Cutting concrete with a grinder - choosing a tool and features of working with it

Cutting concrete without dust is practically impossible, since in the process of sawing and processing stone one way or another a lot of dust appears, the volume of which can only be reduced. But it is also advisable to do this, since too much dust during the work process causes many troubles: it spoils the tool and dulls the parts, settles in the lungs and on all surfaces in the room.

With the use of modern equipment, sawing concrete has become easier - there are special cutting tools and consumables for them. The devices can be manual or stationary, powered by electricity or other sources. As a rule, all tools for cutting concrete are equipped with diamond parts - chains, discs, crowns, brazed tips, etc.

How to cut concrete with a grinder without dust

The easiest way to cut concrete or brick without dust is to moisten them with water.
You can use a regular spray bottle for this.

or a sprinkler (made from a plastic bottle with holes made in the lid), or a children's water pistol/machine gun.

Spraying the object must be done directly while sawing so that the dust immediately gets wet without having time to fly away.

Due to the fact that the sawyer's hands are occupied with a grinder, it is quite difficult and inconvenient for him to cut and spray at the same time, and besides, it is unsafe.

Therefore, a second person should do the spraying.

In tandem, all work can be done quickly and without difficulty.

This method does not require any significant effort, but it creates a lot of dirt, because... the dust turns into slurry, spills across the floor, and also flies in different directions.

The second method is more effective and practical.

Is it possible to cut porcelain tiles with a grinder?

Of course, an angle grinder can cut anything, with the possible exception of glass or particularly complex ceramic products. But cutting porcelain tiles with a grinder so as to achieve a perfectly straight cut line is not so easy.

Of all the reasons that interfere with high-quality cutting of porcelain stoneware, the most important are:

  • The grinder is a hand tool, and often you have to cut the material, as they say, on the fly; as a result, the disk deviates from the cutting plane, this leads to the formation of chips and sometimes cracking of porcelain stoneware;
  • The cutting wheel is incorrectly selected. In their first experiments, beginners try to cut porcelain stoneware using vulcanite cutting discs on stone and concrete. This material can be used to cut off a small part of the tile, but most often the result is negative;
  • Incorrect cutting mode or lack of cooling of the cutting line. The desire to cut faster leads to unnecessarily strong pressure on the tool, as a result of which the circle and the tile itself break, not to mention the fact that the entire cutting line remains covered with chips and microcracks.

In theory, cutting porcelain stoneware is no more difficult than any other facing material; you just need to choose the right mode, cutting speed, pressing force and choose the right cutting tool.

If you cut by weight with a grinder, then chips will definitely appear.

Advice! In addition, the problem of tool support will need to be addressed. For example, use a homemade aluminum sole attachment.

Cutting with a grinder by weight can only be done by those who have sufficiently strong hands. If you have to saw along a length of at least 20 cm, then even experienced and strong craftsmen’s hands get tired very quickly, the circle begins to deviate from the vertical plane, as a result the seam begins to wobble, and chips appear.

Cutting with sole support

Which Disc to Cut Concrete with a Grinder

Tips for cutting concrete without dust

During repairs or construction, it is necessary to carry out concrete work: cut an opening for a window, a niche, tap walls for wiring. Masters understand how many small particles appear simultaneously. Cleaning up after similar events is a very labor-intensive task. We propose to find out whether it is possible to cut concrete without dust and how to organize the process.

How to choose a disc for an angle grinder

Concrete is a strong material, so working with a child is quite difficult. To perform cutting, in most cases they use an angle grinder (angle grinder). This rumored instrument is not just known in everyday life as a “ grinder ”.

A diamond wheel is used for the nozzle. Depending on the design features, they are divided into several types:

  • segmental,
  • solid;
  • combined (turbocharged).

The first option is essentially a solid base with a segmented edge. This wheel has a low price, but is not very suitable for working with strong materials. It is also necessary to take into account that it is used only for dry cutting. The solid disc has a continuous diamond edge, which prevents chipping during operation. This nozzle heats up quickly, so it needs to be cooled with a continuous stream of water.

Combined or turbo diamond blade

universal. It can withstand critical loads and is even suitable for cutting reinforced concrete.

