For most contractors, diamond blade versatility is a key factor in determining which blade is best for the job. Not all blades are created equal. In most cases, diamond blades are specialized for the material being cut. So in other words, concrete blades should cut concrete, asphalt blades should cut asphalt etc. There are however, diamond blades that are developed specifically to cut many different materials and are extremely versatile.
The most important element a diamond blade needs to be versatile and be able to cut a multitude of surfaces, is its bond. The bond of a diamond blade is basically how the segments are attached to the steel core. The bond type basically determines if the blade is better suited to cut hard materials such as concrete, brick, block stone… or if it is better suited to cut softer materials such as asphalt.
The Hurricane diamond blade is the most versatile blade we carry. It is soft bonded which allows it to cut concrete and asphalt equally as effective. It has turbo segments, which boosts the speed of its cutting and also has cooling holes which makes the blade last longer.
Safety is always the top priority in construction. Cutting construction materials can create hazardous dust. Taking all the proper precautions while cutting concrete, asphalt, stone, brick and block is an extremely important step in keeping the job site safe.
Wet cutting mitigates the amount of dust produced while cutting into these materials. If a hose is available, it can easily connect to almost any gas cut off saw. On most job sites however, a water source isn’t readily available.
Some bigger water storage tanks are extremely expensive. Also, they are tough to store and transport. That is why having a portable water tank is important to have on hand. We prefer the Stihl Portable Pressurized Water Tank.
The tank holds 2.6 gallons of water and lubricates the diamond blades while reducing a ton of dust. The tank also has a built in pressure gauge that helps keep the correct water pressure at important times during the job. The tank is see through so it’s obvious when it needs to be refilled. Stihl did a great job with this product. Cheap too, usually goes for $100 or so.
Introducing our new After Shock Diamond Blade. The blade is ideal for cutting concrete pavers, stone, natural stone, granite and concrete. We would classify it as a masonry diamond blade but it is also great for cutting concrete. Because of it’s advanced bond, it can actually safely cut asphalt also.
The diamond blade has special turbo segments for the fastest cutting speed available. Also, this diamond blade has notch segments which allow the blade to cut clay brick effectively and limit chipping and crumbling. The After Shock blade also has cooling holes that allow the fast cutting to continue along with long diamond blade life. This blade is perfect for the construction, demolition and masonry industries. Highly recommended.
This year Diamond King Tools will be exhibiting at the New England Public works expo. This is a great show for us to deal with all of our best customers from the DPW’s all across New England.
This is one of the last trade shows in the area that is focused on municipalities and heavy construction. The outdoor area is the best part of the show and allows an open space for heavy equipment dealers to display. All of our diamond blades will be on display with low price show discounts.
Here are the main bullet points given on the NEPWE Website:
Centralized location at the Boxboro Regency (formerly the Holiday Inn) in Boxborough
Onsite parking
Expo hours – Wednesday 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Expo hours – Thursday 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Complimentary BBQ both days from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Complimentary coffee and doughnuts will be available both days
Antique equipment displays
Over 50,000 complimentary admission tickets will be distributed to vendors.
Complimentary admission.
Vendors list are available on the show website with a link to participating companies
Diamond blades need to be replaced. The frequency of switching out blades depends on a bunch of factors. It depends on the diamond blade itself, the material being cut, the saw, the operator, and if you are cutting wet or dry etc. With these things being considered, I’m going to let you in on a little secret to extend your diamond blades life. Dress the diamond blade! I don’t mean put pants and a t shirt on it, I mean resharpen it… sort of. So, what is dressing a diamond blade? And more importantly, how do I dress a diamond blade?
Dressing a diamond blade is in a sense, resharpening it. In reality, you can’t sharpen a diamond blade at all but, you are wearing away a layer of flat diamonds that have glazed over. Diamond segments can sometimes glaze over or melt when the diamond blade heats up too much during cutting. This makes the diamond blade appear to be junk, however, underneath the melted segments are a fresh new layer of diamond ready to cut your concrete or asphalt.
Dressing the diamond blade is a simple process. You have to have some material on hand that will wear away the layer of glazed diamonds onto the next.
Diamond blade segment type plays a huge factor in how the blade performs. Everything from the speed of the cut to the accuracy of the cut can be determined by the segment type. Two of the main segment rim types are segmented and continuous rim.
Segmented diamond blades are much more popular overall in the bigger sizes. They cut aggressive, and are able to bite into harder material a little easier than a continuous rim diamond blade. They are designed to be tough and last long. They are almost always used in general construction and demolition.
Continuous rim diamond blades are a little more specialized. They are almost always turbo segmented which allows faster cutting. The most notable feature of continuous rim blades are being able to produce more fine cuts than segmented blades. They are not always the best option for hard concrete due to binding, but are perfect for fine cuts on materials such as blue stone.
For smaller blades, between 4″ and 7″ specifically, continuous rims are much more popular. This is due to the nature of the work being done, stonework, masonry, restoration etc.
