Tubing cutter

Abstract

A tool for cutting tubing, light pipe, and other similar cylindrical materials includes a circular cutting wheel or blade and opposite guide rollers in a spring loaded hand clamp frame. The frame spring urges the two opposed handles apart, thereby urging the two opposed jaws together, and thereby precluding any need for additional adjustment of cutting pressure during the cutting operation. The tool may be applied with only one hand to the material to be cut, and easily rotated about the material with only one hand, as no further adjustment of blade depth or cutting pressure is required. The relationship between the cutting blade and guide rollers is constant, with the center of the cutting blade always positioned linearly along the perpendicular bisector of the line between the two guide rollers, even though the opposed jaws move arcuately relative to one another. The guide rollers are affixed within one jaw, with the cutting blade portion slidably positioned relative to the guide rollers. The cutting blade portion is not positively connected to the opposite jaw, in order to allow the linear relationship of the guide rollers and cutting blade, and arcuate relationship of the two jaws of the tool. The guide roller and cutting blade relationship allows material of any practicable diameter to be cut by the present tool, without an asymmetrical force being placed on the material and causing it to be expelled from the jaws.