cutting gear cable housing without a Dremel

Hi

Am having a terrible time chewing up my Campagnolo gear cable housing
with the cutters I have (quite new Park CN10 which I'm OK with for
cutting brake housing). The results look as if someone has purposely
tried to make something resembling a crown. I know these housings are
are quite difficult to cut anyway so ...

My questions a

How much does this chewed up end really matter - can I just ignore it?

What could I be doing wrong/how to improve the results with what I
have? (I try to cut quickly and I don't think the cable or cutter is
twisting during that process much - what else could be the problem?)

I can't justify buying a Dremel just for this task really but I wish I
had one!

Cheers

cccrider

wrote:

Hi

Am having a terrible time chewing up my Campagnolo gear cable housing
with the cutters I have (quite new Park CN10 which I'm OK with for
cutting brake housing). The results look as if someone has purposely
tried to make something resembling a crown. I know these housings are
are quite difficult to cut anyway so ...

My questions a

How much does this chewed up end really matter - can I just ignore it?

What could I be doing wrong/how to improve the results with what I
have? (I try to cut quickly and I don't think the cable or cutter is
twisting during that process much - what else could be the problem?)

I can't justify buying a Dremel just for this task really but I wish I
had one!

I've used a junior hacksaw successfully, with a little filing to finish off.

1. (Not tried this myself) have a piece of an old cable in the housing
where you cut it

2. Justify a trip to a bike shop and see if you can talk them out of
one (old?) spoke. Cut it at an angle to make a reemer. (I've seen more
than one shop do it this way.)

3. Look around at that shop. I found several pairs of Wrench Force
cutters at $12.

FWIW, I once used a Dremel. I found I still needed to use a reemer...

wrote:
Hi

Am having a terrible time chewing up my Campagnolo gear cable housing
with the cutters I have (quite new Park CN10 which I'm OK with for
cutting brake housing). The results look as if someone has purposely
tried to make something resembling a crown. I know these housings are
are quite difficult to cut anyway so ...

My questions a

How much does this chewed up end really matter - can I just ignore it?

What could I be doing wrong/how to improve the results with what I
have? (I try to cut quickly and I don't think the cable or cutter is
twisting during that process much - what else could be the problem?)

I can't justify buying a Dremel just for this task really but I wish I
had one!

Cheers

cccrider

On 3 Jul 2005 04:05:03 -0700, wrote:

What could I be doing wrong/how to improve the results with what I
have? (I try to cut quickly and I don't think the cable or cutter is
twisting during that process much - what else could be the problem?)

I can't justify buying a Dremel just for this task really but I wish I
had one!

Good, sharp cable cutters do fine. Cutting brake cable will dull the
cutters. Using a dremel cutoff disk in a dremel tool is good too. I
liked putting a piece of cable through the housing and making the cut
then. The downside is heat. Sometimes you'll melt the inner sheath.
Sometimes, when you melt the outer plastic, the ferrule won't go on.

I'm spoiled because I use a Felco C7. I save my Shimano cutters for
brake and cable cutting.

Cheers, that is definitely worth a go as even I've got a hacksaw and
file: I'll try it out in a mo' - thanks. Just back here seeing what
people made of the rather awkward curve when routing the right hand
gear cable through the right hand down tube cable stop: looks like I'm
going to try out criss-crossing the cables! All good fun trying to put
a bike together from scratch with no previous experience

cccrider

hgyi8 wrote: (clip) I can't justify buying a Dremel just for this task
really but I wish I had one!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Don't buy it for that particular task. Buy it for all the ways you will use
it for the rest of your life.

wrote:

Cheers, that is definitely worth a go as even I've got a hacksaw and
file: I'll try it out in a mo' - thanks. Just back here seeing what
people made of the rather awkward curve when routing the right hand
gear cable through the right hand down tube cable stop: looks like I'm
going to try out criss-crossing the cables! All good fun trying to put
a bike together from scratch with no previous experience

cccrider

I used the crossover routing thing on my MTB. It works, but so did
normal routing. I think the advantage is that you're less likely to rub
away the paint on the head tube.

My tourer has barcons (long sweep of cable outer) and the racing bike
has downtube levers, so no need for crossover routing there.

On Sun, 03 Jul 2005 16:21:33 GMT, "Leo Lichtman"
wrote:

hgyi8 wrote: (clip) I can't justify buying a Dremel just for this task
really but I wish I had one!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Don't buy it for that particular task. Buy it for all the ways you will use
it for the rest of your life.


That would be my answer; once you have one, so many tasks become
easier you wonder why you waited so long to get it.


Kinky Cowboy*

*Batteries not included
May contain traces of nuts
Your milage may vary

On Sun, 03 Jul 2005 22:55:14 +0100, Kinky Cowboy
wrote:

On Sun, 03 Jul 2005 16:21:33 GMT, "Leo Lichtman"
wrote:

hgyi8 wrote: (clip) I can't justify buying a Dremel just for this task
really but I wish I had one!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Don't buy it for that particular task. Buy it for all the ways you will use
it for the rest of your life.


That would be my answer; once you have one, so many tasks become
easier you wonder why you waited so long to get it.

And if you shop around a bit, they aren't even expensive. For the
number of things that they can do, getting one is well worth the
price.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

wrote:

I can't justify buying a Dremel just for this task really but I wish I
had one!

Cheers

cccrider

Depending where you are, it is worth checking out discount stores for a
Dremel knock off at a much lower price.
I have burned out 3 Dremel tools in a few years, including the top of
range digital version.
My discount store (Aldi - Australia) equivalent at about US $25 in a box
with stacks of accessories including a flex shaft and stand is just as
good, and its life could not be much shorter anyway.

Rob