they fix it again and continue cutting from the place where the previous sector ended. To make it smooth, special attention should be paid to the beginning of the cut, avoiding steps and nicks.

Oblique incision at 45°

It is possible to cut the end of the pipe exactly at 45° without the use of complex devices. All you have to do is use your plumbing skills. You will need to do the following:

Cut a piece of paper into a square shape.
Fold diagonally. Learn the right isosceles triangle.
Wrap the workpiece with a sheet so that the leg of the triangle is perpendicular to the axis, and the hypotenuse forms an upward spiral.
Secure the sheet with tape.
Fix the workpiece and cut along the oblique edge of the sheet. It will turn out at 45°.

Pipe bevel cutting

There is another popular method. The end of the workpiece is immersed in a container with liquid at the required angle. You need to cut along the border of the wet and dry areas.

If you need to cut not perpendicularly, then it is better to use an old carpentry tool - a miter box.

This is a U-shaped template, in the side walls of which slots have already been made at specified angles. The pipe is placed against the wall of the miter box farthest from the master and pressed there with a hand or a hand clamp. The hand saw blade is inserted into the appropriate grooves and sawed. If necessary, cut at a different angle, you can make additional cuts in the walls of the miter box.

45 degree cutting

Typically, in order to rotate a pipe by 45 degrees, fittings and bends with a rotation angle of 45 degrees are used, made of the same material as the pipes themselves; if the pipes are steel, then the turns are welded from steel. For HDPE pipes, there are electric-welded or cast bends at 45 degrees (note that it is almost impossible to find compression fittings with this angle of rotation in Russia).

But, if you still need to cut a round pipe made of steel or various types of plastics, then for this you will need a pattern for cutting pipes at an angle, the shape of which is calculated manually or by machine. The task is greatly simplified if it is necessary to cut a square metal profile at an angle of forty-five degrees.

For quick cutting, you can use a regular sheet of paper folded diagonally to mark the surface for future cutting. When using folded paper, proceed as follows:

carry out on a straight surface of the profile in the place where the cut is made, strictly perpendicular to the line;
apply a sheet of paper folded diagonally to the side surface with the sharp end to the line so that the upper edge of the paper triangle is flush with the top side of the metal profile.

Rice. 2 Homemade template for cutting pipes at 45 degrees

draw a line with a pencil along the side of the sheet at an angle of 45 degrees, after which the paper corner is applied to the other side and traced with a pencil (it is better to use a thin marker).

For sawing, you can use a grinder with a metal disc, first drawing a thin line along the marking, and then gradually deepening it until the edges are completely separated.

When working with an angle grinder, the following factor must be taken into account: if the edges are completely cut, the disk may be damaged by a sharp corner, which will lead to its failure, and in the absence of protection on the angle grinder, even to injury to the worker. Therefore, it is advisable not to cut the corner edges to the end, but to leave a narrow groove and then break them off, subsequently grinding the protrusion.

Making a template for cutting metal profiles

If you need to cut a large number of pipes, you can make a template from a metal profile of a larger diameter using a paper sheet using the above method. The angle of inclination is checked with a protractor or a construction square - in this case, the two edges of the cut parts of the template are connected.

When working, a template is placed on the part to be cut in the right place and pressed tightly, the markings are applied with a sharply sharpened scriber while tracing the template outline. The part is cut in several passes with a gradual deepening of the groove.

Rice. 3 Cutting a metal profile using a miter box

DIY miter box for cutting pipes

Using a template is not very convenient - you have to make a cut along the line, holding the grinder in weight, which leads to large errors. If you have a welding machine, you can make a simple miter box - guides for the grinder disk, preventing it from moving to the side.

To do this, use a previously made template, drill a hole in the side of which and weld a nut. When working, a homemade miter box is placed on the profile, a bolt is screwed into its nut and the device is pressed against the profile surface. A grinder with a metal disc is used to make a cut, lightly pressing the disc against the side surface of the device. It is clear that with prolonged use, the edges in the miter box are gradually ground down, and although the process occurs simultaneously on all edges, some errors will appear over time. Therefore, it is better to make the device from hard, wear-resistant metal in order to increase its service life and obtain a more accurate instrument.

Techniques for cutting pipes at an angle

Non-perpendicular cutting techniques depend on the material being processed. Some techniques are suitable for plastic or thin copper - materials that are ductile and easy to process. Thick steel will require a more serious approach.

