as title best, easiest plus most cost effective way to do the above at home in a shed with limited tools……….. 🙄 as asked by daughter away from home……

Measure twice, cut once….

I usually use a pipe cutter and take my time.

Have used a hacksaw before with tape or marker pen to keep it straight.

It’s a doddle with a pipe cutter, round off the lip with a file.

I have one of these for fitting SFNs: http://www.parker-international.co.uk/16183/Cyclepro-Star-Fangled-Nut-Setter—Universal.html

Not necessary but makes it easy.

Assemble whole headset/fork/stem/spacer combo on the bike, and mark the length you want. A piece of tape is a good cutting guide. Cut slowly, as straight as you can, but perfection isnt required.

If the fork will ever be sold on, keep it slightly longer and put a spacer on top of the stem. remember the steerer will need to be 4mm lower than the top of the stem/spacer stack to allow the whole combo to be nipped up tight.

With the star nut, fit the bolt into the SFN, then hit the bolt with a rubber mallet to position the nut.

Worth getting one of these IMO, I’ve used mine loads and it’s pretty foolproof – and works in seconds.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=10224

Hacksaw, some masking tape to try and keep it straight, and use the landing section of a staircase to sit the forks on.
You can then sit on the top step next to them and cut away.

I’ve used masking tape and a hacksaw with a file to finish the steerer followed by a Hope Head Dr. Easy and no issues of stripped star nuts.

I think you can get a Head Dr for the price of the SFN tool, also you might find one in the “wanteds” for cheap. Mine was offered at postage only thanks to a generous STWer 😀

Hacksaw, some masking tape to try and keep it straight, and use the landing section of a staircase to sit the forks on.
You can then sit on the top step next to them and cut away.

Good idea… I’m planning to kit out the shed with something incorporating a decent sized landing like this for steerer trimming:

Just go buy a pipe cutter, all the DIY sheds are open now.

I have in the past used a couple of old stems, clamped on the steerer as a guide, but have since bought a cheap guide from Merlin, which makes cutting steerers and bars down fool proof. I have always found getting star fangled nuts in straight a real fiddle, but now have one of those things in chakaping’s link – it’s ace. It’s all alot easier if you have a workstand to clamp the forks in.

Oh, and if you are hammering the SFN in by resting the forks on the floor, lock them out if you can, and be careful not to damage any adjusters on the floor.

Cut with pipe cutter or hacksaw using a guide.
Hardest bit is getting a SFN in straight. It really is worth trying to get the proper tool, either borrow or a 2 minute job in a bike shop.

OP – where are you?

I’ve used an old stem as guide, works well

Did this for the first time recently.

Cutting straight across the steerer without a pipe cutter is hard – be prepared to file off a fair bit afterwards if not using a proper guide and/or a decent hacksaw.

For this:

Hardest bit is getting a SFN in straight. It really is worth trying to get the proper tool, either borrow or a 2 minute job in a bike shop.

I agree. Using a short bolt and a rubber mallet was really frustrating as the starnut kept twisting. If you don’t have the proper tool, then the reason that many of the youtube how-to guides suggest a small screwdriver is so that the longer part of the screwdriver inside the steerer stops the nut from turning too much.

I started with the supplied nut, but had to restart about 5 times! Worked first go with a screwdriver instead.

Oh, and don’t forget the crown race – unless you’ve a tube the right size to push it down equally then you’ll have to do what I did and nervously hit it down with a screwdriver, a little bit all round and round.

If going down the hacksaw route,rotate the forks cutting a bit at a time..ie dont’t go straight through from one position. You will get a perfect cut!

or get your hands on 2 jubilee clips and 2 spacers, fit them either side of the cut point with enough gap to get the hacksaw blade through

(substitute jubilee clips for as many old stems as you have lying around)

The cutting bit is easily diyable but the star nut setting needs the tool or use a headlock or one of the many head doctor type things.

Or find a local STWer who can help…

SFN isn’t that hard to do with no tools at all but it’s a much simpler operation with some sort of assistance. What I use is dead simple, just a wee bit of M6 threaded bar- I spin the sfn onto the bar, then drop it down the steerer so it sticks out the bottom, then just tap it in on the top end of the bar- the length of it prevents it from going in more than slightly squint

(there’s various versions of this approach- you can spin a big washer and a nut onto the other end and tighten the nut, basically pulls the SFN down. Or you can put a suitably sized washer that’s slightly smaller than the steerer onto the bar, which reduces the amount of possible squintness to almost now. But I don’t bother with any of that, why use an elegant foolproof solution when you can whack it with a big hammer?

Thanks all, daughter has cut the steerer using tape and hacksaw on the student accom landing………….used a rubber mallet and thwacked…….all seems well in the world 😀