How to Cut and Strip Heavy Gauge Wire Easily

In this Instructable, you will learn how to easily cut and strip heavy gauge wire, without using heavy duty or professional tools. Sorry about some of the images' quality. My camera was not behaving.

Step 1: Tools

In the image are the tools you may need. Hover over the yellow boxes for more info.

Step 2: Make the First Cut

Make a small cut in the wire, then circle the knife around to cut through the whole outer insulation, around the wire where you want to cut it. Next, carefully pull the two sides apart, to form a small gap between the 2 pieces of insulation.

Step 3: Nibble

Now, slowly nibble away at the 3 or 4 individual wires inside, using the wire cutters. I found what worked for me was to grip one of the wires in the strippers, and then repeatedly twist the strippers back and forth over the wire, until the wire breaks. I also found that bending the wire in half at the cut point makes things easier. The wires inside are usually made up of 3 or more smaller strands twisted together.

Step 4: Strip

Once you have nibbled the wire apart, pull of cut back the insulation the desired amount, and strip in the usual way using either the wire strippers, wire cutters, or the knife. I used a combination of all three.