How to cut a pipe at a 45 degree angle

Plastic pipes of small diameters can be cut using specialized scissors.

Steel pipes can be cut with a grinder, but it is better to use a more precise tool - a band saw with a rotary table equipped with clamps. A tabletop disc cutting machine will also work.

When using a general-purpose tool, you will definitely have to use one or another attachment.

How to cut a pipe at a 45 degree angle

Programs for calculating cutting angles

A template for cutting at 45° can be obtained by folding a square piece of paper in half. To form patterns for other bevels, you will need to perform more or less complex trigonometric calculations. For those who safely left sines and cosines in high school and are not going to remember the formulas, there are many programs available on the Internet for calculating patterns for any necessary angle. The program performs calculations for the user-specified diameter and angle of the cut and creates an image of the pattern, which should be printed on your printer.

Important: in the print settings, select the “full size” option and disable image scaling.

Paper pattern for pipe

To cut evenly at 45°, you can make a paper pattern yourself. To do this you should:

Measure or calculate the length of the outer circumference.
From the corner of a sheet of A4 printer paper, draw a line at an angle of 45°. If there is no protractor, such a line can be obtained by folding together the edges of the sheet adjacent to the corner.
Mark the circumference on it.
This will be the hypotenuse. Add an isosceles right triangle to it. One side will be the edge of the paper, the second should be lowered perpendicular to the second edge from the set point.
Cut out the resulting triangle - this will be the pattern for cutting pipes at an angle of 45°.

Paper pattern for pipe

It should be wrapped around the workpiece, aligning the ends of the hypotenuse. The cut will run along the line of the legs. The line should be marked with a marker or paper tape. Next, along the marked line, you can evenly cut off a piece with the required bevel.

The method is suitable for pipes with a diameter of up to 63 millimeters.

Miter box for cutting pipes

Carpenters have long used a simple but very useful device to evenly cut off the ends of bars, rectangular, round and shaped, at an angle. A carpenter's miter box is good for sawing off plastic or thin metal pipes.

You can use a ready-made one, or you can make a miter box with your own hands. Its advantage is that it can be made exactly to the size of the pipe. For production you will need:

Cut a board 40-50 cm long and a width equal to the pipe diameter.
Cut two boards of the same length, but wider by the thickness of the first board.
Assemble the boards using self-tapping screws, attaching the side boards to the base so as to form a U-shaped gutter.
In the center, mark and make vertical cuts in the side boards to the base so that a straight line drawn through them forms angles of 90, 60, 45 and 30° with the longitudinal axis of the structure.
If necessary, make cuts at other angles.

It is better to make the side walls from stronger wood - this will extend the service life of the equipment.

Such a miter box not only determines and helps to maintain the correct cutting line and cut smoothly. It also serves as a means of fixing the pipe. It is enough to hold the pipe with your hand along with the miter box. For each diameter you will have to make separate equipment.

During operation, the slots in the side walls are also subject to wear. You need to ensure that the hacksaw blade fits into them with minimal play. In case of wear, you can cut new slots parallel to the old ones, stepping back at least 3 centimeters from them, or replace the side walls.

This miter box has the following advantages:

simplicity of design and manufacture
cheapness
the ability to produce equipment for any diameter and required angle

Miter box for cutting pipes

Minuses:

It is inconvenient to work with large diameters and wall thicknesses
binding each equipment to its own diameter
compatible only with hacksaw

Simple cutting equipment

A universal cutting machine with a pendulum circular saw is ideal for cutting thick-walled large-diameter pipes, both round and rectangular in cross-section, smoothly at an angle. Such devices work in procurement areas of small industries and on construction sites where it is necessary to accurately cut a large amount of reinforcement to size.

The circular saw together with the electric motor is mounted on a pendulum arm and can be brought into the working area with great precision and then cut in one plane.

Advanced devices are equipped with an articulated lever that allows you to change the direction of the cut. In models of the lower and middle price segments, the cutting line is oriented using a rotary table equipped with clamps for reliable fixation of the workpiece. In addition, the table can tilt sideways up to 45°. The turntable and lifting mechanism are equipped with protractors that allow you to set the angle with an accuracy of a degree.

