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oil filter cutter

bsacks05

bsacks05

Well Known Member
What it the least expensive, yet effective, oil filter cutting tool?
I could get an "aviation" filter cutter and pay $$$. Or, an automotive cutter and pay $$. Are there any other options or tricks to getting a nice clean cut for little $?
I just saw that Skyranch has a neat one for $99 which includes a cutter and filter holder.
 
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Speedway motors{402-323-3200} P/N 91081031 $39.95. We cut 50 filters a season on our sprint car and have had it for 2 yrs. still tight and working well
 
Link

tcrv7 said:
Speedway motors{402-323-3200} P/N 91081031 $39.95. We cut 50 filters a season on our sprint car and have had it for 2 yrs. still tight and working well
Click to expand...

Link to Tom's reference....

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/p/2618,,_Oil-Filter-Cutter.html?itemNo=FILTER+CUTTER

At 39.95 it's a h*&^ of a better deal than the aviation ones.....

910-81031_L.jpg


Another tool for the collection.... :D

Just so I don't have to take drippy oil filters over to my IA's hangar... :)

gil in Tucson
 
Just ordered mine

Thanks for the info and the link.
I kept putting off the purchase because I thought the aviation ones were over priced. No excuse now, seems like a very reasonable price.
Thanks again.
 
I used the Speedway cutter to cut a Champion filter this afternoon - cut it like it was butter! Glad that I didn't go for the more expensive av-type.
 
I did not like the aviation cutters that were being offered and thought that there had to be a better way. I hated to spend that much money for something that I only used a few times a year and I especially did not want to spend money on tools that did not really work that well. Over the last couple of months I have been working on one and I will have it ready for sale in the near future. It cuts the filter in one pass and the mechanics that have tested it prefer it to their "professional" models. No more pipe cutter, twist and turn, twist and turn, this thing is fast and easy.
The picture below is the a prototype unit. It will work on filters that have the threaded insert and those that do not. It will also work on the smaller filters that are used on the rotax series of engines.
I do not yet have all the cost numbers but I anticipate a price that will make you want to own one rather than borrow.

 
Issue with the Speedway

I bought the Speedway cutter; it just arrived. It looks like a good quality tool. My only problem is that my filters are "outies", so I am going to have to cut a hole in the main section for the screw mount portion so that it can come down low enough for the rollers and blades to engage. No big deal, just a heads up.
 
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me too

I had to custom modify my cutter from Speedway also. I clamped a filter in it and spun it a few times to mark the location and diameter of the hole.
Ops check good.
 
bsacks05 said:
I had to custom modify my cutter from Speedway also. I clamped a filter in it and spun it a few times to mark the location and diameter of the hole.
Ops check good.
Click to expand...
I need to cut a hole too. What type bit/how did you cut yours?
 
GrayHawk said:
I need to cut a hole too. What type bit/how did you cut yours?
Click to expand...

Well, I drilled a pilot hole - #21 I think. Then used the biggest bit I could find at work which was 7/16 in a drill press. I used a die grinder and rotary file to get the hole big enough after that.
The cutter is aluminum so it is not hard to drill through. I believe the finished hole is about 9/16. It is at the hangar so I'm not certain of the exact size.
 
I made a number of copies of the oil filter cutting tool that I designed and took some to AirVenture. Cleveland Tools has them on display and they have been favourably recieved by builders. It will work on lycoming filters, continental filters and the smaller Rotax filters. The tool also includes instruction sheets on how to cut and inspect aircraft filters. The retail price is $53 with a show special of $49. Go and take a look if you get a chance and let me know what you think.
 
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Oil Filter Cutter

I found a lot of very expensive oil filter cutters (Some over $100 !). If you are looking for a good a good and inexpensive one, go to Harbor Freight. Buy the Exhaust Cut Off tool SKU# 91292, list price $19.95. They have FOUR cutting wheels, and fit the large aircraft oil filters and it works great. BTW - I had a 20% off coupon so mine cost $15.96 plus tax.
Karl #:)
 
Thanks for that tip Karl! I have been contemplating either shelling out $100 for one or fabricating my own. I will do the HF route and try that instead.
 
easy to make

I picked up a set of replacement cutter wheels for a pipe cut off tool at ace hardware for around 10 bucks.Made the rest ..works great ...... OK, I'm a cheap skate
 
Here is another option.

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/OIL-FILTER-CUTTER,2618.html

This works great and is a very high quality unit. For external threaded filters, which cover most of the RV engine world, you do have to drill a whole through the bar of the cutter for the filter stud to go through. It is aluminum so not a big deal to modify.
This came from a thread on this site some time ago.
 
My home brew

Made this one big enough for some edge bearings but didn't need em.
The cutter cuts just above the heavy base.the "wing nut" holds the filter on, the "Nipple" (cut from a filter) is an adapter for the female filters.
img2433fg4.jpg
 
Mrs. Todds Shortcut

...a short story by Steven King. Mrs. Todd, always trying to shorten her route keeps improving on it until, as in Steven Kings stories, things get weird. Well in the spirit of this story and where this thread is headed I present my proposal.
$4.50 for cutters the rest stuff around the shop, 1/2 hour labor. The washers are fine for automotive filters, thicker aircraft filters like a second cutting wheel ( they are sold in pairs). http://picasaweb.google.com/nx4646/MiscAircraft#
 
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Try fellow builder Tom Martin's oil filter cutter. It makes cutting open oil filters as easy as cutting a piece of cake and no mess.
 
I read on another thread, not sure if it was here or somewhere else, about a guy who purchased an exhaust pipe cutoff tool from Harbor Freight for $19.95
to open his filters.
 
The Harbor Freight cutter will fit because...

erich weaver said:
Looks like the largest diameter that tool will cut is 3.25". Doesnt seem like that will be enough.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=91292

erich
Click to expand...

It is a pipe cutter and is always expected to go on from the side of the pipe. When I use it as a filter cutter, I put it on from the end.

BTW- I don't need a filter holder as I have one in the form of the oil filter socket used to loosen it for removal. I just chuck it up in my vise. If necessary, you could put a short extension of the appropriate size into the vise and set the filter socket on it.

I guess having grown up with a Dad that grew up on a farm during the depression keeps me thinking about "How can I make use of the tools I've got? Not, what tools can I buy..."

Cheers!
 
plumbers pipe cutter

I use the pipe cutter I have for cutting abs residential drain pipe. I already owned it for work. It worked fine. Mine is made by Rigid and is probably available at any Home Depot or the like. Not sure how much it costs these days but as a side benefit, you can plumb your house after you check your filter!
 
Cutter wheels

Most of the filter cutters depend on a pipe cutter wheel. Best source I've found, is at Lowes:

http://www.lowes.com/webapp/wcs/sto...=10151&catalogId=10051&productId=3308314&cId=

2 wheels for $4. Hard to beat.

If the link doesn't work, go to the Lowes site and look for:

Kobalt Metal Replacement Pipe Cutter Wheel
Item #: 330214 | Model #: 54039

These "cheapies" work just fine in the filter cutter I bought from Aircraft Spruce.

Lowes also has others that have wider "shoulders", but are about twice the price.
 
After suffering through trying several "Harbor Freight" bargin cutters, I bit the bullet and bought the "Skyranch" filter cutter. A bit pricey but, Oh Baby! what a quailty piece of equipment. Works flawlessly, just one quick and easy trip around the filter and your done. Highly recommended!!!
 
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