Contractors and homeowners use circular saws to cut large pieces of wood, metal, brick, plastic and even concrete. These saws provide a great deal of capacity and precision, but cutting concrete with a circular saw is not an easy job for beginners.
There are two categories of concrete blades for circular saws: abrasive corundum masonry and diamond blades. Corundum blades cost less and cut through concrete, asphalt and stucco, but they are not very fast. They cut clean and fast, but the saw has to be able to distribute water safely.
What IS the best tool for concrete cutting is a saw with a rotary blade – as featured in circular models. The broad spectrum of circular saws includes table saws, miter saws, rip saws, and handheld woodworking saws. What you need for tackling hardcore masonry work is a circular saw that has the grunt to drive through dense material, a handheld design to allow for vertical or horizontal work, and the compatibility with blades suited to plowing through brickwork.
Concrete Cutting Tools: Diamond blades are a DIYer’s best friend Photo 1: Concrete cutting blades. Concrete saw cutting dos and don’ts Photo 2: Cutting hollow concrete block-first, score the line. If your cut doesn’t need to be exact, use a cold chisel and hand sledge to cut the concrete.
If you cut the concrete for 30 seconds as recommended earlier, allow the saw to rest for at least 30 seconds. It is safer to cut slow and steady to make sure your cut is exactly how it should be. Cutting concrete with a circular saw is absolutely possible with the right blade, equipment, and safety protection.
I need to cut through a concrete slab that is only a couple of inches thick. My research so far suggests that yes, I can, and that the heavy duty concrete saws are just bigger and more powerful for a bigger project, but I love hearing from the pros. “EDIT 2: For anybody who finds this thread in the future. As you can read below, you can totally do this. It’s probably bad for the saw so buy a cheap one, but buy a decent blade or you’ll be running back to the store. Mine only scores the concrete because it’s more like 3.5” thick, but then a sledge knocks out the piece with a very clean edge.
can you use a circular saw to cut concrete Related Question:
How deep can you cut concrete with a circular saw?
A 7” circular saw, for instance, can only cut to 2-¼ inches deep, meaning you’ll need to sledgehammer the rest of the concrete away; a 14” wet-cutting blade attached to a concrete-cutting saw, on the other hand, gets you to 4-5/8 inches of clean cut.
Can you put a masonry blade on a circular saw?
Paver stones are often cut with large concrete saws or miter saws, but they can be cut successfully with a simple circular saw. Rather than the circular saw standard blade used for cutting lumber, however, the circular saw needs to have a diamond masonry blade to cut through paver stones.
What saw blade is best for cutting concrete?
Diamond saw blades are typically the best choice when it comes to making clean, professional cuts in concrete.
Can I cut slabs with a circular saw?
Use a Hand-Held Saw to cut paving slabs: In order to cut paving slabs using a hand-held saw, we recommend you use a circular saw and ensure to use a diamond masonry blade as this will be strong enough to saw through the paving slabs.
How do you cut concrete by hand?
Use your dominant hand to grip the back handle and push the blade forward and backward. Begin cutting at the edge of the concrete and slowly follow the chalk line. Don’t press the blade into the ground—let the weight of the blade and saw do the work. Remove the blade every 30 to 45 seconds to avoid overheating.
Can I put a diamond blade on a circular saw?
The perfect tile cutting blade for a circular saw when performing on porcelain, is the diamond blade, because is one of the few materials that are harder than porcelain. In a few words, the diamond blade not only score the tile but grinds it all the way through.
Can you cut concrete with a hand saw?
If you have worked in the concrete cutting industry for quite some time, you have seen an enormous number of handsaws that were often used prior to the age of modern machinery. They are used for cutting stones and slabs of concrete very quickly. These types of saws consist of a handle, the blade and the frame.
How long will a diamond blade last cutting concrete?
Diamond-edged blades. They can last between 12 and 120 hours of continuous use, depending on the quality of the blade and material they’re used to cut.
How deep can a 14 inch concrete saw cut?
A 14-inch circular blade on a cut-off saw is designed for a maximum depth of slightly less than five inches.
How do you cut a circle in concrete?
Use a standard circular saw, equipped with a corundum or diamond blade, for small tasks. For slabs, it’s best to cut through the top inch, then use a sledgehammer to break off the rest. The jagged edge left below the cutting line provides a good rough edge for the new concrete to bond to.
Is it hard to cut concrete?
Wet concrete is very difficult to cut, and fully cured concrete can fracture as it’s being cut. So if possible, cut concrete when it’s hard but only half cured. The cut will come out smoother with less dust.
Can you cut concrete block with a Sawzall?
Use to cut through brick, mortar, stone, cinder block, and more. Caliastro’s 9-Inch Masonry Reciprocating Sawzall Saw Blade has been specifically designed and tested to cleanly and quickly cut through brick, mortar, stone, cinder block, and more.
How fast can a concrete saw cut?
Usually, a concrete saw can cut up to 10 feet per minute. The 14-inch blade can easily cut a 5-inch thick concrete.
Can a grinder cut concrete?
Concrete cutting is a common task at the construction area, such as cutting concrete floor, concrete wall, concrete slabs and concrete pavers. Although the various concrete cutting saw is available, an angle grinder is the most convenient tool for small concrete cutting work.
When should you saw cut concrete?
Timing is very important. Joints should be sawed as soon as the concrete will withstand the energy of sawing without raveling or dislodging aggregate particles. For most concrete mixtures, this means sawing should be completed within the first six to 18 hours and never delayed more than 24 hours.
