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  1. #1
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    Default best way to cut bolts?

    heyas,

    what's the best way to cut 3/16" (4.8mm) zinc-plated bolts? the 2 best options i can think up are bolt cutters and a dremel with a fibreglass-reinforced cutting wheel. cost is a very big concern and i think the bolt cutters will work out to be much cheaper, but will they be able to handle new bolts? all the discussion i've found says they work wonders for rusted bolts but i need to trim new bolts to solve clearance problems.
    Not to be confused with Carpe Deum which means "God is a fish"

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  3. #2
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    Default

    why not cut them with a hacksaw and clean up with a file later???
    Have a nice day - Cheers

  4. #3
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    Default

    Have you got a lot bolts to cut ?

    The quickest way I know (and I'm no metalworker, ok) is to use 1mm cutoff disks in a normal hand grinder. "flexit" I think the brands called. Might have got that mixed up. Anycase, easy to get,,,,,I get them at my local mitre 50 (no, thats not a mistake)
    so, bolt head in vise, nut wound up past cutoff line, rippppppppp, wind nut off.

    Should you not know the 'nut' trick.(I'm just so proud of this nut trick)...... Before you cut off, wind a nut past the cutoff line first. So that after you've cut off, winding the nut off will reform the start of the thread ; else the thread may be too damaged at cutofff.

  5. #4
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    thanks for the fast replies!

    woodbutcher - that's my usual method, however this time around i have several dozen of them to do (nearly 100) and that'd take too long. ideally i'd like to have each one done and dusted in a few seconds.

    cutoff disks in a hand grinder - sounds like it could work i don't have a hand grinder at the moment though, how are they priced in comparison to a good pair of bolt cutters?

    the 'nut trick' is VERY useful though - i can't believe i didn't think of that before. i always used my half-round to try to manually reform the thread and then put the nut on!
    Not to be confused with Carpe Deum which means "God is a fish"

  6. #5
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    i guess i should say: these are brand new bolts for a project i'm just starting. the design calls for bolts to be no longer than a certain length otherwise they foul various moving parts. so the bolts, being brand new in the box, can be tortured in any way they need to be; they aren't stuck in existing material or anything.
    Not to be confused with Carpe Deum which means "God is a fish"

  7. #6
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    Default

    cutoff disks in a hand grinder - sounds like it could work i don't have a hand grinder at the moment though, how are they priced in comparison to a good pair of bolt cutters?

    I don't know how much bolt cutters are.... A good pair, I'd imagine would approach $100 at least wouldn't it ?

    A powered hand grinders are quite cheap. And you'll always have use for one. I guess you'd appreciate a tool that can be used for more than just cutting bolts. Cheap ones are often fine......Something like $30 at bunning.

    the 'nut trick' is VERY useful though - i can't believe i didn't think of that before. i always used my half-round to try to manually reform the thread and then put the nut on

    yep....I didn't know about it for a long time,,, so no more fiddling about trying to fix thread with files.

    I don't know what your project is exactly, but if fouling bolt heads is a concern and your bolting metal together, then tapping holes may be an option.

    Might help .

  8. #7
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    i just looked around online, the good bolt-cutters seem to be pretty expensive indeed. i'm hoping that bunnings will have a <$10 cheap unit that can handle 3/16" bolts - i'd imagine it'd be a gamble though.

    funnily enough i've never ever needed a hand-grinder before, the closest i think i've come to 'needing' it was when i saw a kit that converted one to a biscuit joiner - most of my work is with wood so that caught my attention

    tapping holes is an idea i played around with before, unfortunately i don't think 6mm MDF will tap nicely what i'm building at the moment is a prototype for a DIY projector so keeping costs down is a high priority, i actually crossed the 4-digit mark today but having spent the last 3.5 months designing the thing in a CAD program i'm fairly confident of what i'm doing
    Not to be confused with Carpe Deum which means "God is a fish"

  9. #8
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    Wouldn't ordering the bolts in the right length be a simpler and cheaper solution. Good luck with the $10 boltcutter. Maybe use the $10 to buy some fuel for your car because you'll probably need it to do another trip to the hardware store to get a good boltcutter. One is lucky nowadays if you can buy 2 'good quality' hacksaw blades for $10.

