Cutting brake cable housing -- the art and science?

[Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott]

I have an Aireon cable/housing cutter. Does a fine job cutting cable,
but when cutting brake cable housing it often leaves a sharp "tang" of
metal that partially cuts off the inner opening where the cable wants to
pass. Would this fall under the heading of operator error, or crummy
tool? Or both.
--

Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
KG6RCR

 

[Lou Holtman]

Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott wrote:
> I have an Aireon cable/housing cutter. Does a fine job cutting cable,
> but when cutting brake cable housing it often leaves a sharp "tang" of
> metal that partially cuts off the inner opening where the cable wants to
> pass. Would this fall under the heading of operator error, or crummy
> tool? Or both.


Use the cutting wheel of a Dremel.

Lou
--
Posted by news://news.nb.nu

 

[jim beam]

Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott wrote:
> I have an Aireon cable/housing cutter. Does a fine job cutting cable,
> but when cutting brake cable housing it often leaves a sharp "tang" of
> metal that partially cuts off the inner opening where the cable wants to
> pass. Would this fall under the heading of operator error, or crummy
> tool? Or both.

it's not operator error, but the operator skill level could improve.

1. with a knife, cut around the housing where you want it trimmed.
2. bend the housing slightly so you can see the section where the coil
splits.
3. cut at that point, making sure the blade gets into the split rather
than crushes the coil.
4. when done, use a grinding wheel or a file to ensure the coil end is
fully squared
5. use a small nail or spike to ensure the coil liner is open, not
crushed flat.

 

[Ozark Bicycle]

jim beam wrote:
> Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott wrote:
> > I have an Aireon cable/housing cutter. Does a fine job cutting cable,
> > but when cutting brake cable housing it often leaves a sharp "tang" of
> > metal that partially cuts off the inner opening where the cable wants to
> > pass. Would this fall under the heading of operator error, or crummy
> > tool? Or both.
>
> it's not operator error, but the operator skill level could improve.
>
> 1. with a knife, cut around the housing where you want it trimmed.
> 2. bend the housing slightly so you can see the section where the coil
> splits.
> 3. cut at that point, making sure the blade gets into the split rather
> than crushes the coil.
> 4. when done, use a grinding wheel or a file to ensure the coil end is
> fully squared
> 5. use a small nail or spike to ensure the coil liner is open, not
> crushed flat.


IME, steps 4 and 5 pretty much preclude the need for steps 1, 2 and 3.
YMMV.

 

[Paul Hobson]

Ozark Bicycle wrote:
> jim beam wrote:
>
>>Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott wrote:
>>
>>>I have an Aireon cable/housing cutter. Does a fine job cutting cable,
>>>but when cutting brake cable housing it often leaves a sharp "tang" of
>>>metal that partially cuts off the inner opening where the cable wants to
>>>pass. Would this fall under the heading of operator error, or crummy
>>>tool? Or both.
>>
>>it's not operator error, but the operator skill level could improve.
>>
>>1. with a knife, cut around the housing where you want it trimmed.
>>2. bend the housing slightly so you can see the section where the coil
>>splits.
>>3. cut at that point, making sure the blade gets into the split rather
>>than crushes the coil.
>>4. when done, use a grinding wheel or a file to ensure the coil end is
>>fully squared
>>5. use a small nail or spike to ensure the coil liner is open, not
>>crushed flat.
>
>
>
> IME, steps 4 and 5 pretty much preclude the need for steps 1, 2 and 3.
> YMMV.
>

I agree. I have horribly cheap and old wire cutters that I use for
this. I just spend some time at the file and everything works out fine.
\\paul

 

[Leo Lichtman]

"Ozark Bicycle" (clip) IME, steps 4 and 5 pretty much preclude the need for
steps 1, 2 and 3.(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Belt and suspenders. If 1,2 and 3 are done perfectly, 4 and 5 should be
unnecessary. If 1,2 and 3 are not done, then 4 and 5 become essential. 4
and 5 can be annoying, so any time spent on 1,2 and 3 can make the job go
better.

 

[Ozark Bicycle]

Leo Lichtman wrote:
> "Ozark Bicycle" (clip) IME, steps 4 and 5 pretty much preclude the need for
> steps 1, 2 and 3.(clip)
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> Belt and suspenders. If 1,2 and 3 are done perfectly, 4 and 5 should be
> unnecessary. If 1,2 and 3 are not done, then 4 and 5 become essential. 4
> and 5 can be annoying, so any time spent on 1,2 and 3 can make the job go
> better.



I have a bench grinder, so step 4 is pretty painless, and step 5 is a
10 sec job. Absent a bench grinder, I can see how proceeding carefully
with 1, 2 and 3 might be the easiet route.

 

[A Muzi]

Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott wrote:

> I have an Aireon cable/housing cutter. Does a fine job cutting cable,
> but when cutting brake cable housing it often leaves a sharp "tang" of
> metal that partially cuts off the inner opening where the cable wants to
> pass. Would this fall under the heading of operator error, or crummy
> tool? Or both.

