I want to take some old tracks and put them across a water crossing. I've tried sawzall and cutting torch but it's a major chore. Anyone have some tips?
Petrol-powered disc cutter and loads of water as a lubricant.
That would probably work but I don't have access to one. BTW, should mention they're rubber tracks
That's why I suggested that particular method of cutting them, and the use of water as a lubricant. If you want to successfully cut rubber - wet the knife first. That's why tyres tend to cut on machines that are operated in wet & rocky underfoot conditions. The disc cutter would also slice through the steel cords in the track like the proverbial knife through butter. I suppose that the type of cutter I'm suggesting could be rented.
Good points. The other thing that exacerbates the problem is the tendency of the track to pinch the blade... hard to get it held to where it won't bind.
That’s why the disc cutter works so well. The track can be bent in the same form as it is when it goes over the sprocket and cut starting from the outside right across the width. As you do that the cut will open for you and the blade won’t get trapped.
I cut a lot of conveyor belting, that I use for guarding, with an old steak knife or utility blade. Same issue with pinching blades using a utility knife when cutting rubber. Run a 6x6 or other large object under the center of the cut and press down on the opposite sides to form a convex curve. Like Nige said, this will open the cut as it is cut and make life easier. I like the idea of the gas saw with an abrasive blade and cooling spray. I've rented those for doing concrete cuts and they work fast. I should have used that and cut lots of guards when I had it rented for the day.
Just cut one off a machine last week. Sawzall with good blades, get it setup where it naturally wants to open the cut as you go and spray the blade with PB Blaster/WD-40 etc while you cut. Soak it, no such thing as too much. You may have to play around with position of cut but the sawzall will do it.
Update. I laid tracks across forks, put garden hose on cut and cut them with a sawzall. Success is greatly dependent on setup so you don't get binding of the blade... if you've got it setup correctly you can sawzalll through in 1 minute, if not, you wont get through the cut. If I had to do it again I'd put my forks 1 foot apart and lay track on forks such that I was cutting through the depth of the track (not the width), and the weight of the tracks would keep the cut open. Needless to say, you should be on a GFI circuit if using AC sawzall.