What tool is used for cutting concrete?
A concrete saw is a power tool that is used for cutting concrete, tiles, asphalt, and other solid materials. It is also known as consaw or road saw. The blades of a concrete saw are diamond tipped that owes to its easy cutting through hard materials. Concrete saws are more powerful than conventional saws visit: https://www.proconcretecutting.net.au/
What harm does cement dust cause in itself?
Dust rising from cement powder affects the human body from three vital aspects. These are eyes, skin and lungs.
Eyes. If you regularly work with cement without personal protective equipment, then the lacrimal glands take the blow. Thus, the protective mechanisms of the body are activated, namely the protection of the eyeballs from a dangerous irritant. If the necessary measures are not taken in time, then this inflammation can cause various eye diseases up to blindness.
Skin. It draws moisture out of it, drying out the skin integument. With daily contact with cement particles, the skin cracks and bleeds. It is painful and threatens blood poisoning.
Lungs and mucous membrane. Cement dust causes irreversible changes in the lungs structure, which leads to chronic bronchitis and asthma. And further, the most unfortunate developments of events shall be possible, if you do not stop contact with the negative impact source.
What is good about clay plaster
Almost all packages of modern plaster mixes are labelled as environmentally friendly. And in most cases this is true. And yet they often contain synthetic additives that give the material plasticity, frost resistance, increased strength and other beneficial properties.
Clay plasters consist entirely of natural materials: clay itself, sand and fillers such as sawdust, straw, needles, etc. They have a mass of advantages, which even the highest quality and most expensive plasters based on cement, gypsum and, even more than that, polymer are not able to offer.
So the advantages:
- With its excellent ability to absorb moisture from the air and release it back into the room, clay provides climate control;
- It also accumulates heat and releases it gradually when the air temperature drops. Even to the touch, it is always warm and pleasant;
- Odour-absorbing plaster is an excellent barrier against outside noise and high-frequency emissions;
- It is an antiseptic plaster and prevents mildew on the walls;
- A further excellent quality is the ability to breathe through the vapours in the air. Wood constructions with such protection always stay dry, do not rot, and are not attacked by pests;
- Clay plaster can be reused by soaking it in water. The same applies to the cured mortar, so no debris is left over from the repairs;
- It can be used on all substrates: wood, brick, concrete, cinder block, etc;
● An important plus, of course, is the material’s extremely low price. It can cost you nothing if you use clay from a pit dug under the foundation and sand from a river bank for plastering. But premade plaster mixes are usually no more expensive than gypsum plaster.
A Brief Preview on the Technique of Concrete Sawing
Concrete plays a big role in the development of infrastructure in the modern world. Concrete sawing is the art of shaping and reshaping concrete by the use of a concrete saw. Concrete sawing ensures that freshly poured concrete cures the right way.
The Purpose of Concrete Sawing
The key purpose of concrete sawing is the prevention of cracks that occur on the surface of the freshly poured concrete slab as it cures. This is done by cutting the control joints.
The control joints regulate the shrinkage pressure when they form during water evaporation from the concrete slab surface.
Hard rock crystals are formed during the chemical reaction that takes place between water and cement. This results in the curing process.
However, the reaction is a bit slow which leads to evaporation that decreases the hydration on the floor of the concrete.
The top surface of the concrete starts to dry creating internal pressures that start to mount. Finally, the force evolves greatly and conquers the tensile stability of the concrete.
This makes it pull apart from itself and cause plastic shrinkage crack. These cracks will permanently damage the surface of the concrete slab.
Types of Concrete Saws
Control joints exist to prevent the cracks and ensure the concrete can pull apart without forming the cracks. Concrete saws are used to create these joints. You can have wet concrete sawing which has less dust and is environmentally friendly.
Dry concrete sawing is also another way of solving crack issues in the concrete. Although this process produces a lot of dust.
There are two major types of concrete saws.
- Push behind saws
- Cut off saw
- Push Behind Saws
Push behind saws or walk-behind saws are large and you have to walk with them. It is mounted with a saw blade at the bottom that cuts the control joint at a specific depth.
- Cut off Saws
Cut off saws are almost similar to handheld saws. They are lightweight and very flexible to use.