I am not familiar with that brand but expensive
cable-specific cutters have a diamond-shaped cutting face
(we use Felco for example). They leave a nice crisp end on
wires and high-helix gear casing.

For spiral-wound brake casing we use a simple end cutter.
The diamond-shaped cutters do a lousy job with brake casing.

p.s. you can always touch your brake casing to a grindwheel
briefly for a dead-flat end.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

 

[Zilla]

A trick I learned from this group....

Stick an old shifter or brake cable from the other
end, that is, opposite the end you want to cut, into
the housing. Make sure the cable extends into the
part of the housing you want to cut. Then cut, and
pull the cable out. This prevents the metal part
of the brake housing from crimping. Then stick
a nail into the cut end, swish it around to open the
end. Then file smoothly with Dremel tool or simple
file.

===========================
----------------------------------------------------
===========================
cut here --^

== housing
--- old cable

--
- Zilla
Cary, NC USA
(Remove XSPAM)


"Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott"
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I have an Aireon cable/housing cutter. Does a fine job cutting cable,
> but when cutting brake cable housing it often leaves a sharp "tang" of
> metal that partially cuts off the inner opening where the cable wants to
> pass. Would this fall under the heading of operator error, or crummy
> tool? Or both.
> --
>
> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
> 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
> 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
> KG6RCR

 

[Alex Rodriguez]

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected]
says...
>
>
>Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott wrote:
>> I have an Aireon cable/housing cutter. Does a fine job cutting cable,
>> but when cutting brake cable housing it often leaves a sharp "tang" of
>> metal that partially cuts off the inner opening where the cable wants to
>> pass. Would this fall under the heading of operator error, or crummy
>> tool? Or both.
>
>it's not operator error, but the operator skill level could improve.
>
>1. with a knife, cut around the housing where you want it trimmed.
>2. bend the housing slightly so you can see the section where the coil
>splits.
>3. cut at that point, making sure the blade gets into the split rather
>than crushes the coil.
>4. when done, use a grinding wheel or a file to ensure the coil end is
>fully squared
>5. use a small nail or spike to ensure the coil liner is open, not
>crushed flat.

Or, use a dremel tool with a cutoff wheel. It cuts and sands the end smooth in
a single pass.
------------
Alex

 

[[email protected]]

Mike Elliott writes:

> I have an Aireon cable/housing cutter. Does a fine job cutting
> cable, but when cutting brake cable housing it often leaves a sharp
> "tang" of metal that partially cuts off the inner opening where the
> cable wants to pass. Would this fall under the heading of operator
> error, or crummy tool? Or both.

I never understood why someone would invent a special cutter for brake
cables and housings. I and most bicycle shops that I know use plain
diagonal cutters (made for cutting steel) to do this and do not have
your problem. In fact (helical wound) cable housing cuts better with
diagonal cutters than with special bicycle tools. The same goes for
shift and brake cables.

SIS shift cable housing is another matter, but then I haven't used it.
This stuff was invented for MTB's. With the shifters on the bars and
large steering excursions, helically wound cable housing changes
length enough that it could affect derailleur position. The SIS shift
cable housing is a constant length housing that should not be used for
brake cables because it cannot sustain high compressive loads, its
thin metal strands lying primarily axial in the plastic sheath.

Jobst Brandt

 

[Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott]

On 2/12/2006 12:26 PM Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott wrote:

All: thanks for the feedback. I especially liked Jobst's minimalist
diagonal cutters approach; the "stickee a chunk of brake cable in before
cutting" suggestion, and in all cases, it looks like a touch of the old
grinder will take care of any sloppy bits. I'll try it all!

--

Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
KG6RCR

 

[G.T.]

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Mike Elliott writes:
>
> > I have an Aireon cable/housing cutter. Does a fine job cutting
> > cable, but when cutting brake cable housing it often leaves a sharp
> > "tang" of metal that partially cuts off the inner opening where the
> > cable wants to pass. Would this fall under the heading of operator
> > error, or crummy tool? Or both.
>
> I never understood why someone would invent a special cutter for brake
> cables and housings.

I was wondering that myself. In 26 years of working on my own bikes I have
always gotten nice cuts just using dikes, even on SIS shifter housing.

Greg

 

[[email protected]]

I combine the diag. cutter with the inserted scrap cable, and this
results in a nice clean cut 90% of the time. We use this method at our
local bike repair co-op, because with often four or five very amateur
bike mechanics on hand I don't want to also be supervising power tool
usage.

Mark

 

[[email protected]]

FYI, the nashbar cutters work superbly, better than my Park cutter
which always left 2-3 strands partially cut - super annoying. Even
after multiple adjustments, the thing wouldn't clamp down enough to
cleanly cut off all the cables. So that particular Park tools sits and
eats dust. I don't even want to sell/give it away as it's just gonna
frustrate someone else. (Just venting after much frustration from that
made in USA "quality tool".)

