{"id":1419,"date":"2026-05-10T18:36:51","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T23:36:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/?p=1419"},"modified":"2026-05-16T05:15:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T10:15:22","slug":"how-close-can-autocut-cut-copper-pipe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/how-close-can-autocut-cut-copper-pipe\/","title":{"rendered":"How Close Can AUTOCUT Cut Copper Pipe?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Cutting copper pipe under a bathroom vanity can be tight work.<\/p>\n<p>This is even harder when the fitting is soldered in place.<\/p>\n<p>A torch may not be safe in that small space.<\/p>\n<p>That is why many homeowners look at an AUTOCUT-style pipe cutter.<\/p>\n<h2>Question<\/h2>\n<p>I need to cut a 1\/2-inch copper pipe for a bathroom sink.<br \/>\nThe old fitting is soldered on.<br \/>\nThere is not much room under the vanity.<br \/>\nI need to cut as close as possible to the fitting.<br \/>\nHow close will the AUTOCUT get me?<br \/>\nCan it overlap the connector a little?<\/p>\n<h2>Answer<\/h2>\n<p><strong>No, the AUTOCUT should not overlap the fitting.<br \/>\nIt must sit flat and square on the copper pipe.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The cutting wheel must ride on clean, round copper.<br \/>\nIf the tool sits partly on the fitting, it may not cut straight.<br \/>\nIt can also bind, slip, or damage the pipe.<\/p>\n<p>The cut will only be as close as the tool body allows.<br \/>\nMost close-quarter cutters still need some pipe between the fitting and the cut.<br \/>\nThe exact space depends on the cutter brand and model.<\/p>\n<p>Before cutting, check the cutter instructions.<br \/>\nYou can also compare the tool width against the pipe space.<br \/>\nA tape measure helps avoid a bad cut.<\/p>\n<p>If there is not enough exposed pipe, use another method.<br \/>\nA mini tubing cutter may give better control.<br \/>\nA fine-tooth hacksaw blade can also work in tight spots.<br \/>\nUse care to keep the cut square.<\/p>\n<p>After the cut, remove burrs from the copper pipe.<br \/>\nBurrs can hurt water flow.<br \/>\nThey can also damage supply stops or compression fittings.<\/p>\n<p>For safer plumbing guidance, visit\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisoldhouse.com\/plumbing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">This Old House Plumbing<\/a><br \/>\nOr review basic copper pipe advice from\u00a0Family Handyman.<\/p>\n<p>Bottom line: keep the AUTOCUT fully on the pipe.<br \/>\nDo not let it ride over the connector.<br \/>\nIf it will not fit, pick a smaller tool.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m Chris Mayer, writing for\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\">Plumbing 101<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1423\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1423\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1423\" src=\"https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/How-Close-Can-AUTOCUT-Cut-Copper-Pipe-300x200.png\" alt=\"How Close Can AUTOCUT Cut Copper Pipe?\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/How-Close-Can-AUTOCUT-Cut-Copper-Pipe-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/How-Close-Can-AUTOCUT-Cut-Copper-Pipe-1024x683.png 1024w, https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/How-Close-Can-AUTOCUT-Cut-Copper-Pipe-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/How-Close-Can-AUTOCUT-Cut-Copper-Pipe.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1423\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">How Close Can AUTOCUT Cut Copper Pipe?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cutting copper pipe under a bathroom vanity can be tight work. This is even harder when the fitting is soldered in place. A torch may not be safe in that small space. That is why many homeowners look at an AUTOCUT-style pipe cutter. Question I need to cut a 1\/2-inch copper pipe for a bathroom&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/how-close-can-autocut-cut-copper-pipe\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">How Close Can AUTOCUT Cut Copper Pipe?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1423,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_wpscp_schedule_draft_date":"","_wpscp_schedule_republish_date":"","_wpscppro_advance_schedule":false,"_wpscppro_advance_schedule_date":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":null,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"default","_threads_share_type":"default","_google_business_share_type":"default","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[79],"tags":[951,946,948,409,952,629,945,953,947,109,111,48,459,115,949,950],"class_list":["post-1419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-plumbing-help","tag-autocut","tag-autocut-pipe-cutter","tag-bathroom-sink-plumbing","tag-can","tag-close","tag-copper","tag-copper-pipe-cutter","tag-cut","tag-cut-copper-pipe","tag-general","tag-help","tag-how","tag-pipe","tag-plumbing","tag-soldered-copper-fitting","tag-vanity-plumbing-repair","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1419"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1419\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1587,"href":"https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1419\/revisions\/1587"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1423"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}