Once diamond blades reach 18″, they are usually going on a walk behind saw. These kinds of saws vary greatly in size, power and cutting speed. Understanding the specs and details of the saw is very important. The most critical element is knowing the horse power.
We deal with a ton of big companies that do road cutting all day every day…. AND they don’t know the horse power of the saw off hand when we ask. There are two main reasons to understand the horse power of your saw.
The first is safety. Diamond blades are engineered to wear away segments to cut appropriately based on material and cutting speed. If a blade is meant to cut at a low horse power like 13hp, but you put it on a road saw cutting at 65hp, you could potentially have a safety hazard on your hands. Typically the blade will just wear down quick and there will be no damage done, but there is always the potential for thrown segments etc that could be EXTREMELY dangerous.
The second reason to have a grasp on your walk behind saw’s horse power is MONEY! Like I mentioned above, if you put a 13hp 20″ blade on a 65 hp saw, the blade will be toast almost immediately. A 20″ asphalt blade is usually around $300 or so. This is like throwing $300 in the garbage.
A simple google search for your walk behind saw will show the specs and the horse power, or if you have the manual handy, it will list the hp in the first couple pages. If you have a whole fleet of saws and get them confused, simply sticker them with a red dot for high horse, a small green dot for low horse power.
We hear this all the time. Customers say, “Give me the cheapest diamond blades you have.” Before I roll out the quote, I usually ask “why?”. The response is always the same, “I am not going to spend money on expensive diamond blades when my guys are just gonna mess them up anyway.” In a way, this thought process isn’t entirely inaccurate, but here are three reasons to take a closer look at your costs.
First off, diamond blades really come in 3 basic price tiers. They are under $50 (usually cook fast, cut decent), Under $100 (good, solid, reliable) and over $120 (fast cutting, long lasting). You get anywhere from 20%-60% more life with the more expensive blades than the cheaper varieties. If you do the math , you go through 3 $55 diamond blades as quick as you go through 1 $109 diamond blade.
If the crews are in fact rough on the diamond blades, then you will burn through lower quality blades at a much faster rate than you would if you were using high quality diamond blades. If the guys are cutting dry, really pushing the machines, or using blades for specific material on different applications, then it is much more important to have a good quality product.
Lastly, cutting brick, block, stone, pavers, concrete and asphalt is an important and expensive job. Instead of just chalking it up to a loss in the diamond blade category, proper explanation and training on how to take care of the cut off saws and blades is well worth it. Husqvarna and Stihl saws are roughly $1000, a good quality 10 pack of diamond blades is $1200. If someone took $2,000 of your money and ripped it up in front of you, what would you do?
What is best for cutting metal or ductile iron? We have been in the diamond blade business for over 10 years. In that time, we have literally been asked every question under the sun for the best practices on cutting metal. Ductile pipe is the most common material being cut by standard 14″ diamond blades or abrasives on gas cut off saws. Your two options are ductile iron cutting diamond blades, and abrasive wheels. The best option for cutting ductile pipe or any kind of metal? Depends on who you ask. Below we review some pros and cons of each.
MAIN FACTS TO CONSIDER
Safety – Abrasive wheels are made up of carbide and are extremely thin. This can result in breaking of the abrasive disc. Ductile iron diamond blades are made of steel, this makes it extremely unlikely that the blade will break
Dust Production & Sparks – Abrasives and the way they are made produce hazardous dust during operation. There is simply no way to eliminate this debris. Diamond blades for metal cutting produce very little, if any dust. Also, abrasive wheels produce about double the amount of sparks as diamond blades.
Abrasive wheels are built to cut quick and burn quick. Tests have shown that you can use up to 200 abrasives before you burn one quality ductile iron diamond blade. Essentially, this could cost you $1600 instead of spending as low as $160 on a good quality ductile blade. Those numbers are pretty shocking
The one thing that crews love about abrasive wheels is the speed of cut. When first put on a saw, the speed really is unmatched. However, there is just too much down time cycling through abrasives and have to stop cutting
Overall, it is not even close, ductile iron diamond blades benefits outweigh good abrasive wheels by a landslide. There is a case to be made for the speed of abrasive wheels, but when considering savings, cost per cut, durability and safety, ductile blades are the choice.
Concrete cup wheels are essential in finishing concrete properly. During the forming process, concrete can sometimes come out a little imperfect. Concrete then needs to be cut, smoothed etc to get the great final finished product.
Cup wheels are mainly used to grind or polish stone and concrete. In this case we will focus on the concrete application. The most popular sizes are 4″ -7″ cup wheels. The two styles are single and double row cup wheels. Double row has an extra layer of diamond abrasive for faster and more aggressive grinding. There are turbo cup wheels also, but usually these are used on stone. Single and double row standard cup wheels are most popular for concrete.
Knocking down high spots in concrete is a very important factor in surface preparation. Concrete cup wheels used on an angle grinder can quickly and easily accomplish this. Double row cup wheels are ideal, they aren’t that much more expensive and really get the job done must faster.
Overall, cup wheels have an important place in both the concrete and stone worlds. It is important to have these on hand and operate them properly to prepare your surface in the best manor possible.
