Circular saws and concrete / asphalt

[JHZR2]

I need to do some concrete sidewalk and asphalt driveway work.

Nothing heavy duty. Just residential driveway and sidewalk.

I have a worm drive circular saw, and access to a 36v dewalt cordless.

The jobs are DIY and will be slow as such - so the economics of renting are not there.

Is it possible to get an abrasive or diamond blade, install it on a circular saw, and cut concrete/asphalt?

Will I just destroy tools doing this? If so, what is my best bet - I'd need to buy, and concrete saws are a fortune.

Thanks!

 

[labman]

Yeah, you can do it, but I would really look at the rental. Compare the rental fee to replacing your own saw. Try to plan the job to get all the cutting done and the rented saw back.

 

[TooManyWheels]

As to concrete, I have been looking to do this myself. It is possible to use a diamond blade to do the cutting, and I don't think you will hurt a worn drive saw. However, I have been told that the thickness is a problem, as most sidewalks, at least around here, are about three and a half inches think, which is a problem with only a 7" blade.

However, I do believe they have handheld rental units which might be affordable, as opposed to the wheeled machines.

 

[tom slick]

A diamond blade on a worm drive works fine but may not go deep enough to cut through the concrete. around here a sidewalk is at least 3" thick and a driveway is at least 4" thick. You might want to look into getting a set of wheels for the saw because the shoe of the saw creates a lot of friction and gets torn up and it keeps it out of the water.

 

[cderalow]

honestly, you're better off renting a gas powered chop saw, and do all of the cutting in 1 day.

not only will this save the wear and tear on your saw, but it'd probably cost less than the diamond blade.

 

[XS650]

Unless you have a sealed saw motor, the concrete dust is rough on the motor.

I have an old junky saw that I use for masonry work, I don't let my good saw get near that kind of abrasive dust.

That said, abrasive masonry blades in a circular saw do a good job if you don't need to cut deeper than the saw will cut and don't mind the extra wear and tear from masonry dust in your motor.

 

[Jim 5]

I need to do this as well. My question is how do you get right up to a wall. I am concerned about that piece of cement that that curve of the blade won't get to right up against the wall.

Is there a special blade for a sawzall that could be used?

 

[cderalow]

concrete is really a tough thing to use a sawzall on.

again, if you're looking to cut through decent amounts of concrete, I'd recommend a 12" or 14" gas powered chop saw, with a masonry blade.

like this:

 

[TooManyWheels]

As far as a sawz-all, the best accessories for masonry work are under the name Paws-off and Flush-Cut. Flush-cut refers to an adaptor that offsets the blade to the side of the saw, and they also make a line of blades for masonry work. I wouldn't use something like that for a sidewalk, but I have used a recip saw with similar blades in brick and they worked well. Northern Tool carries a kit with both the adaptor and blades, but it is expensive. You would probably want to buy the pieces individually.

 

[JustinH]

The guy who installed our glass block basement windows used a gas powered chop saw to cut the patio blocks that he used as a base.

It looked very dangerous to have that thing spinning between your legs when cutting the patio blocks.

WOW, I went inside for cover..

 

[cderalow]

Originally Posted By: JustinH
The guy who installed our glass block basement windows used a gas powered chop saw to cut the patio blocks that he used as a base.

It looked very dangerous to have that thing spinning between your legs when cutting the patio blocks.

WOW, I went inside for cover..



between your legs is definitely not the recommended location for cutting (in fact, it's an OSHA violation)