Self-adjusting pipe cutter

A portable device for transversely cutting a pipe segment, comprising:

• a rigid arcuate body, defining a radially outward wall and a radially inward wall;
• a handle transversely projecting from an intermediate section of said radially outward wall of said arcuate body, said handle for enabling an operator to manually manipulate said arcuate body;
• a knife member;
• first means for mounting said knife member to an intermediate section of said radially inward wall of said arcuate body, wherein said knife member is movable both radially relative to said intermediate section or radially inward wall and tangentially relative thereto;
• gravity borne quick disconnect means, for manual release solely under the influence of gravity of said first means for mounting the knife member, said quick disconnect means accessible from the outside of said rigid arcuate body;
• a roller member;
• second member for mounting said roller member to a section of said radially inward wall of said arcuate body in opposite register with said knife member;
• and
• biasing means, for biasing said knife member spacedly toward said roller member whereby a pipe-engaging channel is formed between said knife member and said roller member, said pipe-engaging channel being slightly smaller than the external diameter of the pipe segment to be cut under bias from said biasing means, but becoming slightly larger than the external diameter of the pipe segment upon said;
• knife member moving radially outwardly against the bias of said biasing means responsively to engagement by the pipe segment.