Cutting tool

A method of cutting through well casing in a casing string comprising the steps of deploying a jetting cutting tool into the well casing to the required depth at which the cut is to be made, the jetting tool including a nozzle for directing a jet of an abrasive slurry at the wall of a well casing to sever the well casing and a mechanical locking arrangement provided above the nozzle, said locking arrangement comprising radially expandable means selectively engageable with an inner wall of the well casing within which the tool is deployed, to prevent axial or rotational movement of the tool in the well during cutting operations, the mechanical locking arrangement comprises an outer cylindrical cage and an inner mandrel, the inner mandrel being moveable axially relative to the cage between a locked and an unlocked position, the inner mandrel having a profiled outer surface with a plurality of tapered recesses, and wherein a ball is provided within each of the tapered recesses in the inner mandrel, and wherein the outer wall of the cage is provided with a plurality of apertures such that a ball is held within a recess by the cage;

• locking the tool against the inner wall of the well casing above a nozzle of the tool to prevent axial or rotational movement of the tool during the cutting operation,
• pumping an abrasive slurry through the jetting tool and rotating the nozzle of the jetting tool to force a high powered jet of slurry against the inner wall of the well casing such that the well casing is severed.