Floor Sanding Methods

The process is carried out in one of two ways - dry or wet. Preference should be given depending on the material being processed.

Dry method

This method is preferred in most cases when grinding a concrete floor, since it is simpler and produces significantly less dust, making it much easier to regulate the level of coating treatment during the work. The maximum depth of the removed layer reaches 0.2 cm. In contrast, during the wet method there is a significant likelihood of scratching the surface, but grinding is much faster.

During dry grinding, a fairly significant amount of cement dust is also formed, which rises into the air, but also settles quite quickly, allowing you to fully evaluate the result and, if necessary, eliminate the remaining flaws. In view of this, it is imperative to use protective equipment (respirator and goggles) and it is advisable to use a vacuum cleaner.

Wet method

During its use, nozzles with different levels of abrasiveness are used. At first, softer elements are used with gradual increase. Due to the large number of required attachments, this method requires significant costs, unlike the dry method.

The permissible thickness of the layer to be removed reaches 0.5 cm, which is why during the initial treatment, 3-5 days after pouring the screed, a significant amount of wet dust rises into the air. Grinding in this way is much more difficult due to dirty splashes, which increases the time of work.

To eliminate them, you need to resort to using a water pump, through which it is still not always possible to fully control the resulting inaccuracies and shortcomings. This method is optimal when processing a concrete floor with mineral chips or mosaics, as well as before laying tiles on it.

Modern tools that help craftsmen cut fireclay or sand-lime bricks are attractive due to their high processing accuracy and ease of use . They significantly reduce the time spent on the operation; the edges of the resulting materials are distinguished by a smooth surface.

You can cut building materials using the following devices :

For small volumes of work, a grinder is suitable, and for large-scale production, stone-cutting machines are usually used. Petrol cutters and laser machines are used when sawing brick walls , but the second option is expensive equipment, so choosing it at home will be unprofitable.

Durable fireclay brick is quite difficult to saw, and the process itself is accompanied by a large emission of sparks. Pre-soaking it in water for 15 minutes helps solve the problem.

Cutting an opening in a brick wall

A budget option for creating a door or window opening in a wall is to gouge it out with a sledgehammer. In this case, the operation is considered dangerous, since there is a risk of the wall breaking due to weakening of the stone ligament.

The nuances of getting an opening using a sledgehammer:

  • the sizes are taken a little larger than usual, their width is increased by 0.6 cm, and their height by 1 cm;
  • the surface in the right place is cleaned of plaster;
  • first, use a screwdriver to pick out the binding solution, and then hit the bricks with a sledgehammer, starting from the top strip;
  • Having removed the first row, insert the upper support beam and fill it with concrete mortar;
  • after the composition “sets”, perform identical actions to remove the next strip.

When making a window opening, you need to take into account that its lower edge should run along the edge of the cement belt.

After using a sledgehammer, the wall must be trimmed with a grinder , since the bricks are placed “in a dressing.” On such halves, cuts are made with a tool, and then the building materials are carefully beaten with a hammer.

The leading technology that ensures maximum quality of work is diamond cutting . The price of such an operation is higher, but it is safer, since the dustiness during its implementation is minimal. The advantages also include a low noise threshold of operation and obtaining smoother cut edges. During diamond cutting, bricks do not fall out of the working area.


When creating an opening, use a grinder at the final stage

The first method is wetting

The easiest way to cut concrete or brick without dust is to moisten them with water.

You can use a regular spray bottle for this.

or a sprinkler (made from a plastic bottle with holes made in the lid), or a children's water pistol/machine gun.

Spraying the object must be done directly while sawing so that the dust immediately gets wet without having time to fly away.

Due to the fact that the sawyer's hands are occupied with an angle grinder, it is quite difficult and inconvenient for him to cut and spray at the same time, and besides, it is unsafe.

Therefore, a second person should do the spraying.

In tandem, all work can be done quickly and without difficulty.

This method does not require any significant effort, but it creates a lot of dirt, because... the dust turns into slurry, spills across the floor, and also flies in different directions.

The second method is more effective and practical.

Using a petrol cutter

This tool has a powerful gasoline engine that allows you to cut stone blocks of any thickness.

With a petrol cutter you can cut not only piece products, but also saw a brick wall.

