How to cut EMT conduit?

EMT Conduit is a readily available steel pipe that you can find locally in stores. Look for it in the electrical aisle of home improvement or hardware stores. We like to use conduit for DIY projects such as greenhouses or desks. In this article you will learn how to cut EMT Conduit the easy way. Before you know it, you'll be ready to build!

MARK YOUR CUT

The first step to cutting EMT Conduit is marking your measurement. Use a dry erase marker or sharpie to mark the desired measurement on your pipe. Then loosen the knob on the cutter until there is a big enough gap to fit the conduit inside.

ALIGN THE CONDUIT

You’ll want to make sure the pipe is resting between these two rollers here. This will keep the conduit on track and make it easier to spin around. Then you’ll tighten this knob until the cutter wheel is aligned with the mark you made.

A common mistake that people make is over tightening the knob. This is easy to do and causes the conduit to pop out of the rollers. This not only shortens the life of the tool, but also ruins your cut. Be really cautious not to overtighten.

ROTATE THE CUTTER AROUND

Once you have the cutter wheel aligned and the knob tightened a little bit, you’ll want to rotate the cutter around the pipe a few turns.

TIPS FOR CUTTING

Of course, you can simply hold the pipe in one hand and rotate the cutter with your other hand. It is also helpful if you have a vice or hand clamp lying around. You can use either tool to hold the conduit for you while you rotate the cutter.

Whether you're using a vice or your bare hands the process is the same. Keep rotating the cutter around the pipe and tightening the knob a couple of turns every so often until the pipe is all the way through and you’ve completed your cut.Tradesmen like to do a trick where you stop about 90% of the way through the pipe and then you can step on the conduit to snap it into two pieces. Over time this will keep the cutter wheel sharp and extend the life of the tool.