Patent ID: 8266991

Claim:
A pipe cutter for cutting a pipe, the pipe cutter comprising: a cutting head assembly including a first carriage and a second carriage spaced apart to define a cutting area, the first carriage having a first portion supporting a cutting mechanism and the second carriage configured to support a pipe within the cutting area, wherein the carriages have a locked state and an unlocked state, and further wherein when the carriages are in the unlocked state, the carriages are movable relative to each other and biased into the cutting area; a drive assembly configured to rotate the cutting head assembly; and a locking mechanism configured for changing the carriages from the unlocked state to the locked state and for holding a second portion of the first carriage in a locked state relative to the second carriage, the locking mechanism comprising, an actuation member rotatably coupled to the second portion of the first carriage, wherein rotation of the cutting head assembly causes rotation of the actuation member relative to the first carriage, and a locking member configured for engagement with the first carriage and the second carriage upon rotation of the actuation member, wherein engagement of the locking member with the first carriage and the second carriage holds the carriages in the locked state, wherein the first carriage includes a biasing member between the first portion and the second portion, wherein upon rotation of the cutting head assembly the actuation member rotates relative to the first carriage and deflects the biasing member such that a biasing force acts on the cutting mechanism to cut the pipe.