Cutting cable housing

S o r n i said:

Cable has to be a bit longer than the housing, that's all.

That means that to cut to length the housing for the rear brake you must
sacrifice an old very long cable.
I admit that this procedure looks rather inconvenient to me.

Sergio
Pisa

"Zilla" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

What's the trick so as not to crimp the metal casing
inside? I have the Park cable cutter, so it's not the tool.
(IOW, I know it's me.)

I insert some old cable before I cut. Use the Park cable cutter and
cut right thru the housing and cable. The cable supports the inner
wall of the housing, giving clean cuts every time.

--
Jim C

Sergio SERVADIO said:

Jim Connelley said:

I insert some old cable before I cut. Use the Park cable cutter and
cut right thru the housing and cable. The cable supports the inner
wall of the housing, giving clean cuts every time.

Ho do you remove the stump of the old cable inside?
Or, is this Park tool made not to cut the inner cable?
Then, if so, why inserting an old one?

Cable has to be a bit longer than the housing, that's all.

Bill "pull it out or poke it through (shaddup, Baker!)" S.

Sergio SERVADIO said:

S o r n i said:

Cable has to be a bit longer than the housing, that's all.

That means that to cut to length the housing for the rear brake you
must sacrifice an old very long cable.
I admit that this procedure looks rather inconvenient to me.

Most housing sections are rather short, but if you're running one long
continuous housing then you're probably correct. (I don't use that method,
anyway, but you asked how to remove "cable stump" so I answered.)

Bill "just cut it clean and poke a nail or something in the hole to round
it" S.

jim beam <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

tcmedara said:

Zilla said:

What's the trick so as not to crimp the metal casing
inside? I have the Park cable cutter, so it's not the tool.
(IOW, I know it's me.)

I''ve never been able to keep it uncrimped. I just use a small nail or an
old spoke to round it out again. Doesn't seem to have caused any problems
at all. I'm curious to see if there's any way to do it without crushing it.

yes. cut a single slit around the cable with a knife, then bend it
around very slightly until you see where the coil of the cable coincides
with the slit. at this point, you can hold it slightly open, then use

Quoted message said:

wire cutters to cut the coil. it does not crimp the cable, but you
still have to file or grind it square afterwards. i use a bench grinder
- a fabulously useful tool for only $40.

I understand that a Dremel tool with a cutoff wheel does the same task
all at once. Wrap the housing in masking tape, cut, enjoy.

Oh, and after two Bigfoot Ales, the cuts are rarely square. The
moral? Drink another Bigfoot, and you won't care. 🙂
--
Jonesy

Jim Connelley said:

"Zilla" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

What's the trick so as not to crimp the metal casing
inside? I have the Park cable cutter, so it's not the tool.
(IOW, I know it's me.)

I insert some old cable before I cut. Use the Park cable cutter and
cut right thru the housing and cable. The cable supports the inner
wall of the housing, giving clean cuts every time.

--
Jim C

I'll try this next time...

--
- Zilla
Cary, NC
(Remove XSPAM)

Weisse Luft said:

Another vote for Dremel tool. But I haven't had to cut a housing since
going to Nokon for all my cables.

--

Why is that? What's special about Nokon?

--
- Zilla
Cary, NC
(Remove XSPAM)

Peter Cole said:

"Dan Daniel" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

With light pressure, you can use the side of the Dremel cutoff wheel
to deburr and smooth the cut. I usually put two cutoff wheels in
anyway because they shatter so easily, which makes the side use
safer.

Use the fiber reinforced ones, they don't break.

What brand carry them? For brake and der.?

--
- Zilla
Cary, NC
(Remove XSPAM)

"Zilla" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Peter Cole said:

"Dan Daniel" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

With light pressure, you can use the side of the Dremel cutoff wheel
to deburr and smooth the cut. I usually put two cutoff wheels in
anyway because they shatter so easily, which makes the side use
safer.

Use the fiber reinforced ones, they don't break.

What brand carry them? For brake and der.?

I don't know the brand, my local hardware shop carries them in a blister pack
with 3 or so disks. They look obviously like the have a fiber mesh, and are
larger in diameter than the brittle ones that come with Dremel tools. They cut
quickly through both brake & der housing, you have to open up the plastic
inner lining a bit with a pointed object (I twirl a drywall screw). It's also
easy to square the ends up if you cut at an angle (using the side of the
disk). I often chamfer the outer plastic a bit at a slower speed to help them
fit in the ferule.

Jonesy said:

jim beam <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

tcmedara said:

Zilla <[email hidden]> wrote:

>What's the trick so as not to crimp the metal casing
>inside? I have the Park cable cutter, so it's not the tool.
>(IOW, I know it's me.)

I''ve never been able to keep it uncrimped. I just use a small nail or an
old spoke to round it out again. Doesn't seem to have caused any problems
at all. I'm curious to see if there's any way to do it without crushing it.

yes. cut a single slit around the cable with a knife, then bend it
around very slightly until you see where the coil of the cable coincides
with the slit. at this point, you can hold it slightly open, then use

Quoted message said:

wire cutters to cut the coil. it does not crimp the cable, but you
still have to file or grind it square afterwards. i use a bench grinder
- a fabulously useful tool for only $40.

I understand that a Dremel tool with a cutoff wheel does the same task
all at once. Wrap the housing in masking tape, cut, enjoy.

Oh, and after two Bigfoot Ales, the cuts are rarely square. The
moral? Drink another Bigfoot, and you won't care. 🙂

Dremels work very well but you have to use the large cutting disc and do
it quickly. If you cut slowly it melts the inner liner and you end up
still having to open it back up.

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

What's the trick so as not to crimp the metal casing
inside? I have the Park cable cutter, so it's not the tool.
(IOW, I know it's me.)

