cutting pipe in tight space

[RatLabGuy]

What is a good tool for cutting out copper pipe in tight space?

I need to remove this copper pipe to replace it (leaking). I need to save tbe vent line, the upper vertical section.
E.g I need to make a horizontal cut just above the Wye and another, vertical on tbe right.
Problem is not much room to saw. Can't use a sawzall bc tbe blade has too much tbrow and hits wall behind. Typical 4" cutoff wheel is nowhere near deep enough cutting surface to slip in. No room for hacksaw. I can push the apex aside if needed.
I need something like a seawall where the blade only moves 1/2" back and forth....?
Or a Dremmel multimax with a huge clise-cut blade...

 

[mommucked]

Is it leaking @ the joint? If so you should be able to re-solder it. Pull the wires away and shield the wall/wood with tin or sheet metal behind it and carefully heat the T and solder the joints again. Turn off the water supply and drain the water out of the pipe and open all taps to let the steam out while soldering.

or one of these?

 

[Lankford]

I used one of these in a similar situation before.

 

[RatLabGuy]

Is it leaking @ the joint? If so you should be able to re-solder it. Pull the wires away and shield the wall/wood with tin or sheet metal behind it and carefully heat the T and solder the joints again. Turn off the water supply and drain the water out of the pipe and open all taps to let the steam out while soldering.

No, the lower vertical pipe has a huge crack in the side of it, like it split open. Never seen this before on a copper pipe, it goes all the way down to the floor (it connects to a PVC long sweep). It's 60 years old, I suspect the high-acidity water may have gotten to it. All the rest of the copper supply lines are long gone.

 

[awheelterd]

I would use this as a good excuse to buy one of those oscillating saws. I kinda want one, but I have no reason to justify the purchase.

 

[GotWood]

Fein muMultimast

 

[RatLabGuy]

I would use this as a good excuse to buy one of those oscillating saws. I kinda want one, but I have no reason to justify the purchase.

Link to what saw you're referring to?

 

[awheelterd]

Link to what saw you're referring to?

Check gotwoods post above. Iirc they sell a Dremel version at lowes

 

[GotWood]

I would use this as a good excuse to buy one of those oscillating saws. I kinda want one, but I have no reason to justify the purchase.

I have owned a Fein for 12+ years and use it as the time in my business. It is expensive but worth every penny if you work with one. Buy a cheap one from Harbor Freight and see how much you use it. If you decide to upgrade skip the others and find a Multimaster on eBay or Amazon .

 

[RatLabGuy]

Fein muMultimastView attachment 263955

Borrowed a buddy's Dremmel Multimax, it's pretty much the same (I think).
That blade can't get to the back of the pipe. The cutting edge is on the front, right? It would need to be >2" long. Not room to go straight in from the side.
If it oscillated in and out, like a reciprocating saw, with the blade on the side, it'd work.
I have an attachment for one that is like a semicircle that would do it IF the diameter were bigger.

Right now I'm thinking that hand saw might be the best (only) bet

 

[Chris_Keziah]

I would use this as a good excuse to buy one of those oscillating saws. I kinda want one, but I have no reason to justify the purchase.

X2 on this, they are very useful for soft materials.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

 

[GotWood]

Borrowed a buddy's Dremmel Multimax, it's pretty much the same (I think).
That blade can't get to the back of the pipe. The cutting edge is on the front, right? It would need to be >2" long. Not room to go straight in from the side.

Cut a wedge out .

 

[shawn]

Borrowed a buddy's Dremmel Multimax, it's pretty much the same (I think).
That blade can't get to the back of the pipe. The cutting edge is on the front, right? It would need to be >2" long. Not room to go straight in from the side.
If it oscillated in and out, like a reciprocating saw, with the blade on the side, it'd work.
I have an attachment for one that is like a semicircle that would do it IF the diameter were bigger.

Right now I'm thinking that hand saw might be the best (only) bet

The blades on the oscillating saws will go in sideways and stuff, too.

I would have hit that shit with the Sawzall and been done faster than it took you to type the first post.

 

[moldman05]

How about the weight of the vertical pipe above the fitting?

 

[braxton357]

The blades on the oscillating saws will go in sideways and stuff, too.

I would have hit that shit with the Sawzall and been done faster than it took you to type the first post.

Yeah, a long skinny blade and start from the back take no time at all. As was said is that just a vent going through the roof? I doubt it's supported anywhere above that if so

 

[RatLabGuy]

The blades on the oscillating saws will go in sideways and stuff, too.

I would have hit that shit with the Sawzall and been done faster than it took you to type the first post.

I tried the sawzall first. Didn't work.
It's fine cutting the front and coming into the side. But once you cut through to the side, the blade is coming in and out of contact wit hthe back of the pipe, causing it to just bounce back and forth, or bounce off of the drywall behind it.
There's only ~1/2" space between the back of the pipe and the wall.

 

[RatLabGuy]

Yeah, a long skinny blade and start from the back take no time at all. As was said is that just a vent going through the roof? I doubt it's supported anywhere above that if so

What kind of blade are you referring to? One for an oscillating saw?
I don't see how I can get to the back. I can't go it at much of an angle because of the stud on the right, its in the way of the body of a saw.

Yes its just a vent to the roof. There is a support in the attic. *in theory* it shouldn't fall when I cut it (fingers crossed).

 

[RatLabGuy]

Ah. I think if I put one of these in to MightyMax at a 90 deg angle (didn't realize you could do that) and go in from each side that will do it.
https://www.amazon.com/Dremel-MM482...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=VNAQ599MCP0WJQY3YP8V

Will have to cut out more drywall to fit in... oh well

 

[BigGreenMonster]

Fein muMultimastView attachment 263955

This

 

[orange150]

the lower vertical pipe has a huge crack in the side of it, like it split open.

 

[RatLabGuy]

Ha
We stuck some FlexSeal tape over some cracks in the basin floor of the shower to get by until I could demo it and completely fix the floor.
When I showed my son (13) this crack, first thing he said was, "why don't you just cover it with some of that water tight tape?"

 

[catfishblues]

Harbor freight. Oscillating saw. They have a huge variety of blades. The Fein created the market. Harbor Fright made it possible for you to buy one for a job or two and not feel bad about it. I've had the variable speed HF unit for years. I'm ever impressed with it.

 

[Fabrik8]

I'd use the stub hacksaw, but with a decently coarse blade because you're just cutting copper.

Or, borrow a small (10.8V or 12V or whatever) cordless sawzall from someone, which usually have a much shorter blade stroke (and less power) than a corded or higher voltage cordless unit. Use it at a shallow angle, not with the blade perpendicular to the drywall at the back of the stud bay. I have a little 10.8V Hitachi that would be perfect for that, and it's small enough that you could probably stick it down into the stud bay and parallel with the studs, or maybe close to that.

 

[Ron]

You do know a pair of side cutters will cut a sawzall bade, right?

Come in from the left and cut right so you dont slip and ooops those supply pipes. If you cant free hand your saw and cut with the end of the blade and need to get the guard against the WYE, put it there and cut your blade down to where its 1/8" or so out on the in stroke. then just rotate the saw around a bit as you cut

 

[jeepinmatt]

$20, comes with the blade you need:
Oscillating Multi-Tool

And the blade might even last through the entire cut! Some of the name brand blades at Lowes/HD fit these (Rockwell maybe?) so you have options for better and different blades. I bought one of these like 5 years ago to make one cut. Rarely use it, but when I do, nothing else will suffice. $20 well spent.