Cutting Concrete blocks for wall

[timbirr]

Well, dear wife wants a retaining wall for new garden area.

So, using some of those mortarless blocks...here's the Web site:

I am building it. However, I need to cut some wierd angles. In the past I have always used my handy dandy 7-1/4 inch circular saw and some "fiber-type" masonry blades at $2.50 a piece from my local hardware store to cut the things.

However, it has been about 10 years since my last foray. Am I getting older, or did I forget....it's hard work to cut these things and I am going through about 1 blade for every 2 blocks....

I poked about the Web and saw a few Hitachi blades, "diamond" advertised for $30 to $70 ....and a few other brands for up to $380.

Now, I need to cut a number of these, I haven't quite figured out the total, but a number of them on wierd angles and just a number of them in half to meet her "highness's specs.

I am not expecting to cut them totally, just enough to split. I don't want to rent a cutter, because I have no easy way to get it here and they want $50 to deliver, plus the $66 rental charge for the day....

Anyway, would one of those steel Hitachi blades work better than the fiber ones I struggled with today???

[gfretwell]

A diamond wheel in a side grinder does a good job. If you don't have a grinder, now is a good time to take the plunge. It will end up being one of your favorite tools

[DanG]

A dry diamond on circular saw works well. You can get one for about $10 at Harbor Freight. I buy Core Cut brand for about $60. They work better to make several passes rather than trying to cut full depth in one pass.

[Jim Elbrecht]

-snip-

I got a couple of the $30 ones from Lowes-- I finally killed the first one with some hidden rebar in a slab. They last, and last, and last. [dusty as all get-out, though]

Did you get them at a big box borg, or a landscape place? My block supplies place has split many of them for me- no charge. I'm not a huge customer, either. I doubt I've spent $3,000 there in the past

6 years, but when I told them what I wanted the guy offered to split a couple dozen 6x18 solid blocks at no charge.

If you can't get that lucky, I found an air hammer and wide chisel works better for me than my big hammer and mason's chisel.

By about a factor of 100.

Good luck- Jim

[ransley]

Rent a potable wet saw from a tile store cutting concrete is extremely dusty

[timbirr]

Original poster here again.

I went to the local masonry store and bought a dry diamond cutting blade for my 7-1/4 circular saw. As one poster mentioned....it was a miracle the way this works compared to the fiber cheapies.

This thing was $25 and it is like no big deal to cut with it. Works like a charm. Wish I had known about these long ago.

As mentioned, it is dusty work, but I live on a large farm. I just rigged up a 100 foot extension cord, put on a hat, goggles, face mask, rubber boots and my "work in the slop" work clothes and aimed the dust out toward the field. I got pretty dusty, but nothing that a chilly rinse in the barnyard hydrant couldn't cure...brrrrrrrr.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

[dennis bird]