Flexible conduit helps to protect electrical wiring from exposure to environmental factors. It can also ground wiring, and it provides a nice, clean appearance. Since each wiring job is different, youll need to custom cut each piece of conduit depending on the needs of your job.
Fortunately, learning how to cut flexible conduit is a fairly straightforward task, and you should be able to master it in just a few minutes. While it may seem intimidating at first, you should be able to master cutting conduit if you follow the tips in this guide.
What You’ll Need
Learning how to cut flexible conduit only requires a few simple tools you probably already have at your disposal. Here’s what you need to do the job:
- Hacksaw
- Bandsaw (if youre going to be cutting lots of conduit)
- Bench vise or cutting jig
Step I: Measuring For The Project
The first thing youll need to do is measure how much conduit youll need to complete your project.
Your project will determine the path that the conduit takes. It is common for the conduit’s to bend or condense to meet your requirements.
Begin by measuring the first wire box. If theres going to be any turns you need to account for, take those measurements separately, and then add them to your total. The total number you have is how long the conduit will need to be once its cut.
Step II: Preparing Your Conduit
The Basics
Once you have determined the length of the conduit, you can use your tape measure and mark the conduit with a marker to indicate where to cut.
Conduit can be extended lengthwise and is very flexible. When cutting conduit, its important that you never make a cut when it is extended because it will end up shrinking back to size when youre finished. This will result in a conduit piece that is too small for your needs.
To properly cut conduit, bend it. Bending conduit will hold the convolutions in place so that you can get a clean cut that won’t distort when it returns back to its original shape.
Depending on the tool youre using to cut the conduit, this next step may vary.
Do A Little Jig
If youre using a hacksaw to cut the conduit, youll want to load the conduit into a jig or vise. If youre using a bandsaw, you can jump down to step III.
There are many jigs that can be used to cut conduit. Unless youre regularly working with electrical conduit, buying one is probably not worth the investment. For our purposes, a bench vise will work just as well.
Then bend the conduit and place it in your vise. Be sure not to overtighten the vise, as this will damage your conduit, which will make it difficult or impossible for you to load the wire in when youre finished.
Step 3: Cut The Conduit
A bandsaw makes it quick and easy to cut conduit. But, if youre working in the field or youre just cutting a piece of two of conduit, it may not be worth the trouble to get your bandsaw up and running.
If youre using a bandsaw, turn the saw on, bend the conduit, and slowly feed the conduit through the saw, allowing the blade to do most of the work. The blade will cut the conduit. Continue to rotate the conduit around 90 degrees until it has gone through the entire conduit.
A hacksaw is the best tool to use when you are working in the field, or simply cutting a few pieces of conduit. Before you begin cutting, youll want to ensure that youre using a sharp blade with 24-32 TPI. Poorly cut conduit will lead to a dull or less-than-perfect cutting experience.
Once you have your conduit loaded in your vise or jig, begin to cut the conduit along the markings. Work deliberately, making sure that youre achieving a nice, even cut as you go.
Step IV: Cleaning Up The Edge
The last thing youll want to do is clean up the edge of your conduit. It will be more difficult to install the conduit if it has a sharp or burred edge. It is possible to remove the edge with a few passes of a metal file. This will make it easier to work with.
Final Word
Learning how to cut flexible conduit is a tool that every DIYer or novice electrician needs in their toolbox. It is easy to cut flexible conduit. You can do it yourself using a few tools that you likely already own. As always, work smart, work safe and enjoy your project!
