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Bricks need to be soaked!
The blade is OK. I ran some concrete through it, and then cut a few notches out of a piece of basalt.
The first batch of firebrick I worked with had been sitting outside before I bought them and they cut like knife through butter. The second batch were a real b*tch.
Well, those little directions about having to soak the bricks before cutting them? Yeah, d'oh, that means me.
Because once I wetted down the new bricks, and deglazed the blade, it's back to cutting like butter. When they were dry, I'd have to run concrete through the blade after every brick or two, and the cutting was a chore.
Getting a little water into the bricks not only cuts the dust down a little, but really helps out in the cutting. I'm pretty confident that I'll be able to get through this project with just the one blade.Comment
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Re: Saw blade question.
MK is a good blade, I mostly bought the cheap chinese ones in the tile isle of the big box stores. A proper diamond blade (read: an expensive one) will have sintered diamonds in matrix all the way down to the bottom of the "brass" looking rim of the wheel. The cheapies look like the sintered blades, but the diamonds aren't much below the surface.Comment
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Re: Saw blade question.
Glad you got it sorted out.Comment
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Re: Saw blade question.
The killer on the diamond/matrix blades is heat. This melts the matrix. The best is to run them wet or, if that is not possible, then get the bricks soaked.Comment
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Re: Saw blade question.
Thanks again to everyone. The blade is working like a champ. I might have gone through another 3-4 blades without the help...
SOP is now that bricks are lined up on the patio, they get sprayed at least a couple of times a day and absolutely before & after cutting and before mortaring. And the table saw lets me do a great job on making cuts.Comment
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Re: Saw blade question.
The brick should always be cleaned after cutting, no matter wet or dry cut.Comment
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Re: Saw blade question.
Thank you this very wonderful and informative thread. Really helped me a lot.Comment
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Re: Saw blade question.
Thanks, and thanks to everyone who helped out. I'm up to the last 2-3 rows of my dome, angling the bricks with the table saw. I can cut up a row in about an hour or so, with the bricks angled at about 5 degrees inside to outside (horizontally and vertically) and beveled from top to bottom. Five cuts per 9 x 4.5 x 2.5 brick gives me two angled/beveled half bricks. The bevel changes from row to row. They fit together great, and any time I'm losing on cutting (not much) I'm more than gaining in my mortaring.
The original blade is still going strong! I just need to soak the bricks before cutting.
The scary thing is that I have to cut without the guard in place. The good thing is that the diamond blade is abrasive, so it's not the whirling steel blade of dismemberment that you'd normally have on a table saw. Every cut I make, I'm wearing leather gloves. I think I'd have to work hard to hurt myself.
Still, standard table saw protocols apply! Most cuts are using a wood block or jig to push the brick through, even if it's steadied with my hand. And NO BEER until all the cuts are done and the table saw unplugged!
Attached pic is about two rows ago.Last edited by Cheesehead; 06-08-2011, 06:45 PM.Comment
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Re: Saw blade question.
Brand new to the forum, but I do a lot of tile work. An easy way to rejuvenate a diamond blade is to run a brick paver (driveway/patio tupe) through it. Slice a couple 1/4" slices off the paver. Pavers are pretty inexpensive and readily available.Comment
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Re: Saw blade question.
'head,Most cuts are using a wood block or jig to push the brick through, even if it's steadied with my hand. And NO BEER until all the cuts are done and the table saw unplugged!
I do it just the opposite. Since I cut with a non-segmented, continuous rim blade, I don't start until the saw is plugged in and I've had a beer.
Nice-lookin' dome, by the way.
JohnComment
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