Cutting came is a gentle process rather than an abrupt chopping effort.
There are many implements in common use to cut lead came.
Lead knives
Blades of a variety of styles are most commonly used. These can be either straight edges or curved blades. The straight edge lead knives are essentially putty knives or stiff scrapers sharpened to an acute angle. This kind of knife is wiggled rapidly from side to side (almost like a vibration) while applying moderate pressure to work through the came.
Other knives are curved to make rocking back and forth easier. There are a variety of knives such as the Pro or Don Carlos. Some look more like a scimitar than a lead knife! These are used to rock along the line where you are cutting the came.
Whatever kind of knife you are using, be sure to be directly above the knife, looking along the blade to ensure vertical cuts.
Lead nippers or lead dykes
Lead nippers/dykes are a kind of adapted side cutters, used for cutting wire and by electricians. But these have the bevel only on one side of the jaws, making them almost useless for anything other than cutting lead. This arrangement only crushes the lead on the cut-off side and also leaves a minimum of lead next to the back of the jaws.
In use, the jaws of the dykes are aligned in the same angle as the heart of the lead, cutting across the leaves of the lead. They do not cut from the top and bottom of the came. These are very quick for right angle or very oblique angles on the came. However they are of little use for acute angles.
Saws
Of course, saws are sometimes used. The blade needs to be coarse toothed to enable the soft lead to drop out of the teeth. These saws can be hand held or table saws. Normally, it is quicker to use lead dykes, shears or knives. However, if you are in production mode, a powered table saw may be worthwhile.
Lead knives
Blades of a variety of styles are most commonly used. These can be either straight edges or curved blades. The straight edge lead knives are essentially putty knives or stiff scrapers sharpened to an acute angle. This kind of knife is wiggled rapidly from side to side (almost like a vibration) while applying moderate pressure to work through the came.
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| A stiff decorator's paint scraper |
Whatever kind of knife you are using, be sure to be directly above the knife, looking along the blade to ensure vertical cuts.
Lead nippers or lead dykes
Lead nippers/dykes are a kind of adapted side cutters, used for cutting wire and by electricians. But these have the bevel only on one side of the jaws, making them almost useless for anything other than cutting lead. This arrangement only crushes the lead on the cut-off side and also leaves a minimum of lead next to the back of the jaws.
In use, the jaws of the dykes are aligned in the same angle as the heart of the lead, cutting across the leaves of the lead. They do not cut from the top and bottom of the came. These are very quick for right angle or very oblique angles on the came. However they are of little use for acute angles.
Mitre shears
Another similar tool allows more acute angles to be cut with little distortion of the lead is a miter shear. These are designed for fine cuts through plastic piping and thin wood, but work well for cutting angles in lead came. The platform allows set angles to be cut for mitering corners, as an example. Once the angle required is marked on the lead, it can be presented to the shears and cut to that specific angle, making them flexible for any angle required.
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Saws
Of course, saws are sometimes used. The blade needs to be coarse toothed to enable the soft lead to drop out of the teeth. These saws can be hand held or table saws. Normally, it is quicker to use lead dykes, shears or knives. However, if you are in production mode, a powered table saw may be worthwhile.
Revised 28.11.25
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