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  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Murray Bridge S Aust.
    Age
    71
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    5,942

    Default Metal cable cutting

    When handling spiral wound metal cable, as found on bike cables and boat trailer winches, I place a couple of pieces of automotive heat shrink tube and shrink it over the ends or where you want to cut, this prevents getting stabbed by the stray wire/s.
    HTH
    Kryn
    To grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

  2. #2
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
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    7,182

    Default

    Reminds me of going timber felling as a kid with Dad.

    I did a number of jobs like carrying Dad's fuel and bar oil, lighting and tending fires to make billy tea for smoko, and most fun of all, riding shot gun on the D9 fuel tank when it was towing fallen logs back though the bush to the loading clearing.

    The D9 hauled the Jarrah logs back to the dept using either thick chain or 1" thick wire rope with one of those massive latching hooks on the end. After the D9 had backed up to the cut log, I had to jump off, unhook the hook from the back of the D9, and drag the wire rope over and under the end of the log and attach the hook back onto the wire rope. I had one of those trenching shovels to dig a hole to get the rope through if the end of the log was buried in dirt.

    The rope was "well used" with many broken wires poking out ready to spike anything nearby. I had a pair of riggers gloves that were too big for me so I often didn't wear them. Before the D9 took off I had to stay on the ground to watch and make sure the rope didn't slip off the log end cas the D9 driver drove forward slowly to tension up the rope. When I gave the "all clear" the driver would start moving and I had to run alongside the rear of the D9 tracks and step onto the moving track which then carried me upwards to the main drive cog about 6ft off the ground and then I would jump across onto the top of the fuel tank behind the driver. I rode on top of the fuel tank with the filler top between my legs.

    The D9 driver was an alcoholic who carried a flask of "juice" with him most days. He also drove one of the log trucks. He was supposed to drag the log back through the bush through predetermined paths and where possible used already trampled tracks but when towing a small logs he was not averse to get the D9 up in the gears and go as fast through the bush as he could via the shortest route back to the loading clearing. Meanwhile I had to hang onto that fuel filler top to stop being toppled off the D9 almost certainly to land in between the back of the D9 and the log being towed close behind.

    I thought it was a lark - can you imagine that happening today. Anyway I spiked my hands many times.
    Last edited by BobL; 20th Dec 2021 at 08:26 PM.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Vic
    Age
    48
    Posts
    544

    Default

    if it is stainless steel cable and you have the tig then you could weld the end back neatly too.

    20210504_171637.jpg

    20210504_171830.jpg

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    North Brisbane. Qld. Australia
    Age
    70
    Posts
    1,511

    Default

    Parrot beak style cutters work great on multi strand cable. That's what I always use to cut.
    Nev.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2021
    Location
    Europe
    Age
    30
    Posts
    36

    Default

    i thought this would translate onto wrist-thickness rusted up steel cables, ah well.
    the tool is quite nice for it since its sorrounding it and pressing in from all sides so it doesnt get all squashed, soldering it could probably work too for fixing the end

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
    Posts
    6,446

    Default

    One of the places i worked at during my apprenticeship made dozer canopies that had incorporated sone ! 1/4" cables between the the legs and the base plates.

    This was to stop the canopy vibrating from being too ridgid.

    These were always cut and stick welded around the outside. We did try mig but they were too greasy for mig.

    The cut cables were anchored to the canopy and base plate tubes by welding through side holes in the tubes.

    Grahame

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2021
    Location
    Europe
    Age
    30
    Posts
    36

    Default

    i believe im not posting off topic, shortly after coming across this thread i got to witness our most beastly machine taking out wrist sized steel cables one by one with spectacular noise, so i had to take a short break from my work and get some footage of it
    a 30 ton (5 ton beak) mechanical scissor vs. 60mm steel cable wire
    https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/607641795

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