Hand Tools - Pipe Tools - Wrenches, Cutters, Reamers, and Threaders

Pipe tools are made in various shapes and sizes and for many uses. Always use the correct tool for the job.

• Wear safety glasses or goggles, or a face shield (with safety glasses or goggles), when necessary.
• Select a pipe wrench with sufficient capacity and leverage to do the job.
• Use a pipe wrench to turn or hold a pipe. Never use a pipe wrench to bend, raise or lift a pipe.
• Adjust the pipe wrench grip to maintain a gap between the back of the hook jaw and the pipe. This concentrates the pressure at the jaw teeth, producing the maximum gripping force. It also aids the ratcheting action.

• Inspect pipe wrenches periodically for worn or unsafe parts and replace them (e.g., check for worn threads on the adjustment ring and movable jaw).
• Keep pipe wrench teeth clean and sharp.
• Face a pipe wrench forward. Turn wrench so pressure is against heel jaw.
• Pull, rather than push on the pipe wrench handle. Maintain a proper stance with feet firmly placed to hold your balance.

• Do not use a pipe wrench as a hammer, or strike a pipe wrench with a hammer.
• Do not use pipe wrenches on nuts and bolts.
• Do not use a pipe extender for extra leverage. Get a larger pipe wrench.

• Replace pipe cutter wheels which are nicked or otherwise damaged.
• Use a 3- or 4-wheeled cutter, if there is not enough space to swing the single wheel pipe cutter completely around the pipe.
• Choose a cutting wheel suitable for cutting the type of pipe material required:
  • Thin wheel for cutting ordinary steel pipe.
  • Stout wheel for cutting cast iron.
  • Other wheels for cutting stainless steel, plastic and other materials.
• Select the proper hole diameter and correct tap size to tap a hole. The hole should be sized so that the thread cut by the tap will be about 75% as deep as the thread on the tap.
• Use a proper tap wrench (with a "T" handle) for turning a tap.
• Use lubricant or machine cutting fluid with metals other than cast iron.

• Do not allow chips to clog the flutes (groves in the tap that allow metal chips to escape from the hole). The chips may prevent the tap from turning - this may result in the tap breaking if you continue to apply pressure.
• Do not use a conventional adjustable wrench for turning a tap - it will cause uneven pressure on the tap that may cause it to break.
• Do not attempt to thread hardened steel. This can chip or damage the die.
• Do not thread any rod or other cylindrical object that is larger in diameter than the major diameter of the die thread.
• Do not use a spiral reamer on a rotating pipe. The reamer may snag and cause serious injury.

Refer to OSH Answers General Hand Tool Operation for more tips.