Cutting PVC Below Grade

I used this vise and 2x4 to simulate a pipe below grade. If you need to cut this pipe to a certain height for a floor drain or to make pitch this instructable will show how too.

Inside pipe cutters are available. They are only available in one length and the teeth barely make it past the walls of the pipe. They put teeth on their blades to trick you in not making your own. Teeth are not needed.

I broke my inside pipe cutter before I was finished cutting. (I'm a plumber). I wasn't using one with teeth like the last photo. Mine had an abrasive blade in it. I still needed to cut the pipe and didn't have an extra blade. I saw the scraps of metal (like the ones in the photo) all over the floor. I had just got done drilling metal studs for my pipes. And my idea came to me.

Set the hole saw scrap (or washer like in photo) over a bolt with a nut.

Use tools to make it tight. If it spins it's useless.

It should look like this.

Insert the bit into a drill. If it's a keyless drill shove a rag down the pipe before you start. If the bit comes loose it's gone.

While drilling the walls with the bit apply pressure to the outside walls of the pipe.

You can see it easily cuts through this sched 40 solid pipe with no problem.

After you make it all around the pipe your done. You can make bigger ones for larger pipe if you want to. It would be faster to cut but, this little guy will cut all sizes.