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Anyone know the details of making sawed angles?

Original Post
brian hess · · Logan, Utah · Joined Jan 2009 · Points: 400

I need to make some sawed angles for a trip in may and I'm not sure what length to cut them. Also what size pitons/baby angles would you recomend for making sawed angles?

Fat Dad · · Los Angeles, CA · Joined Nov 2007 · Points: 60

One, if I had to guess you want them for the Shield. If so, go easy on the hammer since it's gone clean about 20 yrs. ago. I hear about people still nailing on sections that I climbed pretty easily with TCUs just because they freaked with the exposure. Try to score some offset cams and you'll be happy. OK, enough preaching.

Two, just chop them with a hacksaw and use a grinder or file to round off the edges. Easy.

brian hess · · Logan, Utah · Joined Jan 2009 · Points: 400

I'm considering several walls in Yosemite. Planning on clean aid but I'm still going to take the the gear it calls for in the the yosemite big wall book.

Wally · · Denver · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 0

From my buddy who climbed Mescalito with me last summer:

Yeah, cutting off 40% of the angle is reasonable. Between 1/3 and 1/2.
Any more and there really isn't much taper left.

We sawed two 3/4" and two 1" angles - never used them - climbed the line entirely with clean aid.

Climb Ohn. Wally

Fat Dad · · Los Angeles, CA · Joined Nov 2007 · Points: 60

I don't know how many you'll need, but you may want to take more than one of each size, since the dimension of the pin is going to be different depending on where you chop it. Say, one where you chop it about 1/3 down and another about 1/2. If you have just one size and it's not quite right, you may have problems.

Chris Plesko · · Westminster, CO · Joined Oct 2007 · Points: 485

I used a hack saw. Easy as pie.

David Sweet · · Silver City, NM · Joined Jan 2007 · Points: 430

Even easier - just loan your pins to Chris and he'll give 'em back sawed off.

Mark Hudon · · Lives on the road · Joined Jul 2009 · Points: 420

I used a caborundum (?) blade on a Skil saw and cut only 1/3 off of them. I cut a few in half but they are way too short.

Peter Zabrok · · Hamilton, ON · Joined Dec 2007 · Points: 645

Ha! There we go, I actually used my index.

Here's the answer:

rockclimbing.com/cgi-bin/fo…

Actually, this will take you there more directly:

rockclimbing.com/Articles/B…

Do a "control + F" find-search for "sawed" in the Checklist above and you will get your answer.

I used hardly any sawed-offs on The Shield, incidentally. I probably shouldn't tell you this, but big Peckers work just fine and with minimal [but not non-existent] nailing impact in the crack between the big-ass ugly pinscars. Or you can fiddle around with offset cams and hand-placed sawed-offs.

Typically with sawed-offs, I will hand-place them. Then I will hit them with my hammer. {wink}

mark55401 · · Minneapolis · Joined May 2011 · Points: 355

How important is it to deburr the sawed-off angle? I can easily get to a saw and vise but not to a full shop,

I can upload a photo of the couple angles I sawed this weekend. They look okay, but what do I know.

Kevin DeWeese · · @failfalling - Oakland, Ca · Joined Jan 2007 · Points: 981
mark55401 wrote: How important is it to deburr the sawed-off angle? I can easily get to a saw and vise but not to a full shop,

I can upload a photo of the couple angles I sawed this weekend. They look okay, but what do I know.

Not important at all save for making sure that there's not burs that will catch webbing or clothing and cause it to fray. If you don't debur the cut edge, the rock will take care of that for you.

Quinn Hatfield · · Los Angeles · Joined Oct 2018 · Points: 0

Certainly not necessary-
But I did a couple recently with an angle grinder.. takes about 7 seconds.. 

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Big Wall and Aid Climbing
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