Morning, I need to cut along some paving stones that are overhanging the edge of a raised patio. I shall get a suitable blade for a circular as I suspect this will give me a better chance of a straight line than an angle grinder.
Would you go part way through and break, or cut all the way through? Is there any benefit to the former beyond less dust / noise / wear on the 'blade' etc.? I think they are sandstone and roughly 1 inch thick.
Ta.
The amount of dust is "surprising" and I wouldn't want the grit to get into my circular saw. Hiring a wet-cut grinder for half a day probably wouldn't break the bank and would be a much more pleasant way of doing the job. Alternatively, I've used (with care) a *small* amount of water to do a similar job with a dry grinder and it makes a big difference to the dust. If you want a straight edge: use a straight board to define the edge position and run the grinder (wet or dry) down it. Either weight the board, or glue or screw it (temporarily) to something suitable. BTW - cut all the way through if you want a good edge, and use a diamond blade.
Hire a Stihl saw with appropriate blade and go right through. Quick and easy and a neat edge.
Just cut along a batten... The mechanism and bearings of a circular say may not care for masonry dust!
Going all the way through will give a cleaner edge.
However that may or may not be what you want. If you want a more "natural" edge, then partial cut and snap, followed by a bit of chisel work to distress the neat cut bit into something more rustic.
(the normal reason for a partial cut is for reduced time, cost, tool wear etc - none of which really matter for a one off.
Should be fairly easy to cut...
This will need a diamond blade and probably some water... whether on a saw or an angle grinder is up to you.
At that thickness I wouldn't faff around - *hire* something *man sized*. Probably a diamond bladed concrete saw is what you need.
Won't you be charged for the blade at some extortionate price, plus half a day's hire won't be far off the price of a new machine?
Seriously consider extending the support under the slabs to avoid cutting them.
It would be easy enough with a 9" grinder...
Not sure how well that would work with overhanging the edge of a raised patio.
Most of those are desisnged to work well on something on the ground so you would have a problem supporting it on an edge like that.
This was the original plan, i'm in a CBA sort of mood of late.
Are they laid? If not, I used my wet tile cutter for this - made a frame to support the larger stones. You don't need to cut all the way through, though.
He can borrow mine for free.
Definitely not.
I hired one of these (big diamond angle grinder with 110v supply) for cutting just two sandstone slabs. took me 15 minutes., When I to took it back in bloke said 'problem?' 'No' I said 'finished'. There was so little blade wear he only charged me £7.50 rental....a few years back mind you
OTOH after 10 days hiring a tile saw, it was worth simply buying it.
+1 to all of the comments. If I were doing it, I'd use my existing 9 inch "angle grinder" that already has a Screwfix diamond blade in it. That cuts a better straight line than a 125mm one, I might try cutting along a well-clamped wooden batten.
I had assumed from the wording that they were laid, in which case a "tile cutter" would be no use.
If they are *not* laid yet, then don't cut the "exposed" edge, cut along the "grouted" edge then any grinder wandering will be barely noticeable.
I've an angle grinder and my neighbour has a Stihl, I was concerned about getting a decent straight line.
I find if you cut along a batten, and do a light "scoring" pass first, you can check your line and correct if necessary before fully committing to the selected cut.
This is why I was thinking of using the cirular saw, easier to follow the straight edge, i'll have a test run and cut them leaving them too big.
Also worth looking at:
+1. I'd vote for this being the best "specialist" site in the world.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.