Patent ID: 8601697

Claim:
A tool for cutting a cylindrical conduit having a predetermined external diameter, said tool comprising a body having a bore of a diameter substantially equal to said predetermined diameter and extending along a predetermined axis through the body, a slot extending from an external surface of the body to the bore in the general direction of a first plane containing said axis, said slot tapering so that its width progressively diminishes with distance from the external surface of the body to the external circumference of said bore, said width at said external surface of the body exceeding said predetermined diameter, and at said bore being smaller than said predetermined diameter, a cutting blade extending into said bore along a plane extending at right angles to said predetermined axis by an amount exceeding the thickness of the wall of said conduit, the body being generally cylindrical about the predetermined axis and adapted to be gripped by the user in rotating the tool, the generally cylindrical body formed by a first segment on one side of the slot which is generally rigid and inflexible and a second segment on the other side of the slot which is resilient and flexible whereby the progressive insertion of a conduit into the bore along the slot will cause the second segment initially to flex away from the first segment until the conduit enters the bore where after the second segment will resile and urge the conduit against the blade, so that relative rotation between the tool and conduit about the predetermined axis will result in the severing of the conduit and wherein said second segment is made of the same material as said first segment but is hollow so as to define radially inner and outer walls sufficiently thin to provide the necessary flexibility and resilience with the inner wall of the second segment defining a portion of the bore and the outer wall of the second segment defining a portion of the generally cylindrical body.