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.
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