xuron rail cutter

[hiscopilot]

Ok, so I have searched high and low... is xuron the only folks who make one of these? What sets this tool apart from other snips (like in my household tool box) ...

I am going to have to cut rail when I do my layout, so I need to know my best options, but $10+sh for a tool is a lot for me. I'll do it if I have to....

where do you get yours?

Thanks!

 

[LongIslandTom]

It makes a flush cut on one side.. Your average toolbox wire cutter or bolt cutter won't give you that nice clean flush cut-- It will be pinched somewhat, and you will have a devil of a time filing the cut flat afterwards.

I think the Xuron rail nipper is a very handy tool to have if you are building a permanent layout and have to cut a lot of flex-track rail.

Don't worry if you can't buy one right away... I didn't buy one until recently, and I've been in the hobby 20+ years.

 

[hiscopilot]

hmmmmmmmmm sounds like i need one......

is there something my moms dremel might have that will work?????

 

[LongIslandTom]

Yep, you can put a cutting disc in the dremel and use that to cut the rail. Just remember to wear eye protection, and be careful. A "runaway" dremel can cause some really serious lacerations.

I think the Xuron cutter is a lot quicker than a dremel and a lot less dangerous, but the Dremel is a workable substitute.

Good luck!

 

[BigJim]

I would think the Dremel would be better if you have to cut an insulating "gap" in the rail after it is down. This requires a flat cut on both sides.

...Jim

 

[ezdays]

There are several brands of flush-cutting wire cutters that work every bit as well as the Xuron ones. We used Plato #170 in our business so I've used them for cutting most anything including plastic and rails. I also have a pair of C.H.P., model CHP-170 that are really comfortable to work with that I use only to cut rails with. These all cost less than $10 a pair.

 

[John Hubbard]

SolderMaster Supply (I have no interest in this company) has the CHP-170 cutters on sale for only $2.75. See this URL if you are interested:

http://www.soldermastersupply.com/chptoolschp170.html

 

[ezdays]

SolderMaster Supply (I have no interest in this company) has the CHP-170 cutters on sale for only $2.75. See this URL if you are interested:

http://www.soldermastersupply.com/chptoolschp170.html

Now that's a real deal. I bought mine at Fry's Electronics for about $7. They've had them on sale for $4.99 at one time, so even at their "regular" price, this beats our local stores. I highly recommend them, even over the Plato ones.

 

[YmeBP]

I am in the market for rail nippers as well. I tried the dremel route and ended up w/ uneven (by just a hair) rails because i got happy grinding one side down. Also the vibration from the actual cut when held in a vice makes it hard to get a true up and down face on the rail.

I've seen these flush cutters advertised in mouser catalogue, are they good on steel and brass rails too? Should i spedn the 10 bux and have a tool for 20 years or will the 2.75 ones last long enough to make them a decent value?

 

[MasonJar]

Please remember that you need eye protection (ideally for everyone in the room) when cutting track no matter what tool you use (with the possible exception of a razor saw).

Dremel disks have a nasty habit of coming apart if you twist or press too hard during the cut. Rail nippers can send a piece of track at speeds approaching Mach 1...!

Here's some safety stuff suitable for small (child/youth) faces if you can't find any locally:
Click for goggles
Click for glasses

Andrew

 

[ezdays]

Yep, Andrew is right, safety first. I aways cut wire or rails with the waste end away from me, preferable towards the floor. Even then, it can send a small piece of metal flying around the room like a bullet.

 

[60103]

I have 2 brands of rail nippers and I always have to file or grind the rail end. The nippers are faster than anything else.
If you are using the Dremel there are little tools to hold the rail in place and give opposite cuts (forget who makes them; mine have been unpackaged for decades).
If noone else is around, I use the Dremel to cut the rail, then clean up the the end and taper the rail a bit.

 

[hiscopilot]

thanks for all the advice. so will I ALWAYS have to file the ends? Or will any particular ones of these make clean cuts?

 

[LongIslandTom]

Rail nippers can send a piece of track at speeds approaching Mach 1...!

Whoa.. That's something like 1100 feet per second...

Can it really be that fast? I know the average muzzle velocity of an ACP jacketed hollow-point round coming out of a Colt .45 pistol is around 980 feet per second or so.

 

[CCT70]

Man, I can;t stress the eye protection enough with the Dremel. I wear glasses, so I didn't add any protection to that and ended up with three pieces embedded in my face when a disk flew apart. I had dome that move dozens, probably hundreds of times, cutting countless tracks and had no problems. But all it took was that first time. Trust me, safety glasses aren;t enough. I wound up with three pieces embedded, one *just* half a hair under my right eye.

For now on, I wear a full face shield made for grinding metal. I'd recommend the same for you if you go that route. The Dremel is very handy, but when if a disk flies apart, it'll definitely ruin your day.

 

[Jim Krause]

I use the MicroMark rail cutters. They are heavier , forged steel compared to the Xuron, sheet metal cutters. Also more expensive, unfortunately.

 

[jbaakko]

I have a set of the Xuron's, and my only "beef" with them, is they have NO safety device, so they're allways open!

 

[hiscopilot]

I checked out that link to the ones on sale for 2.95 seems like a real deal and I was very excited until they quoted me $13 for shipping!!!!!!! Seems they only ship UPS. Oh well. Fo rthat kind of dough I am off to get xurons. I want to check out the MicroMark ones Jim mentioned... hmmm

Thanks

 

[YmeBP]

went to the lhs today and they suggested that the xurons were a great tool. I also took a look at similarly sized 4" flush cut nippers, 15 bux . so i think the xurons are not a bad deal.

I bought a razor saw btw and plan to mill a small jig w/ a router. this picture will kind of explain why .

http://www.skyersfamily.com/gallery/v/Trains/Layout1/IMG_0012.jpg.html?g2_imageViewsIndex=1

this is a link to the full sized image, but needless to say i ruined the end of a 3$+ flex track piece (which ironically was 3$) because i couldn't wait to get the right tool, then like a moron tried to fix it w/ this little nub piece in the middle . I 'm going to solder a feeder wire to this area and clean it up w/ a small file to make everthing a little better.