A tool and method for accessing fibers within an optical fiber cable is
provided. The tool can be used to access optical fibers within buffer
tubes held in distribution cables. The tool works well even when the
buffer tubes to be accessed are held tightly within distribution cables.
In one embodiment, the tool is clamped over a buffer tube and a blade is
slid across a blade guide of the tool to facilitate the cutting of a
fiber access window in the buffer tube. The method of accessing fibers
within a fiber optic cable includes supporting a section of buffer tube
and sliding a blade across the mid-portion of the supported section
thereby creating optical fiber access windows therein.