How the blazes do I cleanly cut external gear / brake cable outer housing ?

[Ridgeway]

Also use a dremel with diamond disc, it makes short work of any cable cutting task

 

[Drago]

None of this cost v usage considerations at Drago Towers.

Will I be doing my own bike maintenance, and doing so for the rest of my natural?

Yes

Then get the right bloody tools and stop whittling.

In the long run penny pinching can be quite expensive. And think about it...that tool might be pricy, but it'll likely pay for itself the first time you use it instead of packing the bike off to the shop.

 

[Dogtrousers]

get the right bloody tools and stop whittling

I paid £500 for my whittling knife.

 

[Salad Dodger]

Not having any purpose built bike tools, I used a Dremel to cut a cable outer. The plastic outer got slightly melted at the cut line, but a bradawl poked into the end of the plastic opened it up, and the inner cable went through with no problem.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I paid £500 for my whittling knife.

Pah gather some flints, some wood and twine from plants.

 

[mpemburn]

I bought a cheap cable cutter that looked like the Park but was a P.O.S. It was fine for the cables, but when I used it for the housing, it sprung the joint and became useless for cables. I can still use it for the housing—though I think I’ll get some cutting discs for my Dremel.

I replaced my cutter with one from Pedros: https://pedros.com/products/tools/brakes-and-shifting/cable-cutter/

 

[Paulus]

I have a Draper professional cable cutter.
It does a very clean cut on inners and outers. Even with expensive Park cutters you will still have to clean up the outer

 

[Blue Hills]

I have a Draper professional cable cutter.
It does a very clean cut on inners and outers. Even with expensive Park cutters you will still have to clean up the outer

Do you mean you don't have to clean up with your Drapers?

I have the park by the way.
I don't think it anything special at all.

 

[Paulus]

Do you mean you don't have to clean up with your Drapers?

I have the park by the way.
I don't think it anything special at all.

No, I still have to clean up the cut.
What I meant was that even with the expensive tools, you need to clean it up.