Procedure for cutting concrete

Determining the type of concrete

Before sawing concrete with a grinder, you need to determine what type of concrete you are dealing with. This is due to the fact that different types of diamond blades are used for each type of material. For example, it can be reinforced with metal rods (reinforced concrete).

If the cutting depth is about 10 centimeters or deeper, then on your “path” you may stumble upon a metal grating (reinforcement cage). As mentioned above, there are special disks for these purposes.

In addition, it should be taken into account that the structure of the material changes over time. Fresh concrete is more abrasive, while old concrete is harder. For this reason, the diamond blades for old and new material must be different.

Reinforced concrete diagram

If you have time, you can study the structure of the material in more detail, which will allow you to choose the most suitable tool for it. For example, if the composition contains basalt or quartz, it will quickly dull the circle. Therefore, the diamond segments must be bound with a soft material so that new diamonds can be “opened” faster.

You should also keep in mind that the size of the filler affects the cutting speed - the larger it is, the slower the procedure is.

Advice! Diamond tools are used not only for cutting, but also for other processing of concrete. In particular, diamond drilling of holes in concrete or grinding with diamond disc cups is often used.

In the photo - a diamond wheel with laser soldering

Disk selection

When choosing a disk, keep in mind that segments can be attached to the blade in two ways:

  • Solder containing silver . Such discs are widely used in wet cutting.
  • Laser welding . Such attachments are characterized by high performance and, as a rule, are used for dry cutting.

In addition, when choosing a disk, you need to make sure that its diameter and mounting hole correspond to the technical characteristics of the angle grinder. Also important is the maximum rotation speed. It is desirable that this disc indicator be higher than the maximum rotation speed that the grinder can provide.

Once all of the above parameters have been determined, you will be able to select the most optimal type of tool, which will ensure maximum work efficiency.

Grinder for concrete with segmented disc

Selecting the cutting type

There are two types of cutting:

  • Wet;
  • With water.

As a rule, cutting is performed with water, in which case the procedure occurs without dust. In addition, water can increase work efficiency and also increase the life of the tool. Due to the fact that the process can be continuous, the speed of work will increase. (See also the article Wall chaser for aerated concrete: features.)

However, there is not always a water source near the work area. In this case, cutting is carried out dry. The dry cutting process should be intermittent, i.e. consisting of several cuts.

Cutting concrete along the intended line

cutting

After the grinder for cutting concrete is prepared, you can start working:

  • First of all, you need to outline the line along which the cut will be made. It is advisable to secure wooden blocks along the line, which will make the cut line even.
  • Then you need to turn on the grinder with your own hands and make a cut about 0.5 - 1 cm deep.
  • Next, remove the bars and make a cut to the desired depth. During operation, it is necessary to spray water on the blade. If cutting is performed dry, then the procedure, as mentioned above, must be stopped periodically to allow the tool to cool.

Note! Before starting work, you need to protect your breathing organs with a respirator. In addition, you should use other personal protective equipment - goggles and gloves.

Here, perhaps, are all the instructions for performing this work.

How to make a casing for a vacuum cleaner with your own hands

An angle grinder with a built-in vacuum cleaner allows you to get rid of small particles of material formed during the cutting process with an angle grinder. But what if there is a need to cut concrete with a conventional tool without additional options? The simplest solution would be to purchase a casing for the vacuum cleaner separately or to make the device yourself. You can hire an assistant who will collect the particles formed during cutting with a vacuum cleaner.

You can easily make a convenient nozzle from a simple plastic canister, in which car “anti-freeze” is often sold. To work, you will need a construction cutter and a container of a suitable size, the neck of which will fit the diameter of the vacuum cleaner hose.

The manufacturing sequence is as follows:

  • Mounting holes are cut on both sides so that you can easily change the direction of rotation of the disk.
  • A slot of suitable size is made under the circle.
  • To attach the grinder cutter, another hole is cut.
  • The hose is connected to the neck of the canister and secured with an adapter ring with a clamp.
  • The “grinder” is placed in the casing and all the elements are connected.
  • The unused hole is covered with a lid.

A good dust collector can be made from a simple five-liter plastic bottle. It is attached using a standard protective casing, and the vacuum cleaner pipe is attached to the neck. This design is suitable for any type of work, with the exception of gating.

