How To Trim A Bolt Without An Angle Grinder

It often happens that a home workshop is full of bolts, but they are all longer than necessary. Then they need to be shortened. And this is already a problem, if the owner does not have specialized tools such as an angle grinder. But as they say, nothing is impossible.

When a person sets a goal, he will always come up with a suitable way to put his plan into practice. It takes only a little skill and patience. Here are a few proven methods that anyone can adopt.

We use an ordinary file

With a small cross section of the metal rod, this very simple tool, which is in almost any house, is quite suitable. It is quite possible for them to grind a few extra millimeters. True, this will require a lot of time and physical effort.

1. Clamp the bolt in a vice with the hat down.
2. Mark the place of incision with a marker.
3. Carefully make a gash (if the bar is not too thick, then it can then be broken with a pair of pliers).

We use pliers

They are always at hand at any economic person. Having a multifunctional purpose and a hinged-lip design, pliers combine pliers, side cutters and a sharp cutter at the base of the jaws. They can clamp and grab pipes of small diameter, hold cylindrical parts, bite metal bars.

To trim the bolt, do the following:

1. Measure the required length.
2. Make a file with a small file in this place.
3. Tightly grab the excess with sponges and break, or snack with wire cutters located in the area of ​​the hinge mechanism.

We chop a bolt with a chisel

Working with a chisel requires special attention and certain skills:

1. Mark the desired contour accurately with a special metal scriber.
2. If the thickness of the metal is such that the chisel does not interrupt with one blow, then the bolt is clamped with a bench vise. Otherwise, you can cut along a thin rod directly on a strong substrate or blacksmith anvil.
3. It is necessary to ensure that the sponges are at the level of the mark. With a large thickness of the rod, the scriber line should be approximately 4 mm higher than the clamping device.
4. Lean the cutting tool on the near sponge so that the angle is 30–35 0, and the sharp edge adjoins the work surface at about 45 0.
5. Hammer strikes should be short and accurate in the “nape” area.

Important: Do not hold the chisel handle firmly in your hand. It is correct to hold the tool a little, evenly striking and gradually moving the chopping blade parallel to the jaws of a vice.

When it is not possible to cut the metal from one time, the passage is repeated again. Sometimes it is more expedient to do this according to the same marking, but from a different side.

Note: A chisel is a rough tool, therefore, when marking, you need to take into account an additional allowance in length, because after that you will have to process the edge with a file or emery.

Grind the bolt with a bar

The use of this device involves the targeted removal of metal layers due to the abrasive effects of sandpaper. The procedure requires a lot of patience, because durable metal is difficult to handle manually. For this:

1. Clamp the bolt firmly in a vice with the hat down.
2. Grab the bar with both hands at opposite ends.
3. Finish the required volume of the metal surface using uniform movements with great effort.

Attention! This tool is suitable in those cases when you just need to slightly sharpen the excess length of the rod.

Sawing a bolt with a hacksaw blade

It is much easier to quickly achieve the desired result with a metal file and a screwdriver or drill. In addition to these tools, you will also need a pair of nuts, a marker pen and skillful hands.

On a note! If you get down to business without preparation and just start sawing the bolt with a hacksaw, then thread damage is virtually inevitable. Then the fasteners will become unsuitable for further use.

It is guaranteed that you can protect yourself using a proven method. The action algorithm is simple:

1. Select the bolt of the desired diameter and mark for cutting directly on the thread.
2. Screw two nuts on it to the intended line. One will fulfill the role of a limiter, the second. A lock nut, which will not allow the first to move along the turns.
3. To fix the saw blade, if necessary, you can screw an additional nut below the cut mark.
4. Insert the assembled structure into the chuck of a screwdriver / drill and tightly clamp it.
5. Attach a hacksaw blade to the cut line.
6. Plug in the tool. Sharp saw teeth quickly separate the excess end of the shaft.

This technology will help you to trim quickly and efficiently, and the cut will remain flat.

Without tools: we heat the bolt and use a hatchet for meat

If there is nothing suitable nearby, and it is very necessary to shorten the core, then there remains only one option. To glow the metal blank to white to soften the iron, and chop off the excess with an ordinary meat ax from the whole swing.

The metal can be heated as much as possible using a forge for blacksmithing, a blowtorch, an electric stove, a gas burner, and, finally, to make a fire from firewood. The best choice can be made only by knowing the grade of steel from which the core is made.

And here it is important to take precautions in contact with hot sparks that can get into the eyes and cause burns to the mucous membrane. The danger is also the possibility of flying towards the severed red-hot part. Therefore, before taking a chance, you need to wear safety glasses, tight clothes and a hat, tarp gloves on your hands, or wrap them with a rag.

And, nevertheless, it is better to refrain from such experiments.

Thus, you can always find a way to shorten the length of the bolt, if you show a little masterful ingenuity. And although often this requires a lot of willpower, patience and physical effort, but the result will undoubtedly be a well-deserved reward for you. And, it would seem, the simplest tools will help to fulfill our plan even without a modern functional angle grinder.