Sawing through concrete can be a tough task. You need blades that will not wear done immediately. To be able to overcome the wear issue, the engineers have been able to come up with a strong diamond-tipped blade.
These blades can be mounted on the concrete saws as they can withstand the cutting process without wearing them down.
Cut Timing and Technique
Creating control joints requires critical timing and precision. If the cut is done too soon when the concrete is still very wet, the results will be joint spalling.
The cutting depth into the concrete is an important consideration, it should not go deep beyond 4 inches. Diamond blades are the best for cutting as they can withstand wear and tear.
Joint spalling occurs when a contractor starts sawing early on the concrete surface and the saw disturbs the concrete instead of cutting through.
This may lead to more damage on the concrete surface with an increased number of shrinkage cracks.
On the other hand, waiting too long before sawing will also lead to more damage. This means the concrete will have hardened and when you cut through it creates a force structure that leads to cracking of its own.
Up to you
It is very important to understand all the dynamics of concrete curing before you start sawing. The cutting process does not apply the same for all concrete surfaces.
Some factors like weather, humidity, curing process and the composition of the wet concrete mix may affect the sawing time.
Concrete sawing should be accomplished between 4 to 12hrs after the wet concrete mix has been poured.
Step by Step Guide on How to Cut Concrete with Rebar
Rebar is normally used with concrete to provide stability and resilience to structural concrete-like foundations and walls that need tremendous strength for durability.
But there are many times that one finds the need to modify the concrete structure.
Cutting through concrete that has rebar has over the years proven to be a challenge. But who doesn’t like a good challenge?
With proper tools and diamond blades, you’ll find this task as a walk in the park.
Diamond blades enable one to cut into concrete with rebar without realising that you are fighting resistance.
Facts about Concrete and Rebar
Concrete and rebar work perfectly together in terms of strength, durability and stability.
Concrete, on its own, possesses a lot of compressive strength but lacks tensile vitality.
On the other hand, if installed properly, rebar can give more than 40,000 pounds per square inch of stability and strength.
Rebars differ in terms of thickness. Rebar with the thickest diameter is usually the hardest to cut.
The diameters of the bars usually range from 0.375 to 2.257
Things to Consider
Consider;
● The duration in which the rebar has been in there
● The state in which the rebar is in
● The toughness of the concrete
With this, don’t forget to include your safety gears;
– A good respirator mask
– Leather gloves
– Steel-toed boots
– Eye goggles
Cutting Concrete with Rebar: Step by Step
You will need a concrete wet cutting saw with a diamond blade. You can purchase or rent one from a house improvement store at the corner.
Step 1
Assess and measure the area that you want to cut. It’s usually troublesome to make precise cuts at sharp angles using a concrete cutter. It’s wise to leave room for margin or edges with the measurements that you make.
Step 2
Using a highly visible marker, make marks on the measurements. Since you are using a wet concrete cutter, ensure that marks made do not scratch or wash away.
Step 3
Take photos (digital pictures) for future reference. Take the photos to a rental store if you’re to rent the cutter.
Step 4
Go purchase or rent the concrete cutter. If you are to rent, show the photos taken previously to the rental clerk. This will help in picking the best equipment for the work.
Go for the walk-behind cutting saw if you are to cut foundations, sidewalks, driveways and roads.
If you want to cut through walls and upright structures, then a hand-held concrete cutter will do.
At the rental store, see to it that you and the rental clerk go over the cutter just to ensure that you know how to operate it to avoid accidents and injuries.
Step 5
Before you set on operating the cutter, read the manual to ensure that the equipment is properly assembled. Check whether the blades are perfectly mounted and if they are steady.
Here is where you also have to ensure that you’re in full safety gear. You don’t want to end up in an emergency room with a respiratory disorder, or do you?
Step 6
Kick-off by allowing the cutter to warm up just to ensure that the blade is running at the correct speed, place and lower the blade onto the marked area. Guide the cutter firmly along the line and let the blades do the rest. You won’t even notice them cutting the rebar.
Conclusion
You can always DIY if you are confident enough. But it is wiser to leave the concrete and rebar cutting to the experts.