To securely fix the pipe at a given angle, use a clamp and two steel angles with a side close to the diameter of the pipe. The short angle is secured to the rotary work table using its standard screw clamps. Fastening and cutting process step by step:

Set the rotary table to the required cutting angle and secure it.
Place the pipe between the corners and tighten them with a hand clamp so that the marked cutting line remains free.
Start the engine.
After gaining speed, smoothly bring the disk to the surface of the metal and evenly cut off the workpiece. At the beginning and end of the cut, when the cross-section of the metal being cut is maximum, you should not apply much force to the pendulum handle.

The main advantages of this method:

high performance, also with thick walls
even and smooth cut, requiring minimal cleaning and finishing with a file
no need to create patterns.

There are also disadvantages inherent in this method:

applicability to small and medium diameters
high cost of the machine
low mobility
high power consumption and noise

The nuances of working with a rectangular section

To cut a rectangular profile evenly, experts recommend preparing templates in advance. The easiest way is to make templates from a steel angle of sufficient size, marked for the desired bevel. This greatly saves marking time with a large volume of similar cuts.

Rectangular section

The corner is placed on the side of the profile pipe and the cutting line is marked along the beveled side with a marker or scriber. It is recommended to repeat it with paper tape.

Next, use an available tool to cut the profile exactly along the line.

Using a water container

What should we do if we are dealing with a small-diameter pipe, and we need to cut the pipe at an angle somewhere near the edge? A deep container filled with water will come to the rescue. Before you start working, you need to calculate the angle of inclination and make a mark on the container. Then all we have to do is carefully lower the edge of the pipe into the water and tilt it towards the mark on the container. We remove the pipe, mark the line of contact with the water, and boldly cut along the markings. This method is optimal when marking a huge number of pipes. A ready-made template from a container of water will speed up the process of our work.

Precision cutting devices

Band saws are characterized by high stability of the plane of movement of the blade and cutting accuracy. They are also widely used in procurement areas of small-scale and medium-scale production. They are characterized by versatility, reliability and high performance.

For private use, the MASS company from Italy offers a compact band sawing unit. It is equipped with a manual clamping device and can smoothly cut pipes with a diameter of up to 65 mm, as well as rolled sections of any profile of the same thickness.

The rotary device allows you to set an arbitrary cutting direction from 0 to 45°. The frequency of movement of the cutting blade is up to 45 strokes per minute. An economical 370 Watt motor allows you to use a regular home single-phase power supply with a voltage of 220 V.

Application of thermal methods

In addition to mechanical methods, thermal methods of cutting pipes are also widely used. Here the tool is a gas cutter (propane or acetylene) or an electric arc welding machine. Even the thickest-walled, large-diameter pipes can be cut with a cutting torch. Productivity is also quite high. In addition, only these methods provide exceptional mobility - you can cut a pipe in a trench, basement, in places where a high-performance stationary machine simply cannot be dragged and connected.

It should be noted that thermal methods do not allow achieving high accuracy, and even cutting is not always possible. However, in a number of applications, such as operational repair of heating mains or main pipelines, it is not required. After thermal cutting, the resulting edges have to be additionally processed with mechanical tools, the cut line is leveled and the bevels are adjusted to the design values.

Plasma cutting of pipes

The thermal cutting method is also used when working with polymer pipe products. In thermal guillotines, the cut is carried out with an oblique thin cutter heated to a high temperature, sliding in guides.

The devices can also cut at an angle and very straight, but are only suitable for working with soft materials that have a low melting point.

How to cut a pipe at 45 degrees with high precision at home

When carrying out work on the installation of gas or water mains, it often becomes necessary to change the direction of the line, while the pipeline is cut and then welded at the desired angle. Most often, the direction changes by 90 degrees, and the question arises - how to cut the pipe at 45 degrees in order to accurately connect the joints when welding.

You can cope with the problem of cutting edge angles of 45 or 90 degrees if you have the appropriate knowledge and techniques that will help save not only time, but also materials during the work. At other rotation angles, it is impossible to solve the problem using a ruler and a sheet of paper - you will have to call computer technology for help.

Fig. 1 How to cut a pipe at an angle of 45 degrees

How to cut a profile pipe evenly

It is recommended to use a bench square when marking. The required size is marked on the first side, the square is applied to the mark and a marking line is drawn. Next, without lifting the square from the angle between the edges, smoothly rotate it to the other, draw a marking line, turn it again and mark the third edge. If the lines converge on the last edge, it means the markings were done correctly.

Now you can secure the workpiece and cut the desired length with a grinder or hacksaw.

