Cut which wire

To rip a flat not round cable, you can use either a utility knife or a cable ripper, as shown here. To use a cable ripper, you slide it over the cable, squeeze the body so that the cutter penetrates the outer sheath, and drag it off toward the end of the wire.

Use a utility knife to rip round cable. When ripping either kind of cable with a utility knife, always work on a flat horizontal or vertical surface and cut away from your body, never toward it. Press the handles together and pull to score the sheath. Joining the ends of wires together is easy if you have the right tools and a basic understanding of this simple process. Poorly joined, or spliced, wires can lead to electrical shorts and become a fire hazard. Two kinds of connectors splice wires together safely and strongly—wire nuts and compression sleeves.

Which connector you use will depend on your project and your local building codes. Avoid using scissors to cut wire. It is best to use a wire cutter or plier hand tool rather than using scissors or a blade. Even a sharp pair of scissors may not cut through wire without damaging the internal metal.

Part 2. Wear safety glasses to protect against flyaway pieces. While you are snipping and stripping wire, pieces of the coating or the wire can fly up and pierce your eye. To prevent this, always put on safety glasses or goggles to cover your eyes.

While this is not required, it can be helpful if cutting lots of wire at the same time. Put your wire on a flat work surface so you can stand comfortably. Place the object you are working with on a table or countertop. You want to stand comfortably without having to bend forward or backward when you make your cuts. This way, you have less chance of injuring yourself. Shut down the power source if you have one before snipping any wires.

If you are cutting electrical wires, audio wires, or computer wires, be sure to power down your device before you get started. If your device is still on, you could get shocked as you make your snips, or your wires can get damaged.

Unravel the wire from the spool if cutting new wire. If you are cutting a fresh piece of jewelry wire, barbed wire, or electrical wire, for example, find the end of the wire and pull it off of the spool to your desired length.

Part 3. Ensure your tools are clean, sharp, and in good condition. If the blade of your tool is dull or if there is a lot of rust, the tool may not cut the wire correctly. Also, wipe down your tool with a clean cloth before you get started. If your pliers or wire cutters are dirty before you use them, this can cause you to slip up as you make the cut. If your tools are not in proper working condition, do not use them. The oil makes the hinge work better over time. Grip the handles of your tool properly and securely.

Hold the pliers in your dominant hand so your thumb sits on top of one end of the handle and your other fingers fit around the other end. A standard flush cutter has two sides.

One side is flat. This is always the side that faces the wire as you cut. The other side is beveled. Normally, the reciprocating saw is meant to cut through things such as pipes and wood in tighter spaces where a larger saw may not fit. Like a hacksaw, make sure your teeth-per-inches is high; a reciprocating saw with a high tooth count should be able to cut through the wires with little problem. Just turn on the saw and slowly move the blade against the wire, pushing gently until you have cut all the way through.

It is especially important that you wear protective eyeglasses while doing this. The speed of the saw can result in the wire pieces getting whipped in different directions. The good thing about a reciprocating saw is that it can cut through larger wires as well as smaller ones. An angle grinder has a circular disk of a cutting blade that rotates at hundreds of revolutions per minute. Put on your eye goggles, turn the grinder on, and introduce it slowly to the exterior of the wire.

Move slowly until the blade of the angle grinder has cut entirely through the wire. Not only will you be unable to cut the wire, but you will also likely end up with a dull pair of scissors. At the very worst, you could ruin them entirely. Instead of performing a cut, they will simply distort and bend the wires.

Not only does this potentially damage your tooling, but it will compromise the integrity of the wire and make its future performance unreliable. There is also the risk for serious injury. Since neither of these tools are insulated, you are putting yourself at risk for potential electrical shock.

Between the risk of injury and the ineffective results, scissors, shears, and nail clippers are definitely not a good idea. The reason that wire cutters are so great to have is that they are versatile and can cut just about any type of wiring.

Wires are conductors that are meant to transfer electricity from a transformer into the outlets running into your home or business. They will also conduct that same electricity into your electronic devices and appliances.

Despite this relatively universal use, these wires can come in several different sizes, casings, and materials. Wires are commonly made from aluminum and other metals, but nearly every electrical wire is comprised of copper.