Cutting a concrete 'council slab' with hand tools?

[peter]

Have just one 900x600 2" slab which I want to cut to about 900x450 for use as a barbeque hearth. Don't have an angle grinder and wondered what my chances of doing it with a hammer and bolster were. The thing is already broken to roughly the right size, so needs the jagged edge 'trimming' with between 3" and nothing on the waste side. Thought this might make it harder as there is not a lot to use as leverage when snapping it. Worth a go or not? Cheers

[Jim K]

can't you just "lose" the jaggy edge to the back/flowerbed and savee the agro of 3inch?

beg borrow hire an angle grinder if not..

Cheers Jim K

[mark]

Have you the other bit to practice on? I think I would use the chisel along the cut line at a slight angle so that you are striking away from the wanted piece.

mark

[Roger Mills]

It depends on what sort of result is acceptable. You can 'cut' slabs by using a bolster and lump hammer to make a groove all the way round the cut line (both sides and both edges), and then breaking it over a sharp edge (such as the edge of another slab) - but you'll never get as clean a cut as you would with an angle grinder. It's particularly difficult when you just want to remove a small amount - it's much easier to cut a slab in half - and even then, one of the 'halves' may end up in two or more pieces!

[peter]

Thanks for all the useful advice - in the light of which I will try to cut off the bit projecting the most (not a lot) and burying the rest in the garden wall it's going to be built against. Peter p.s. good group this

[Andy Dingley]

Buy an angle grinder.

One of life's basic necessities.

[mike]