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I just got some 4" Charlotte (PVC) pipe for a hobby project. I need to cut them to length and had heard/read that Lowes will do cuts for you for a price.....fair enough. I call them up and talk to the plumbing desk - he was totally incredulous when I asked him about 4" pipe "I can only do up to 2"!"
Well, so I get to use my little hacksaw - I've done it before but it's hard since I don't even have a vise to hold them. Are there other "big box" stores that are a little more accommodating for stuff like this? It would have been 3 cuts total.
Big Box stores are all the same, get the ONE decent human working there and they can help you out. Get any of the rest and they just want to make it through their day with as little human interaction as possible.
Get yourself to a Local hardware/plumbing store and you will get thousands of percent better service. Costs an imperceptible amount more (usually, not always ~ I've gotten some phenomenal special-order deals).
I just got some 4" Charlotte (PVC) pipe for a hobby project. I need to cut them to length and had heard/read that Lowes will do cuts for you for a price.....fair enough. I call them up and talk to the plumbing desk - he was totally incredulous when I asked him about 4" pipe "I can only do up to 2"!"
Well, so I get to use my little hacksaw - I've done it before but it's hard since I don't even have a vise to hold them. Are there other "big box" stores that are a little more accommodating for stuff like this? It would have been 3 cuts total.
This is the sort of thing that sets your local independent store apart from BB stores. Willingness and/or ability to do something out of the ordinary or on a small scale for a customer. A BB store is all about volume, bulk, everything quick, efficient, standardized, impersonal. Something that takes individual attention, thought, or a bit more time just isn't in the business model. Could the BB store technically do the cuts? Probably. Is it worth doing to keep a small scale customer? Not so much.
You might improvise a vise using a straight-back wood chair, or a porch step.
Set the pipe against the back or riser, and place one foot on pipe to hold it down.
Or borrow a Workmate table/vise from a neighbor.
The saws I've seen used at Lowes and Home Depot are only setup to cut lumber or plywood. The circular blades are not big enough to cut a 4" thick piece.
Its not that difficult to cut with a hacksaw. I have cut 6" with a hacksaw. As mentioned, place it against the back of a porch step with your foot holding it, your cut line a few inches off the edge of the step. Dont try to make one cut to cut the pipe, make several cuts, maybe 3 or so around the pipe about blade deep. Then connect the cuts , and sand the cut edge smooth.
It is just the overall mediocrity of many retail businesses......hardware, bigbox, mall stores, etc, etc.
I just went into a major automotive-parts chain to buy a very common part. Give the Lady my make and model and she enters the info.......then she asks what part I need. I very clearly tell her the name of the part, hoping to avoid hassle, and she has no clue what I am talking about, SMH!
I can see why they wouldn't have a pipe cutter big enough but I figured they'd use a miter saw and make easy work of it! That's what I'd do...
But yeah, I might try some of the "hometown" hardware stores next time or even try "NextDoor" to find out if there's someone in the neighborhood who'd do it for a plate of brownies!
...a hacksaw isn't exactly the best saw for PVC pipe.
He could have also misunderstood what you were asking- they do sell several sizes of PVC already cut into 2' pcs.
Right.....well, I have a hacksaw and some sites advised using a hacksaw so that's what I did.
I need 1' pcs. so in order to make the fewest cuts I got the 2' lengths even though it cost more. But what's done is done - I'll probably never need more in the future.
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