  10. #9
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    All the best with it.

    I don't know about $10.....Sounds too cheap I don't know. Shorely it would last for 100 bolts anyway, then, maybe, take it back

    Forgot to mention, regarding those 1mm disks. Because there so thin their very quick for cutting off,,,,, but, this also means they are also unforgiving on your flesh.
    I reakon one of these could easily cut a finger off, if you forget yourself. Just something to remember. You might get a little complacent nearing that 100th bolt. I know I probably would.
    Sometimes they wear very quickly as well, depending on the material. So, I'd buy at least 2 disks.

    need to sleep

    Goodnight.

  11. #10
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    Do you need to use bolts? Would screws work? Not a joke but curious why you need bolts in MDF.

  12. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by apricotripper
    Should you not know the 'nut' trick.(I'm just so proud of this nut trick)...... Before you cut off, wind a nut past the cutoff line first. So that after you've cut off, winding the nut off will reform the start of the thread ; else the thread may be too damaged at cutofff.
    Used to do that trick, and three nuts did work better than one , but now I just round over the cut edges on the small belt sander.

    Only takes a few seconds, looks good and works a treat and it is just as if they are made that size. Just make sure you wear eye protection in case of sparks.


    Peter.

  13. #12
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    where can i order bolts made to a custom length? for my project i'd need like 2 of 9mm length, 3 of 11mm, 1 of 12mm, etc etc. i.e. it gets ridiculous. the project is already running over-schedule and the time needed to calculate the required length of each of the ~132 bolts isn't something i have... which is why i figured i'd just buy 200 bolts of various lengths from bunnings and trim them down as i need them.

    but yeah - $10 bolt cutters, what was i thinking. i remember buying cheap tin snips which binded after about 10-15 cuts. went back to the shop and exchanged them for wiss ones which have made several hundred cuts and are still going strong.

    on a side note, i did some quick calcs just then and it turns out it costs me over a dollar in fuel to make the return trip to the local bunnings - what sucks even more i guess is the 20 minutes lost and the tedium of it all. one day i made 4 such trips, by the end of it i didn't even feel like going into my workshop anymore hehe
    Not to be confused with Carpe Deum which means "God is a fish"

  14. #13
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by
    Do you need to use bolts? Would screws work? Not a joke but curious why you need bolts in MDF.
    no offence taken, it's a sensible question. main reason i don't want to use screws is because i don't like the idea of screwing into 6mm MDF 'endgrain' for something that needs structural strength. also some parts pivot around the bolts (i've bought nyloc nuts for this purpose).

    the project is only a prototype but the need to keep costs down and thus the choice of 6mm MDF as a secondary structural material (primary = 3mm thick Al bar) led to a lot of problems - exactly how does one join 6mm MDF pieces together at a right angle such that they're strong enough to carry the equivalent of >2kg loads in 2 directions/axes? (sometimes 3?) that's why i chose to resort to right-angle steel brackets and a billion bolts - if anyone knows of a good box-joint jig for a router (without a router table) i'd certainly like to hear it!

    cheers for the tip sturdee, i don't have a belt sander but i get the principle of what you're doing. i'll stick 3 bolts on anyway before i start cutting; the 'triple nut trick'
    Not to be confused with Carpe Deum which means "God is a fish"

  15. #14
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    Default

    Don't suppose you have a brad gun or a staple gun?

    I'd make the rightangle MDF joints with a bit of quad, a wipe of glue & a few brads or staples to hold it while it dried.
    Cliff.
    If you find a post of mine that is missing a pic that you'd like to see, let me know & I'll see if I can find a copy.

  16. #15
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    Ok then.

    If you have a look at some crimping pliers that are used in automotive electrical work they have bolt threads in the circular hinge part. If you use these they do an excellent job of shearing the bolt cleanly so that a nut just goes straight on.

    A little more expensive but I would use brass bolts, they cut easier.

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