Least dangerous circular block cutter.

[epsilonGreedy]

When performing the role of brickie's mate recently I had a crash course in how to cut dense concrete blocks, these cutters are evil and at the end of the day my house oversite gave the impression of 2" of fresh snow from all the dust. I was already tired keeping up with two brickies mixing mortar and shifting blocks, the temp was over 30 degrees and I barely managed to keep the petrol powered cutter under control.

 

Would an electric powered version be lighter and safer to use? Or should I invest in a workbench/jig based cutter?

[Onoff]

 

[Declan52]

Just use a heavy lump hammer and a 4 inch bolster.

[Russell griffiths]

Why have you not got a hose pipe connected to it

most of the modern ones have a hose connection 

 

we we have been cutting concrete blocks all week for the block n beam floor and the hose connector sheared off

so we rigged up the hose to spray water directly onto the disc with a ball valve on the end of the hose so you can alter the pressure at that end in stead of having to go to the tap. 

Set up a pallet as your cutting station and you will be stood nicely up out of the slop, we pushed a piece of copper pipe into the end of the hose and gave it a clonk with a hammer to make a nice spray onto the disc. 

If you are having block n beam floor it will pay to get this set up nicely as you will have a fair few cuts. 

[PeterW]

+1 to the wet run disk cutter. If you don’t have an easy source of a hose, you can get a pressure tank for them that is a bit like a garden sprayer. 

 

You can’t wet cut with an electric one so dust will be just as bad. I’ve got a 9” electric disk cutter and I still prefer my Stihl saw every time. 

[epsilonGreedy]

@Onoff

 

I had bumped into that YouTube video before, thanks for the reminder. If I could walk into my local ScrewFix and buy one I would try it out today as it suits my personal low-tech low-budget hands on approach to self build. The rough fractures at the split points look bad but in practice I reckon they would promote a nice grippy mortar bond in contrast to the glazed smooth surface of a disc cut.

 

I fear obtaining this gadget will involve a PayPay transaction to some outfit in rural China and a 3 month sea delivery. 

[epsilonGreedy]

16 hours ago, PeterW said:

+1 to the wet run disk cutter. If you don’t have an easy source of a hose, you can get a pressure tank for them that is a bit like a garden sprayer. 

 

You can’t wet cut with an electric one so dust will be just as bad. I’ve got a 9” electric disk cutter and I still prefer my Stihl saw every time. 

 

Ok I am swaying back to a real man's disk cutter, kicking myself for not thinking that water + 2kw motor = dead self builder.

 

My water pressure is amazing.

[Declan52]

4 minutes ago, epsilonGreedy said:

@Onoff

 

I had bumped into that YouTube video before, thanks for the reminder. If I could walk into my local ScrewFix and buy one I would try it out today as it suits my personal low-tech low-budget hands on approach to self build. The rough fractures at the split points look bad but in practice I reckon they would promote a nice grippy mortar bond in contrast to the glazed smooth surface of a disc cut.

 

I fear obtaining this gadget will involve a PayPay transaction to some outfit in rural China and a 3 month sea delivery. 

Just use a tape measure to score a line where it needs broke. Thats all that tool is doing away with. The rest is just a hammer and bolster and a few thumps.

[epsilonGreedy]

16 hours ago, Russell griffiths said:

Why have you not got a hose pipe connected to it

most of the modern ones have a hose connection 

 

 

I was unaware of this option, the brickie team duo seemed to prefer shouting at each other when one got covered in cutting dust.

 

16 hours ago, Russell griffiths said:

If you are having block n beam floor it will pay to get this set up nicely as you will have a fair few cuts. 

 

 

Yes I am. I thought the beam layout would be designed to avoid cutting lots of blocks? What triggered the need for cutting in your case?

[Onoff]

10 minutes ago, epsilonGreedy said:

@Onoff

 

I had bumped into that YouTube video before, thanks for the reminder. If I could walk into my local ScrewFix and buy one I would try it out today as it suits my personal low-tech low-budget hands on approach to self build. The rough fractures at the split points look bad but in practice I reckon they would promote a nice grippy mortar bond in contrast to the glazed smooth surface of a disc cut.

 

I fear obtaining this gadget will involve a PayPay transaction to some outfit in rural China and a 3 month sea delivery. 

 

Add another $20 for shipping & import taxes to the UK:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Multi-Angle-Brick-and-Block-Cutter/dp/B01LR94QNE/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1535016403&sr=8-1-fkmr2&keywords=marshall+block+cutter

 

(Don't make me make one!  )

Edited August 23, 2018 by Onoff

[epsilonGreedy]

2 minutes ago, Declan52 said:

Just use a tape measure to score a line where it needs broke. Thats all that tool is doing away with. The rest is just a hammer and bolster and a few thumps.

 

 

Ok I will try this later today. How heavy a lump hammer? 4Kgs?

 

And do I need a particular scriber to scour the surface of a block?

[Declan52]

How big are your arms!!! A 2kg hammer would be plenty. Use the tape to measure your distance, make a score with the bolster at the top and then move the tape down the block and score with the bolster. Then hit it a wack.

Can you not go to your local merchants and buy a few 100mm and 150mm blocks. 