How to cut a pipe straight

Marking using a sheet of paper

One of the easiest ways is to mark the corner using a sheet of paper. We fold the square sheet strictly diagonally. We take the pipe and wrap it with a folded page so that the edges of the diagonals are opposite each other. So, on the smaller side of the page we have an angle of 45 degrees. We take any marking tool and mark the location of the future pipe cut along the line of the page. To prevent the markings from being accidentally erased, you can use narrow tape. This marking method is convenient for a long pipe of enormous diameter, and the cut point of which is somewhere in the middle.

Large diameter pipe cutting

If you need to cut a large diameter pipe straight, for sewerage or at the entrance to a site, use the following tools:

Angle Grinder. An accessible, but not very safe method. Requires a certain skill. Personal protective equipment must be used.
Roller cutter. This is a rather complex unit, specially designed for such work. It is mounted on the pipeline, covering it from the outside. The pressure force of the cutting rollers is adjusted mechanically or automatically. Each diameter requires its own equipment.
Gas cutter. The most commonly used method. The method is quite safe if the gas welder is sufficiently qualified and the safety rules are observed. Requires a gas cutter, acetylene or propane cylinders.

How to cut a cast iron pipe

Cast iron as a material has its own specifics and differs from steel alloys in a number of physical and mechanical characteristics. Despite its high strength, cast iron is a very brittle material.

A cast iron pipe is marked in the same way as a steel pipe. Before starting work, you should place wooden blocks for support. Using an angle grinder with a cutting disc, you need to make a shallow cut around the entire circumference. Next, you need to hit the chisel inserted into the cut with great force. The product will split evenly along the saw line.

Cutting a cast iron pipe

If an angle grinder is not available, you will have to make a ring cut with a hacksaw.

If the pipe is profiled

But, for example, we have a profile pipe, not a round one. Manual marking of a profile pipe can lead to a huge error. The best way out of this situation would be to make a template from the same profile of a larger diameter. Take a small piece of profile pipe and use a protractor to mark an angle of 45 degrees. We cut along the markings with a grinder and grind the edges so as not to get hurt by the burrs while working. Then all we have to do is insert a profile of a smaller diameter into the template and, having made markings, cut it off.

In this article we looked at how to cut a pipe at 45 degrees. Using one of the methods listed above, mark and make a cut. For a more even cut, it is better to use a grinder. When cutting by welding, experience is required, otherwise the cuts will end up with unevenness. As a last resort, you can use a hacksaw. Currently, there are a large number of different devices for cutting pipes at an angle on sale, but purchasing them requires extra costs. It’s easier and cheaper to make a template for yourself once and use it as needed.

That is why the video will show you how to cut a pipe at an angle of 45 or 90 degrees using a computer program:

Cutting a profile pipe using a pipe cutting device at forty-five degrees:

Source: uchebniksantehnika.ru

How to cut lengthwise

Not often, but sometimes it is still necessary to cut the pipe lengthwise. You should proceed as follows:

Carefully mark the cutting line. Use thread, marker or masking tape.
Secure the pipe, provide a hand support next to the pipe along the entire cutting line.
Take your time, slowly move the angle grinder disk along the cut line and keep your hand supported, make the cut. You should constantly monitor the depth of immersion of the disk into the cut so as not to cut through the opposite wall.

How to cut thin-walled pipes

When working with thin-walled steel, there is a high risk of crushing the cut edges. To avoid this, fill the profile from the inside:

when working with a hacksaw, insert a round wooden stick of suitable diameter
When using an angle grinder, sand is poured inside, compacted and plugged.

How to cut a thin-walled pipe

This allows you to maintain the original shape of the pipe and evenly cut the required length.

Computer program to help

I would also like to consider the method of marking using a computer program. This is a super complicated method for those who are not used to working with a computer. It requires knowledge of a PC, programs for developments and drawings. We begin work by making a drawing indicating the size of the circle and the slope. We make a so-called virtual template.

After this, we print the image on a sheet of paper using a printer. The larger the diameter of the pipe, the more pages with markings there will be. Using scissors, we cut out all parts of the drawing and, using tape, glue them together. The finished template is applied to the pipe, and we make markings along the edge of the paper. This marking method is considered one of the most correct. If your computer does not have such programs, you can use the Internet. It is possible to download a pattern for marking on the Internet. In addition, you need to print it on a printer and cut it out. We wrap the finished pattern around the pipe and make markings.