Have you ever had to cut PVC pipe? If so, then you know that it is nearly impossible to do with just a handsaw. I mean, when was the last time you saw somebody cutting through PVC pipe by hand? It’s pretty much impossible.
Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to cut through PVC pipes easily and efficiently. The most popular way to do this is with a PVC pipe cutter, but it’s also possible to cut through PVC Pipe using a small saw or even a handsaw.
How To Cut PVC Pipe With Circular Saw?
In this article I’ll explain the many different ways there are to cut PVC pipe and explain which methods work best for different situations.
So let’s get cutting!
How To Cut PVC Pipe With A Handsaw?
In order to cut through PVC pipe with a handsaw, you will need a saw that is adapted for cutting metal. Saws like the ones at the right are specially designed to cut metal. They’re also pretty expensive! Keep in mind that if you do not have a metal cutting saw, it’s still possible to cut through PVC Pipe using a handsaw. But This method will take much longer and won’t be as efficient.
The first step is to measure out the length of pvc pipe you need cut to whatever size you want. If necessary use your pencil or marker to mark where you plan to cut.
The next step is to take your handsaw and cut in between the two marks that you made in the previous step. This will provide you with a “starting point” for where to cut using the handsaw, but won’t actually separate the pieces of pvc pipe yet. Next, begin sawing through PVC Pipe by pushing the saw with as much force as you can muster. Keep in mind that this takes a lot of time, so you should probably get started now if this is how you plan to cut through your pvc pipe.
If you don’t have access to a metal cutting handsaw, there are other methods for cutting PVC Pipe available.
How To Cut PVC Pipe With A Circular Saw?
Circular saws are very useful tools that can cut through just about anything. However, when cutting pvc pipe, it’ll be necessary to put a special blade in your saw to make the cut easier and save time. The blades you want to use for this process are called “PVC Cut-Off Blades.” These blades are thin and made of extremely durable material. They’re designed to be able to cut through pvc pipe with ease, so they’ll definitely be up for the task.
The first step is to measure out the length of PVC Pipe you need cut to whatever size you want. If necessary use your pencil or marker to mark where you plan to cut on the pipe.
The next step is to finish measuring out your piece of pvc pipe, making sure not to forget about the two ends! Then place a clamp facing upwards right on top of one end of your pvc pipe. After that’s done, take your blade and line it up along the edge of the clamp as best as possible, then cut straight through the pvc pipe using your saw.
After you’ve cut one end of your pvc pipe, repeat the same steps for finishing off the other end. Since there are no clamps holding down the opposite side of your pvc pipe it will be harder to get a clean cut by just pushing your blade down on top of where you want to make the cut. Instead, what you’ll need to do is raise up your blade and move it in small circles around where you want your cut to be made, like in my article above!
How To Cut PVC Pipe With A Sawzall?
If you don’t want to shell out the money for a PVC Cut-Off Blade, it’s still possible to use your circular saw as mentioned in my previous paragraph. However, this method won’t be as effective as using a blade designed for cutting pvc pipe. The only downside is that you’ll have to do all your cuts with multiple passes of your saw rather than one cut on each pass through the pvc pipe like when using a PVC Cut-Off Blade.
The first step here is pretty much identical to how you would cut through pvc pipe with a regular circular saw: measure out the length of PVC Pipe you need to cut to whatever size you want, then mark where you plan on cutting with a pencil.
After marking your pvc pipe, turn on your saw and line up the edge of your blade with one end of the pvc pipe. Carefully begin pushing it through the PVC Pipe while applying even force across the whole blade at all times. After making it about halfway through the cut take your other hand off the handle of your saw for about 5 seconds or so while still keeping some pressure on it.
This should make another small incision in the pvc pipe allowing you to finish up your cut much faster than if you were cutting it normally! I recommend doing this for both ends of each piece of pvc pipe that needs to be cut.