[epsilonGreedy]

41 minutes ago, Declan52 said:

How big are your arms!!!

 

Getting larger, have shifted about 15 tons of blocks manually in the last month.

 

Swmbo accuses me of posing around the house like Mr Universe as I examine my new self builder's honed physique.

 

41 minutes ago, Declan52 said:

Can you not go to your local merchants and buy a few 100mm and 150mm blocks. 

 

No need still have about 700 onsite.

[epsilonGreedy]

17 hours ago, PeterW said:

I still prefer my Stihl saw every time. 

 

 

Crikey, just looked into the price of these. £500+. I could get 500 blocks laid for that.

[Russell griffiths]

2 hours ago, epsilonGreedy said:

 

I was unaware of this option, the brickie team duo seemed to prefer shouting at each other when one got covered in cutting dust.

 

 

Yes I am. I thought the beam layout would be designed to avoid cutting lots of blocks? What triggered the need for cutting in your case?

 Block n beam layout is dictated by room length and span

some rows will be 440 block length some will be 215 block width, if you have a soil pipe coming up through the floor you do not want it hitting a beam, so it needs to fall in a gap or block area. 

If you have two pipes in an area it may be unlikely that both will fall in the gaps (block area) so you may have a row of 440 then a row of 215 then a row of cuts. 

The pic shows all 440 blocks but a row of cuts on the end. 

Ignore blockwork buildup, my build is ICF so will look different to yours. 

Have you had a beam company do a drawing yet, it will show you very clearly where any cuts go. 

if not I would look into it as mine took 4 weeks to turn up. 

[epsilonGreedy]

1 hour ago, Russell griffiths said:

 Block n beam layout is dictated by room length and span

some rows will be 440 block length some will be 215 block width

 

 

An illuminating photo thank you.

• I am curious about the function of the bitumen paint.
• 175mm high beams?
• Your mortar has a more sandy colour than mine, what is your ratio?
• Lots of flat blocks there, I only did that in the end for an intermediate dwarf footing wall mid way through the sitting room intended to eliminate risk of bounce.

[Russell griffiths]

175mm high beams. 

Black bitumen paint serves no purpose apart from keeping me happy. Everything in the photo will end underground in the end so just trying to keep a bit of damp of the face. 

Mortar colour will be dictated by many things, we are in the Cotswolds so the sand is a bright yellow. Mix is 4:1 

all flat blocks, easier to lay and exact width of my ICF wall. 

[Russell griffiths]

 

Block n beam layout. You can see the cuts if you enlarge it a bit. 

I would recommend this company if they have a depot near you. 

Seemed efficient, I changed things 3 times and it didn’t seem a problem 

awkward site for an artic,driver very good put them all exactly where I wanted them. 

And £ 800 cheaper than the next quote. 

[Onoff]

There's this:

 

 

http://orituk.com/product/4300-mfk-brick-block-cutter/

 

[epsilonGreedy]

54 minutes ago, Russell griffiths said:

I would recommend this company if they have a depot near you. 

Seemed efficient, I changed things 3 times and it didn’t seem a problem 

 

 

Thanks. I have been told this is one large purchase where it is best to sidestep a builders merchant.

 

The Longley Concrete have been recommended to me. https://www.longley.uk.com/

[PeterW]

10 hours ago, epsilonGreedy said:

 

Crikey, just looked into the price of these. £500+. I could get 500 blocks laid for that.

 

Plenty second hand but they do tend to score the bores and lose compression when the incorrect oil and fuel mix is used. 

 

You will need one for adjusting any beams and cutting blocks for the floor as you can’t split them as they have to be perfect cuts. 

[Russell griffiths]

I would think in total we have probably cut around 80 blocks to fill in my floor. 

I couldn’t begin to think of doing this without a petrol disc cutter and a diamond disc

if you get it all down, you can hire one and do all the cuts at once

i have my own so just cut as needed

 

[Onoff]

I reckon I could make one of these. Must be a cam in there that pushes down on the blade. Thinking a lump of I beam on the bottom.....

 

 

Edited August 23, 2018 by Onoff

[epsilonGreedy]

8 minutes ago, Russell griffiths said:

I would think in total we have probably cut around 80 blocks to fill in my floor. 

I couldn’t begin to think of doing this without a petrol disc cutter and a diamond disc

if you get it all down, you can hire one and do all the cuts at once

i have my own so just cut as needed

 

 

My first experience of these foot amputation devices was in adverse conditions.

 

No water = clouds of dust.

+30 degrees weather on the day.

I was already knackered keeping up as brickie's mate to two pro's.

 

When they cut blocks they could almost control the cutter with a single hand by letting the cutter drift through the block on its own weight. Could I buy some sort of ground based vice to hold the blocks allowing my foot to be kept out of the way?

[PeterW]

7 minutes ago, Onoff said:

I reckon I could make one of these. Must be a cam in there that pushes down on the blade. Thinking a lump of I beam on the bottom.....

 

 

 

Not accurate enough for a beam and block floor. 

 

£200 gets you a Husky that if you clean it up after you finish and run it on decent two stroke oil and super unleaded will be worth £200 in 6 months time.