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How to cut a bolt without damaging the thread

Posted by Adrian
February 28th, 2021

How to cut a bolt without damaging the thread

If you find yourself with a job that requires a bolt to fix something together, or maybe simply fitting a new door or drawer knob onto furniture, sometimes you may find the supplied bolt is too long for your requirements, this is often done intentionally allowing the manufacturer to supply only one bolt at the longer size allowing the end user to cut to the required length. So what do you do if you find yourself in this situation, you can cut it but but how as there is a possibility of damaging the thread making the bolt unusable.

However, this very simple tip will make cutting the bolt easy and also save the tread from damage. All you require is the bolt, a nut, a hacksaw, and something to hold the nut and bolt with, such as a vise.

Cutting the bolt

To cut the bolt simply take the bolt and a nut that fits the bolts thread (if one doesn’t come supplied), screw the nut onto the bolt just further onto the bolt than the length you want the final bolt to be. In other words the nut will need to be still left on the bolt once it has been cut.

Once the nut is in place, hold it in the vice, with the nut or the bolt head, not the thread. Then take the hacksaw and place the blade right up against the nut, on the waste side of the bolt. Then with one hand steady the bolt and with the other hand start to cut with the hacksaw. Go slowly and be careful of your hands and fingers. Keep cutting until you have gone through the bolt.

Checking the bolts thread

Once you have cut the bolt, the nut should still be on the bolt. To make sure the thread is OK simply unscrew the nut off of the bolt, if it is a little hard to do so use a spanner or adjustable spanner to ease the nut off. If it is really hard to get off unscrew the nut slightly, then screw it back on then off then on until the nut comes off of the bolt.
To finish off, and ensure any loose metal is removed from the thread brush the end with a wire brush.

Now you can use the shortened bolt to complete that job.

Cutting a bolt

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