Dry saw vs. Wet saw

[Pompeii Nate]

So the county I work for has a monthly auction of random items it is trying to get rid of. While walking past the items today I noticed an MK Brick Xtreme 3 dry masonry saw. It is missing the tray that a brick would sit on and the stand but comes with a (slightly rusty) blade. When I got home I did an online search and I see that it is discontinued. I am curious what anybody could tell me about dry saws and even this brand. I have seen one comment about using a dry saw and that was just to say to wear a respirator. How do they compare to wet saws (besides being wet)? Would anybody recommend or advise against dry saws? Any info would be useful.

I decided to put in a bid of $50 and if I get it great. If not, I am out nothing so what does it hurt.

Thanks in advance!

Nate

[Gulf]

Re: Dry saw vs. Wet saw

If you are going to use a dry saw:
1. Use in a well ventilated area.
2. Use respiratory protection (Minimum, Dust mask)
3. Have an excellent relationship with any neighbors who live down wind.
4. Have an explanation handy to explain to wife what that beige color is on her car

Just kiddin', but there are some ingenius ways to wet a dry saw as long as you take the precaution of using a Ground Fault Interrupter.

[WJW]

Re: Dry saw vs. Wet saw

I've been using an MK2000 brick/block saw (shown below). It is a wet saw. The blade I have on it can cut either wet or dry. I've done a couple hundred or more wet cuts and two dry cuts. Wet is much much better. Dry puts a ridiculous amount of dust in the air, is louder, and no fun. Wet is super easy.

[gmchm]

Re: Dry saw vs. Wet saw

It's Pretty easy to make a dry saw into a wet saw by adding a water hose with a nozzle and a off/on valve as shown in my photo album. With careful control of the water stream there should be no safety issues. Gary

[oventhusiast]

Re: Dry saw vs. Wet saw

Don't get the dry saw! You'll need eye, ear and resperatory protection every time you make a cut! With a wet saw, my safety lens on my glasses was all I needed. Everything gets covered in dust! And you're neighbors will hate you before you finish the job at hand! (noise/dust) With a (table) wet saw, you could cut less than an eighth of an inch off of a brick if you needed a good fit. You can't do nearly as good with a dry saw.
Do yourself a favor and get a decent wet saw. I bought a used MK from Home Depot's Tool Rental Dept. but I think you could do OK with a cheaper one from Northern Tool or Harbour Freight. Good Luck on your Build!

[Pompeii Nate]

Re: Dry saw vs. Wet saw

Thanks everybody for the input. I put in a low bid just in case it wasn't great but now I am starting to bet that I will win the bid and have a dry saw. So if that is the case, for those of you who say to just make it a wet saw how concerned would I have to be about getting the motor wet? Will a wet motor on something like this ruin it or will it just keep going without problems? I am not mechanically inclined so I figure I should ask before I ruin anything.

Thanks,
Nate

[gmchm]

Re: Dry saw vs. Wet saw

If you direct the stream of water toward the base of the blade, at the side opposite from the motor, at a low volume, you should have no problem.

[deejayoh]

Re: Dry saw vs. Wet saw

That's a 14" blade on that saw, which seems like it would be great

Looking at the M&K site, it looks like the replacement model has some sort of misting nozzle pointed at the blade to keep the dust down.

I bet you could rig something up using something like this to keep the dust down
Since the blade is designed for dry cutting, I don't think there is any reason to try to turn it into a wet saw. Sure it will be noisy, but if you can keep the dust down with a mister - you can afford a lot of ear protection. Keep the neighbors happy with the promise of pizza parties!

Oh - and M&K is a top notch brand in masonry/tile saws.

[Neil2]

Re: Dry saw vs. Wet saw

You can cut down on the dust and blade wear considerably with a dry saw simply by soaking the bricks ahead of time. Heat is what kills diamond cutting blades - keep the work edge cool and they will last a lot longer. I built an entire oven with one blade.

Just a few minutes in a pail is all that is needed - just until the bubbles stop.

When cutting, have a squeeze bottle with tube spout handy. Put a few shots of water into the cut if you notice any dust.

Avoid water getting into the motor or switches and after each session rinse out the "mud" that forms around the base.

[Pompeii Nate]

Re: Dry saw vs. Wet saw

Update: I didn't win the bid so it doesn't really matter anyway. Now I will have to start thinking again about how I am going to cut all my bricks. Thanks to all for the input.

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: Dry saw vs. Wet saw

Nate,

Unless you've got a lot of custom tile work you want to do around the house, the Harbor Freight saw is the way to go for not a lot of money. Wetter is better.
John

[Pompeii Nate]

Re: Dry saw vs. Wet saw

Thanks for the input John. I am trying to convince about three or four of my friends to build ovens too so maybe we will all go in on a fairly good one and then just share it between all of us. We will see. I will just have to keep an eye out for a good deal.
Nate

[PizzaIdiot]

Re: Dry saw vs. Wet saw

you can probably sell the HF saw when you are done and be out less than $50.
If you go that route be sure to look for the 20% off coupon that they have everywhere.

[Pompeii Nate]

Re: Dry saw vs. Wet saw

So let me ask the opinion of those who use/used the HF 10" wet saw. It says on the website that it can only cut 3 1/8" deep and that is not enough to cut a taper in one pass if I am going down 9" side. Does that make sense? What did all of you do? Can you really only go 3 1/8" deep or is it possible to go more? If that is true it would take multiple passes/cuts to taper a brick the way I have in mind or similar to what Gianni Focaccia did on his arch. Does any of this make sense? Input please.

Nate

[brickie in oz]

Re: Dry saw vs. Wet saw

You need a 14" saw to do it in one pass.