Cutting Car Tires

Could you inform me on how you cut car tires please?

Debra from NSW

Answers:

Cutting Tires

Serrated knife should be used, cutting away from yourself. I did mine last week and got some nasty blisters. Sidewalls cut easier, but still took a lot (took a lot of breaks), of elbow grease. Then you have to sort of stand on inner part of tire/cut part away, on ground, then pull with all your might and turn it inside out. It was very hard to do. I found it a bit easier when I cut close to the tread, made turning a bit easier.

Mine have been tastefully spray painted and face my neighbors bay window. He's been giving me funny looks ever since. At least I try and recycle. Don't try and use a saber saw to cut tires/ does not work and was a dangerous idea.

Claudia (04/24/2002)

By admin

Cutting Tires

I have found using a jigsaw with a blade for rubber works quite well for cutting most tires. If you plan to cut into the tread then you need a modified metal blade. As for turning the tire inside out then that too is very easy. But I cannot tell you in a few short words how to do it. Just believe me if I can do it so can you. (I had back surgery a year ago and the smaller tires I can do). I bought a book by Paul Farber that tells all, he also has a video if you want it.
(11/19/2003)

By Nora Stockman-Priestly

Cutting Car Tires

I just came across a site of a guy who used wood chisels and and a hammer, said it took only a bit more time than a band saw did. (05/02/2006)

By Imani Layne

Cutting Car Tires

In Africa they make lots of things out of old tires. The most popular item made are sandals. They use a very sharp knife and water as a lubricant. They stop cutting to sharpen the knife on a honing stone several times each minute! Old-fashioned bias-ply tires can be cut any which way. They deal with steel belted tires by peeling off each layer of rubber between the steel belts. Don't work with steel belted tires without good leather gloves. The edges of those steel belts are very sharp and can cause a nasty, nasty cut.

Incidentally, unfortunately it's not a good business for the Africans because the sandals actually last multiple human lifetimes so they don't get any second-time customers. I guess they need a lesson in planned obsolescence.

(07/12/2006)

By Jonathan Anderson

Cutting Car Tires

I found cutting them with a metal cutting blade Sawzall (actually the Skill version) works through the metal tread and the side wall, but I learned to avoid cutting the side bead through as it ate even the best metal blades up (Dewalt and Lennox). Just cut the bead off longways down the sidewall leaving a donut shape. (03/22/2008)

By Glenn