I use a dremel tool with a cut off wheel. Nice clean smooth cuts every time.
--------------
Alex

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden]
says...

Quoted message said:

(Mike Krueger) said:

<< What's the trick so as not to crimp the metal casing
inside? I have the Park cable cutter, so it's not the tool.
(IOW, I know it's me.) >>

Easiest and most precise method to cut cable housing is with a Dremel tool
cut-off wheel.

Agreed, but it still must be de-burred after with a small file. So, if
he has a cable cutter, he may as well use it, then take a file to the
end of the housing. The filing takes longer than after having used a
Dremel, but the result is the same.
Extra care when doing this job will pay dividends with
smoothness of cable operation.

You must be doing something wrong. The nice thing about using the dremel/cut
off wheel method is that is smooths as it cuts. The ony thing you need to
do when you are done is use a sharp object to open up the casing liner.
------------
Alex

S o r n i said:

Most housing sections are rather short, but if you're running one long
continuous housing then you're probably correct. (I don't use that method,
anyway, but you asked how to remove "cable stump" so I answered.)

Thanks.

In the meantime a gave it a second thought and, although I shall continue
with my well tested method, I found a way to get around that inconvenience
if the housing is to be very long.
The new cable to be installes being a lot longer anyhow, first shorten the
housing kin any manner a couple of centimeters too long than needed.
Then insert, from the other end, the new cable. This is waaaaaaaaay to
long and, when you cut the housing to measure you are throwing away only a
couple of cento\imeters of the new cable: no more than that.

So, no problem!

Yours

Sergio
Pisa

Sergio SERVADIO <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Zilla said:

Nate Knutson said:

"Zilla" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
> What's the trick so as not to crimp the metal casing
> inside? I have the Park cable cutter, so it's not the tool.
> (IOW, I know it's me.)
In addition to what everyone else says, I should point out that the
previous Park cutter was pretty famously bad, in case that's what
you're using. I haven't used or heard reviews about the newer CN-10
yet, which is likely what you have if it's new.

My Park cable cutter is 1-yr old. How long has the
CN-10 been out?

Pardon me if this has been said already by others.

BIG DEAL! No special cutting tool is necessary: any does the job.
Just have at hand a grinding stone/belt or corborundum disc; use it to
round off the badly cut spiral. Then, insert as fine nail or drill to open
up the hole in the inner casing.

That's all you need.

Sergio
Pisa

The problem with the old Park cutter, or at least the one I had bad
experiences with, was that housings and cables had the tendency to get
stuck sideways between the jaws. This results in a cut that's pretty
ridiculously messy compared to everything else.

I think the CN-10 was new in 2003, so you should be fine. Check the
Park site.

"Sergio SERVADIO" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

S o r n i said:

Most housing sections are rather short, but if you're running one long
continuous housing then you're probably correct. (I don't use that

method,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

anyway, but you asked how to remove "cable stump" so I answered.)

Thanks.

In the meantime a gave it a second thought and, although I shall continue
with my well tested method, I found a way to get around that inconvenience
if the housing is to be very long.
The new cable to be installes being a lot longer anyhow, first shorten the
housing kin any manner a couple of centimeters too long than needed.
Then insert, from the other end, the new cable. This is waaaaaaaaay to
long and, when you cut the housing to measure you are throwing away only a
couple of cento\imeters of the new cable: no more than that.

So, no problem!

Yup - this was the way I found obvious! However, I wouldn't use a new cable
inner - I NEVER trim the ends off my cables, as I don't like them to fray at
all - I keep the welded end attached, and just coil the excess up really
tight and tuck it away safely. This means can pull the inner and outer
apart for servicing/cleaning any number of times, until the cables are worn
out.

Shaun aRe

kantspel <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Jonesy said:

I understand that a Dremel tool with a cutoff wheel does the same task
all at once. Wrap the housing in masking tape, cut, enjoy.

Oh, and after two Bigfoot Ales, the cuts are rarely square. The
moral? Drink another Bigfoot, and you won't care. 🙂

Dremels work very well but you have to use the large cutting disc and do
it quickly. If you cut slowly it melts the inner liner and you end up
still having to open it back up.

I gave it up because I never cut the damn things square with the
Dremel. You can prevent the melt by sticking a piece of copper wire
in while you cut. I forget the gauge, but it worked OK for that.
Nowadays, I use the Park cutter and a file. And I take my time - no
slap-dash stuff.
--
Jonesy

RE/

Quoted message said:

I keep the welded end attached, and just coil the excess up really
tight and tuck it away safely.

I'd be wary of doing that with Avid mechs (or, I'd guess any other disk brake).

Word I got was that the cable end can get wedged in the rotor/caliper - kind of
like a stick in the spokes - with disasterous results at speed.
--
PeteCresswell

Mike Krueger said:

<< What's the trick so as not to crimp the metal casing
inside? I have the Park cable cutter, so it's not the tool.
(IOW, I know it's me.) >>

Easiest and most precise method to cut cable housing is with a Dremel tool
cut-off wheel.

Thanks from a noobish lurker! I've been putting off
fitting a back brake to a MTB refurb project as I
couldn't figure out how to do the cutting. Did it
last night with the Dremel and it worked perfectly!

Cheers,

--
jc

Remove the -not from email

"(Pete Cresswell)" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

RE/

Quoted message said:

I keep the welded end attached, and just coil the excess up really
tight and tuck it away safely.

I'd be wary of doing that with Avid mechs (or, I'd guess any other disk

brake).

Quoted message said:

Word I got was that the cable end can get wedged in the rotor/caliper -

kind of

Quoted message said:

like a stick in the spokes - with disasterous results at speed.

So would I, if I HAD any mech discs ',;~}~

There's ways and means of keeping the coiled end out of the way though, in
any case.

Shaun aRe