The method I described above is definitely the most effective and fastest way to cut through PVC Pipe with a circular saw. However, it’s also one of the more dangerous methods (especially if you’re doing it by yourself). Be sure to watch your fingers once you finish pushing down on each section of pvc pipe because if you don’t release the tension from the blade quickly enough, serious injury could happen!
If you decide to go this route, make sure not to forget about cutting off all four ends of every piece of pvc pipe that needs cut as well! Keep in mind that just like when using a regular circular saw, cutting both ends with this method will be very difficult and time-consuming. It’ll probably take up an extra 30 minutes or so doing all your pvc pipe cuts this way compared to if you had used a PVC Cut-Off Blade.
How To Cut PVC Pipe With Hammer And Nail?
This method is by far the least effective of cutting through pvc pipe, but it’s also the cheapest and safest method that I know of! All you need is a hammer, some nails, and something thin enough to slide in between the two nails (like a piece of paper). The concept behind this method is basically just using brute force to separate one side of your pvc pipe from the other while only having the nails holding it together on one end.
After measuring out how long you want your piece of pvc pipe cut, line up the nails at either end of where you plan on cutting. Use your hammer to drive the heads of the nails into the pvc pipe as best you can try to ensure that they’re lined up with each other. After this, just slide a paper or something thin and flat in between the two pieces of pvc pipe and push them apart! It may take a few tries because if your nails aren’t perfectly aligned, it’s hard to get enough force behind one side of the pvc pipe to separate it from the other half.
After doing all four sides/ends (and both ends) of every piece of pvc pipe that needs cut, it should be much easier now to separate those pieces from each other.
How To Cut PVC Pipe With Saw?
This is probably the easiest and most efficient way to cut through pvc pipe with a circular saw. The PVC Pipe Cut-Off Blade designed for cutting pvc pipe will allow you to make one solid cut through any piece of pvc pipe that needs to be chopped in half! It works much like using a normal blade would, but it has teeth that slice through the pvc pipe instead of grating across it. These blades are usually sold in packs of two or three and should cost $6-$12 depending on the size you get. The larger your blade pack, the more expensive they become which means that if you only need a few PVC Pipe Cut-Off Blades, buy them separately rather than in a multi-blade pack.
The teeth on these blades are extremely sharp and can cause serious injury if you’re not careful when using them. They work much like a saw do so you should always wear eye protection, gloves, and closed-toe shoes just in case something happens while you’re cutting through pvc pipe with a circular saw! Don’t forget to wear your gloves and eye protection because if a cut-off piece of pvc pipe flies off, it can do some serious damage to you.
Tips of using a saw to cut pvc pipe
- If you’re using a circular saw, making multiple shallow passes instead of one deep pass will help keep the blade from getting stuck in the pvc pipe. The PVC Pipe Cut-Off Blade is so sharp that it’ll slice through your pvc pipe without any problem if you use one long continuous pass, but it’ll take much longer.
- Make sure your circular saw is pressed firmly against the pvc pipe when you’re making each pass to ensure that the blade doesn’t slip off and cut into the ground or other things which are too close by.
- It’s always better to be safe than sorry so before I go any further, it’s time to make sure you’ve got everything set up correctly to do the cutting. This means setting everything up where you think you’ll be doing your cuts and then making a dry run-through with a pencil or something else to see if there are any potential problems before going any further.
- Don’t underestimate how sharp these blades are, even though they’re meant for pvc pipe!
Conclusion
This is a very simple and quick way to cut through any piece of pvc pipe as long as you have a circular saw you can use. Remember to always wear eye protection, gloves, and closed-toe shoes while using this method because the blade will be extremely sharp! The first time I tried using one of these blades, I underestimated just how sharp it would be and almost cut my thumb off when I dropped the pvc pipe in front of me! Fortunately, that didn’t happen but if you’re wearing gloves or have your hands protected in some other way while cutting through pvc pipe with a circular saw, you should be fine.
