How to use a stainless steel pipe cutter
Updated: October 2026
One hard turn on round stainless will ovalise the tube or send the wheel skating. How to use a stainless steel pipe cutter is a light feed that tracks, then a lip you still have to take off. The Products Compared editorial team used the RIDGID 65S instruction sheet as the only numbered procedure in this set, plus Geberit’s Mapress guide and HSE’s note on sharp edges. If you are still choosing the frame, start with the [stainless steel pipe cutter comparison](/hub/cutting-tools/stainless-steel-pipe-cutter). A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
One hard turn on round stainless will ovalise the tube or send the wheel skating. How to use a stainless steel pipe cutter is a light feed that tracks, then a lip you still have to take off.
One hard turn on round stainless will ovalise the tube or send the wheel skating. How to use a stainless steel pipe cutter is a light feed that tracks, then a lip you still have to take off. The Products Compared editorial team used the RIDGID 65S instruction sheet as the only numbered procedure in this set, plus Geberit’s Mapress guide and HSE’s note on sharp edges. If you are still choosing the frame, start with the stainless steel pipe cutter comparison. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Cutting range | Spare wheel | Deburrer | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  RIDGID RIDGID 35S stainless tube cutter | 6–35 mm; also 5–35 mm | Reported in the knob | Not listed | 7.7 | about £64.97 | View offer |
| Alternative |  RIDGID RIDGID 65S stainless tube cutter | 6–67 mm; also 6–65 mm | Pin swap on the sheet | Not listed | 6.2 | about £90.00 | View offer |
| Best value |  LIBRATON LIBRATON 900915 5–50 mm pipe cutter | 5–50 mm | Not listed | Claimed | 7.5 | about £25.99 | View offer |
On this page
Seat the tube so the wheel can track
Mark a square line around the tube before the cutter touches it. A wheel follows the groove it cuts, so a crooked mark becomes the end you keep. Open the frame far enough for the outside diameter. On the 65S sheet, catalogue 31803, you open the tool by depressing the release nut. Do not invent a release nut on a screw-feed frame. Seat the tube and advance the wheel onto the mark.
The sheet then says to rotate two full turns so the wheel tracks, before you add feed. Those turns only score a guide groove. If the wheel climbs off the mark, stop and reseat the tube. The 35S does not centre the tube, so you hold the alignment. Isolate a pipe that is still connected before you orbit a cutter around it. See the buying guide.
Tighten a little each revolution, and stop if it ovals
The 65S sheet says to tighten the feed every revolution until the tube parts. That means a feed you can still rotate, not a knob wound shut. Cranking ovalises the tube, walks the wheel, or work-hardens the groove. A shiny groove that the next pass skates across is the stop. Ease the feed or change the wheel.
On the 65S sheet the spare comes out of the knob and a pin swaps the wheel. Other listings claim a spare in the handle or list none. Do not invent that pin for them. The sheet says to use safety glasses. Gloves against the edge afterwards, and no gloves where they can catch in a drill.
Deburr inside and outside, then wipe the end
When the wall parts, an inside lip remains, and the end can be slightly reduced or raised. That lip catches a seal, a hand or a cap. Deburr inside and outside. If the folding blade skates, a fine file takes the burr. White Metal’s handrail note asks for an end that is square and deburred both ways, and it warns that a mini grinder can mark the tube.
Wipe the swarf off before a fitting sees the end. On Mapress stainless pipe, Geberit’s guide requires a square cut, a deburr inside and outside, and no swarf. Stop before the press. Abrasive cut-off is inadmissible on that system. If you sawed the tube because the frame was too small, the end still has to be square and deburred.
Hand the cut on when the end is not just a length
A chrome pole, a loft-bed leg or a bike bar can stay with you if the frame covers the outside diameter and the end only has to be safe to handle. Hand the job on for press-fit drinking water, gas, a pressure test, or a load-bearing or glazed balustrade. Hand it on when the tube is square, mitred, or thicker than any wall the listing or the 65S sheet states. That sheet’s wall, up to 3 mm at 6–65 mm, belongs to the sheet.
A hacksaw is the fallback for square, mitred, thicker or oversized tube. For 42.4 mm or 48.3 mm rail, size and polish are on the handrail page. If the tool is a copper slice, read the copper cutter page first.
Common questions
How far do I tighten the knob on each turn?
Tighten only enough that the wheel keeps cutting and you can still rotate the frame. The 65S sheet says to tighten every revolution after two tracking turns. If the tube starts to oval, or the wheel walks, you have gone too far. Ease off, or change a dull wheel.
How do I stop the tube going oval?
Seat the tube on the rolls and cut a light guide groove with two full turns before you add feed. Hold the alignment on a cutter that does not centre the tube. A heavy turn ovalises stainless and lets the wheel climb.
Why is there still a lip inside after the tube parts?
Because the wheel parts the wall instead of removing a kerf. An inside lip is normal, and the end can be slightly reduced or raised. The cut is not burr-free. Deburr inside and outside, then wipe the swarf, before a cap or a fitting sees the end.
What if the wheel rubs and the groove only gets shiny?
Stop. A shiny groove on stainless is work-hardening, not a cut that needs more force. A dull wheel or a copper wheel rubs and can harden the groove so the next pass skates. Fit a sharp wheel. Do not keep turning on the same one.
Is a square deburred end enough for Mapress stainless?
It is the cutter’s part of the job, and it is not the joint. Geberit asks for a square cut, a deburr inside and outside, and no swarf, so the seal ring is not damaged. The press jaw and the pressure test belong to someone who works on that system. The cutter has no drinking-water approval.
When do I hand the cut to someone else?
When the end is a press-fit, a gas joint, or anything that needs a pressure test. Also for a glazed or load-bearing rail, for square or mitred tube, for a wall thicker than anything stated, and when you cannot hold the work. A curtain pole can stay with you. A balustrade that holds glass should not.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices are from amazon.co.uk on 15 October 2026.
- RIDGID, Stainless Steel Tubing Cutters, GB (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- RIDGID 65S instruction sheet, catalogue 31803 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Geberit Mapress Planning and Installation Guide, GB English (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- BSI, BS EN 10312:2002 record (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- HSE, INDG291 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- HSE, EIS16 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods remedies (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Leengate Metals, stainless tube (retrieved 15 October 2026)