The Nitty Gritty to Cutting Graphite Golf Shafts Efficiently

Tools used to cut graphite shafts

There are a number of items available to clubmakers to cut graphite golf shafts; many of which are motorized cut-off wheels.  However, not every hobbyist golf club maker is going to have access to these tools and needs to cut the golf club shaft without fear of splintering and potentially destroying what could very well be a $100 (or more) investment. One solution to manually cut golf club graphite (or composite) shafts fast, safe and efficiently is the rod saw blade.   Let me give you some handy tips on how to use tool properly.

Graphite shafts need special care to be cut properly.  A tubing cutter, that you would use to manually cut a steel golf shaft, will crack or destroy a graphite shaft in no time at all.  Don’t think about pulling the hacksaw from your tool chest either.  A normal hacksaw blade has teeth that are serrated along both edges of the blade, which can splinter the fibers potentially causing breakage at a later time.

A safe way to cut graphite shafts by hand

Enter the rod saw blade.  It possesses no teeth at all, but a rod of tungsten carbide particles enabling the blade to cut on both forward and reverse strokes. It makes thin straight cuts in all types of shaft materials used in golf. Yes, it is even strong enough to cut steel. It can cut through a graphite shaft in 15-20 seconds after the shaft has been securely place in your vise. The model we sell fits on a standard 12” hacksaw frame found at any hardware store or in many home shops.

How to tips to cutting graphite shafts

I would like to share a few how-to tips as well. I find it best to place a piece of masking tape at the portion of the shaft I want to cut.  I do this for a couple of reasons.  The first, many graphite golf club shafts are black and the use of the masking tape assists in properly marking the area to be cut with a Sharpie pen.  Secondly, by wrapping tape around the shaft, reduces the likelihood that the shaft would splinter during the last moment of the cutting process. To further avoid any potential splintering at the last minute, cut half way through the golf club shaft and then rotate 90º and precede cutting through.

Even for veteran clubmakers, the rod saw blade is handy to cut a single shaft instead of firing up your motorized equipment or to find that you have a damaged blade in need of replacement. Plus it comes in handy cutting the shaft angle and through bore plugs for those golf club thru bore installations.  All-in-all, it is a long-lasting tool no golf clubmaking shop should be without.

 

 

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