How do you cut aluminum downspout?

[Dan_Musicant]

One of the downspouts from a roof job done a year ago drains right into the soil next to my foundation. I was thinking of making a drain-away out of concrete (a bit of concrete work needs to be done right there, anyway), but I got the idea of routing the downspout out away from the foundation horizontally.

When the roofers did the job a year ago, I salvaged a couple of extra

10' or so lengths of aluminum downspouting and stashed them in my garage. I figure I can run a 4' or so length of this from the end of the downspout coming from the gutter above and route the flow out a few feet from the foundation and onto my concrete patio where the water won't sink into the ground at the foundation.

How can I cut the aluminum? I guess I can work it with a box cutter, but I wonder if that's best. The metal is sure to deform if I cut it that way. What do the pros use? TIA.

Dan

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Hacksaw or a metal cutting blade in a jigsaw

[JoeSpareBedroom]

I don't know about the pros, but I use a fine tooth hack saw. It takes a few minutes per cut, but it works.

[NickySantoro]

Hacksaw

[Dan_Musicant]

:> Dan : :Hacksaw or a metal cutting blade in a jigsaw : Thanks. I have both.

[Steve Barker]

hacksaw

[Cliff Hartle]

When I worked in construction (In a previous life) we would just poke our snips or hammer claw into the down spout a few inches away from the final length and cut around it.

The first resulting cut makes a mess of it but you just keep trimming around until you hit your mark.

[Joe]

Sheet metal pros use double cut tin snips, either hand type or electric depending on work at hand. For cutting any kind of sheet metal tubing, the weapon of choice. There is simply no other way to make a nice clean cut in the middle of a 4" water heater vent, for example, or the downspout tubing in your case. For a one time use, the price may not justify the tool, so alternatives in this thread might be adequate. If you're curious about what a double cut snip is, check out the tools like that at Amazon.com or HarborFreight.com. HTH

Joe

[Ty Hall]

replying to Joe, Ty Hall wrote: dremel with cut off wheel

[Micky]

I don't know how they do it, but they've had aluminum gutters and downspouts for 50+ years and I doubt many people, I don't anyone used a dremel.

[Ty Hall]

replying to Micky, Ty Hall wrote: t of the gutter

[Micky]

I doubt many people, I doubt anyone used a dremel.

When am I going to learn to type.

[DerbyDad03]

...and another 10 year old thread gets revived.

I hope the OP hasn't been living with a wet foundation since February 2007.

[Ty Hall]

replying to Ty Hall, Ty Hall wrote: the real pros use a dremel....right minnie....i mean micky

[Ty Hall]

replying to Dan_Musicant, Ty Hall wrote: _this site sucks i reply ansd its not what i wrote_

[Micky]

Minnie's my girlfriend. Her grandmother's maiden name was Dremel, btw.

[Micky]

It might indeed be the sight. Get a nuwsriedr and read nuws directly.

[Wnew813]

replying to Micky, Wnew813 wrote: I used the Dermal with a cutoff blade, it cut but didn't last long.

[Tekkie®]

Wnew813 posted for all of us...

So how did the sawing with skin work out? Any scars?