Thursday, July 29, 2004

#23 How to Cut a Pipe

Well, I didn't get to ride my bike today.  I went to the basement last night and searched for the pipe cutter to cut the seat post.  I distinctly remember seeing Jay use one once - it looks sort of like a wrench, you wrap it around the pipe, and spin it around, and it makes a nice neat cut.  No luck.  Tried to find it again today, and finally ended up with a saw and some files to smooth the cut.  Then I sawed, and sawed, read a book, sawed, watched some tv, rested, sawed, sawed - and made barely a dent.  I got halfway through the thickness of one spot.  I think the darn thing is steel! (I think I had the right saw - skinny blade with tiny teeth stretched on a "c" frame, right?  And it seemed sharp.  Made a lot of sparkly sawdust.) 

At 7 PM I decided I needed some help.  No hardware stores open on this side of the river after 6ish, so I took the post (with the seat still on it) to one of those big home centers across the river.   Now, with age one acquires some bits of wisdom.  I didn't go to the hardware section and ask for a pipe cutter.  If I did, I'd have ended up with a pipe cutter.  Instead, I went to the plumbing section, and asked "How do I cut this?"  So the guy cut it for me.  He had to dig around, didn't have the right cutter among the dept tools - "Hmmm - this is gonna take a BIG 'un..." - ended up taking one off a sales rack.  Even with the "big 'un" it didn't look easy - he put some shoulder-power into it.  No charge.  Cutter went back into the package and back on the rack.  "Think maybe I ought to buy that?  I can't find the one I thought I had."  "Nah.  You probably won't need one that big again.  It's too expensive for something you won't need."

So, thanks to the gallant gentleman, I ride tomorrow!    

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