Concrete Saw - Choosing Diamond Saw Blades

Choosing Diamond Saw Blades

Choosing a proper diamond saw blade for the concrete saw is a necessary condition to perform a cutting task well. Apart from some basic aspects, for example, what diameters of diamond saw blades the concrete saw can accommodate, its arbor size and the blade's quality, there are some other important aspects which should also be considered:

1. The match of the diamond saw blade's features and the concrete/asphalt's type. For example, some concretes have steel bars in them (reinforced concrete) and some do not have. Some concretes' stone aggregate is pebbles and some is crushed rocks. Some concretes' curing time is long (cured concrete) and some is short (green concrete). The diamond saw blades should have different design to fit these concrete and asphalt.
2. Diamond saw blades for concrete are usually for wet cutting. Though diamond saw blades for concrete are usually laser welded, they are normally designed to fit wet cutting because the concrete to be cut is often very hard or abrasive. If the blades are used without adequate water, the diamond segment itself may break or the steel core below the segment may wear and break, and then the segment may fly out and may hurt the operator or people nearby. If you have to perform dry cutting for some reason (e.g., there is no water source near your work area), you can choose sharper diamond blades, and the dry cutting should be intermittent and shallow (you can do several passes of shallow cuttings to gain a deep cut) to keep the diamond blade cool.
3. Whether faster cutting or longer lifespan is needed. The basic cutting speed of the diamond saw blades should be first ensured. On this basis, blade which has faster cutting speed or longer lifespan can be selected.
4. The horsepower of the concrete saw. If the concrete saw's horsepower is big, the diamonds on the saw blade will receive bigger impact when cutting is performed. In this case, the diamond concentration of the diamond saw blade should be higher, or its bond should be harder. While if the saw machine's horsepower is small, the diamond concentration should be lower or the bond should be softer to make the blade become sharper to ensure the cutting speed needed.