 

[Boyle M. Owl]

[email protected] wrote:

> I never understood why someone would invent a special cutter for brake
> cables and housings.

It's not a special cutter. Indeed, the Pedro's cable cutter is otherwise
available in the MSC catalog as a "wire rope cutter" by Knipex for about
the same price, too, which struck me as odd, since "bicycle stuff" often
carries a gawd-awful premium.

http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNPDFF?PMPAGE=2275&PMCTLG=00

Fifth down on the left.

Since it's the same price as the Pedro's cutter, well, I've got a
Pedro's Yellow cutter in my toolbox.

> I and most bicycle shops that I know use plain
> diagonal cutters (made for cutting steel) to do this and do not have
> your problem. In fact (helical wound) cable housing cuts better with
> diagonal cutters than with special bicycle tools. The same goes for
> shift and brake cables.

Really? You've _never_ had a brake cable fan out by cutting it with a
standard diagonal cutter? I find that dikes really suck for cutting
wire rope/bicycle cables, and the Pedro's cutter does a much better job
of cutting spokes (and 316 stainless welding wire).

--
BMO

 

[Mike DeMicco]

In article <[email protected]>,
"Ozark Bicycle" <[email protected]> wrote:

> I have a bench grinder, so step 4 is pretty painless, and step 5 is a
> 10 sec job. Absent a bench grinder, I can see how proceeding carefully
> with 1, 2 and 3 might be the easiet route.

The problem with the bench grinder is that it melts and fuses the
plastic inner liner. I put the housing in a vise and use a flat file to
dress the end of the housing.

--
Mike DeMicco <[email protected]>

 

[Werehatrack]

On Sun, 12 Feb 2006 12:26:13 -0800, "Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I have an Aireon cable/housing cutter. Does a fine job cutting cable,
>but when cutting brake cable housing it often leaves a sharp "tang" of
>metal that partially cuts off the inner opening where the cable wants to
>pass. Would this fall under the heading of operator error, or crummy
>tool? Or both.

I find that shear-type cutters leave this type of malformed end with
just about the same frequency that my old Snap-On diagonal cutters
leave a different but equally annoying kind of deformation. The
difference, in my experience, is that the shear-type cutter can be
reliably used to nip that stub off perfectly flat, where the dikes
won't. I have a pair of the Park cutters myself, and I find that I
like the results I get with them. User preferences vary; if you're
getting results you like from a pair of diagonal cutters (or from a
Dremel, or an ancient Tibetan charm of cable housing parting, or
whatever), far be it from me to say that you must change.

Use what works *for you*. What others use may not be relevant.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

 

[[email protected]]

Boyle M. Owl writes:


>> I never understood why someone would invent a special cutter for
>> brake cables and housings.

> It's not a special cutter. Indeed, the Pedro's cable cutter is
> otherwise available in the MSC catalog as a "wire rope cutter" by
> Knipex for about the same price, too, which struck me as odd, since
> "bicycle stuff" often carries a gawd-awful premium.

> http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNPDFF?PMPAGE=2275&PMCTLG=00

> Fifth down on the left.

> Since it's the same price as the Pedro's cutter, well, I've got a
> Pedro's Yellow cutter in my toolbox.

I notice there is a preponderance of shears on this page. Shears are
not the best way to cut wire, especially if they are used much because
a shear wants a sharp edge that happens to be one that wears round
with use. That is why diagonal wire cutters are the appropriate tool.

>> I and most bicycle shops that I know use plain diagonal cutters
>> (made for cutting steel) to do this and do not have your problem.
>> In fact (helical wound) cable housing cuts better with diagonal
>> cutters than with special bicycle tools. The same goes for shift
>> and brake cables.

> Really? You've _never_ had a brake cable fan out by cutting it with
> a standard diagonal cutter? I find that dikes really suck for
> cutting wire rope/bicycle cables, and the Pedro's cutter does a much
> better job of cutting spokes (and 316 stainless welding wire).

Of course the wire flattens while being cut, but it springs back into
its original form. Consider how strands would need to be deformed
when cutting them to remain splayed as they are at the moment of
separation. If you cut through a soldered end, you may have a
problem, but then why cut a cable where it is soldered?

You should ask the bicycle shop owners why they use diagonal cutters
if you doubt that they work well or better than bicycle specific ones.

Jobst Brandt

 

[Peter Cole]

Mike DeMicco wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>,
> "Ozark Bicycle" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>I have a bench grinder, so step 4 is pretty painless, and step 5 is a
>>10 sec job. Absent a bench grinder, I can see how proceeding carefully
>>with 1, 2 and 3 might be the easiet route.
>
>
> The problem with the bench grinder is that it melts and fuses the
> plastic inner liner. I put the housing in a vise and use a flat file to
> dress the end of the housing.
>

I just twirl the end of a drywall screw to open up the plastic liner. I
use a Dremel to cut housing -- not a thing I do very often, just dikes
for cable -- not very often, either.