Concrete Pipe Tap

While Oregon® concrete power cutters won’t cut round circles, they can easily make 8-sided cuts, providing quick, tight fitting joints for concrete pipe taps. With proper technique, gaps of less than 1” (2.5 cm) are easily achievable, requiring very little patchwork. The same job with a cut-off saw takes longer, results in overcuts, and requires the use of potentially damaging percussive tools to finish the work.

Concrete saw scoring the shape of an octagon in a large concrete pipe

Step 1

Carefully score cut all 8 cuts – 3 minutes

Concrete saw cutting an octagon into the side of a large concrete pipe

Step 2

Plunge straight into all 8 sides in a stitching method working from the center to both ends of each cut – 12 minutes

A smaller concrete pipe inserted into the octagonal hole cute out of a large concrete pipe

The Result

A pipe tap with less than one inch gap installed, no over-cutting or cracking from percussive tools

Total elapsed time: 15 minutes

Note: Proper attention to layout and keeping the bar perpendicular to the pipe are important for tight joints.