The fork cutter is a simple drain cable tool for cutting and separating foreign bodies in the pipe. The cutting fork made of hardened steel acts with the cutting edge on the pipe blockage when rotating. In contrast to a drilling tool, the effect in the pipeline is therefore not in the direction of the pipe, but perpendicular / lateral to it.
In this way, blockages in the drain pipe, caused for example by braids or small roots, can be perfectly separated: The fork cutter simply cuts through or punctures them. The residues of roots or braids thus separated can then be flushed out of the pipe or recovered. Of course, many softer drain obstructions can also be removed with the fork cutter if the pipe is clogged, e.g. by viscous grease residues or sludge. But paper, cloths and other cellulose can also be cut.
The cutting fork of the version for the 16mm T-Nut coupling has smooth edges. This has proved particularly effective with grease, oil, soap and muddy pipe blockages. Roots and other ingrowths are usually less common with the small pipe diameters that are processed with the 16mm drain cable.
In contrast, the fork cutter with the 22mm T-Nut coupling has cutting blades with sharktooth profile. This profile works better when cutting and chopping braids and roots. If the serrated fork cutter is used for this type of pipe plugging, reinforced drain cables with red core (S-SMK) should always be used. This prevents the drain cable from bending, and the core inside the drain cable also prevents the roots and braids from wrapping around the inside of the drain cable and blocking it.