Hand-held Saws
Hand-held ring and chain saws are convenient when cutting floors areas inaccessible to road saws and for shallower depths are a more efficient way of cutting  that by using a wall saw. Water sawing techniques help prevent dust contamination to the surrounding areas. Applications where these type of saws can be utilised are for plumbing, electrical cabling, heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) openings, crawl spaces and basement trenching.

Floor, Slab and Curve Sawing
Concrete floor diamond cutters are frequently used to cut flat surfaces such as roads, runways, bridges, pavements and reinforced slabs. Cuts over 500 mm are possible using the self propelled machines. Three phase electric saws can be used instead of diesel powered units to carry out work in restricted areas such as food preparation warehouses. Asphalt and concrete surfaces can be cut using this machinery. Curb sawing is used to create or enlarge wheelchair ramps, driveway approaches and foundation curbs. Curb saws also use a diamond tipped circular blade allowing any length of curb stone to be tackled.

Wire and Plunge Sawing
Wire and plug sawing allows almost any thickness of concrete, granite or stone to be cut through. Suitable for mass and reinforced concrete this innovative technique almost silently creates a 12 mm width cut, ideal for cutting deep slabs, beams and bases. Plunge sawing is commonly used when constructing reinforced columns, bridges and viaducts.  A diamond coated loop is used to encompass the object to be cut. This wire loop forms the blade and can be of almost unlimited length. Hydraulic power and pulley systems drive the saw ‘blade’ through the object. A water system is employed for temperature control of the blade. This process can also be used on steel and when access for conventional sawing machines is limited.

Diamond Wire Sawing
Since the 1980s, diamond wire saws have been used to cut concrete of almost any thickness making them extremely useful for heavy demolition work such as bridges, columns, piers, damns or any other thick concrete structures. They can cut various sized openings such as columns, round holes, bases for any structure or even entire structures themselves. They can even be used under water! Diamond wire saws are the evolution of the original wire saws used in the stone quarry industry. The wire saws blade comprises continuous loop wires with bonded diamond segments. In operation, diamond wire saws create minimal vibration, noise or dust allowing them to be used even in inhabited or hazardous locations. They are adept at creating straight or architectural cuts.

Concrete Channel Chasing
Hand held electric grinders can be used to create neat channels within concrete or masonry structures. The grinder uses a diamond blade to make the cut, and a vacuum system is employed to gather the dust generated. The vacuum system prevents dust from contaminating the surrounding environment including other trade people working nearby. These chases can be used for housing conduits and pipes in ceilings, walls and floors. Channel chasing equipment is often used by electrical and mechanical traders when installing pipes and cabling.  Two precision slot cuts are made using the cutting tool to a predetermined depth. Allowing a light weight hand held hammer drill or small breaker access to remove the concrete in between the cuts.

Stitch Drilling
A technique called ’stitch drilling’ can be utilised to create overlapping drilled holes that enable complex apertures and curves to be cut from the source material. Stitch drilling is mainly used for channelling out larger or unusual shaped openings whilst leaving the surrounding areas unscathed.

This entry was posted on Friday, September 4th, 2009 at 11:03 am and is filed under Concrete Cutters, Glossary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.