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cutting a ~ 1 inch think steel pipe - use a hacksaw?

Hi all,

I have a old basketball pole, backboard etc that came with our house. I am looking to replace the fixed height backboard with an adjustable backboard kit for my young kids. But the original has a 'frame' made up of ~ 1 inch thick pipes ( I am guessing steel) that I need to remove. The frame held the backboard.

I saw another post (Need to cut 1/4 or even 3/8 steel, anything at Home Depot or Lowes) that suggested a good hacksaw frame and blades wil do the trick. A time estimate was given of about 5 minutes on that one. Since I have

4 I am thinking 30 minutes for all 4? Can anyone validate this logic for me? I am trying to put up a new basketball backboard for a 31 March birthday and the existing pole seems fine, albeit rusty.

Thanks for your time.

Reply to
bunchabunk
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Angel grinder. 230mm disk, 2kW.

1 minute maximum.

Nick

Reply to
Nick Müller

Well, it depends a bit on the pipe wall thickness, also whether the access is good and whether you can hold them firmly. It should be practicable. If the pipe wall is thin (like, electrical conduit) you might find a "Junior Hacksaw" easier if there's stuff in the way of a big one. Often jobs like this are easier with a 4 inch angle grinder.

Reply to
Newshound

If you have or can get one of the 5" grinders and couple of blades, you can burn through the steel a lot faster than cutting. A 6" or larger grinder will go even faster.

Paul

Reply to
pdrahn

If you decide to go with a hacksaw get a High Speed Steel blade, not the carbon steel one. It's well worth the extra cost.

Wayne D.

Reply to
Wayne

Reply to
David Billington

The blade will probably be labelled as "bimetal" which means it has high-speed steel teeth with a more flexible (perhaps spring steel) back. It is possible to find solid high-speed steel blades, but they're uncommon and not very tolerant of an unsteady hand.

I'd recommend an 18 TPI blade. Starrett blades are excellent. Don't go for the grey-flex as they are not bimetal. The bluestripe ones are ideal but the greenstripe will do well also.

Regards,

Robin

Reply to
Robin S.

A 4 inch angle grinder is incredibly cheap - less than $20. Get one, you wont regret it - very useful tool.......

Andrew VK3BFA.

Reply to
Andrew VK3BFA

. Yes, I always confuse the two spellings.

Nick, not really angel-like

Reply to
Nick Müller

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