Last tip: in order to make a straight cut, markings are first applied. Then wooden blocks are fixed along the line. After this, a shallow incision of up to 1 cm is made, the restraints are removed and work continues. Throughout the entire process, coolant is supplied to the disc blade. All manipulations must be carried out wearing protective glasses, a respirator and gloves.

How and what is the best way to cut - the main methods

At the moment, through experimental experiments, several methods of cutting concrete blocks have been established. This includes the manual method, where you can use a grinder, wedges, cotter pins, as well as a method in which specialized equipment is used. Each method requires detailed consideration.

Manual method

The use of a manual cutting method presupposes the absence of automated equipment; the craftsman will have to cut the block with his own hands.

For this it is good to use:

  • grinder;
  • wedges or cotter pins, splitting the material.

It is impossible to break or split even the lightest concrete block by hand. The material has a good margin of safety, so it is impossible to do without the use of auxiliary tools.

The manual method is chosen when access of special equipment to the site is impossible due to obstacles . Also, this technique is suitable if it is necessary to saw a small amount of block material and calling a team of workers with equipment is costly and does not make sense.

Cutting with a grinder


The first and most relevant method is working with an angle grinder.
It is known that using this tool you can easily cut foam concrete, aerated concrete and other lightweight materials. But can a grinder handle a concrete block? To do this, you need to choose a powerful power tool - it must be in full working order.

Before starting work, it is recommended to take care of personal protective equipment.

It is worth purchasing a gas mask or respirator in advance; you can use construction gloves. The use of glasses will be a must: fine dust from the concrete will fly in all directions and can get into your eyes.

You need to choose a good cutting disc for an angle grinder . Since concrete is considered a durable material, it is difficult to work with. It is better to use a diamond blade for cutting. They are segmented, continuous and combined.

A segmented one is not suitable for such a durable material, but a solid one heats up when cut and should be watered with water. To cut a concrete block, it is better to purchase a combined diamond blade.

It is important to find out whether the concrete block has reinforced rods. If the disk cutter comes across them during operation, a failure may occur. Therefore, it is better to choose turbocharged wheels if the block thickness is more than 10 cm.

When all the tools are ready, you can start working:

  1. Marking . Before making a cut, you need to mark the line where the cut will take place. It is better to do this with a contrasting marker, so that even with glasses the artist can see the line. To make the line perfectly straight, you can place a wooden block along it.
  2. Incision. After turning on the grinder, it is necessary to make an incision 0.5-1 cm deep.
  3. Sawing . After this, the block is removed and the cutting disc begins to be drawn deeper. Until it is completely possible to cut the concrete block. If the tool gets very hot, you need to stop and take breaks for several minutes. Most likely, the cutting disc will also heat up: you can periodically water it with cold water in a thin stream.

The advantage of this method is speed and minimum effort, as well as the ability to cut even those blocks that have metal reinforcement inside.

Splitting with wedges


cut a foundation or wall block made of concrete using wedge splitting.
This method allows you not to hire specialized equipment and do it yourself, while saving money.

But there are also disadvantages - the method is less accurate, and if the technology is not followed, the block may split diagonally.

In this case, the concrete block will become unsuitable for the master’s purposes and other raw materials will have to be used.

To split with wedges you need to prepare:

  • a hammer drill with a drill whose length is slightly less than the thickness of the block;
  • metal wedges;
  • sledgehammer;
  • marker for marking.

At the first stage, builders make markings, and they must be done along all edges of the building block, regardless of its thickness. The markings must be clear, so it is best to use a ruler or a special long square.

Next, the hammer drill gets down to business: using this electric tool, you need to drill 7-10 holes along the marked line. You can mark only on the side that is accessible; if possible, you can mark all sides.

As a result of impacts, a crack forms along the entire length of the marked line. If everything is done according to technology, the crack will be even. The concrete block is split into 2 parts. At the final stage of work, builders use a sledgehammer and a saw to level the block so that it can be used for its intended purpose.

One of the disadvantages of this method is the duration of the procedure. Not every time you will be able to get a perfectly even crack.

Splitting with cotter pins

Cotter pins are special pegs made of wood or metal. Wooden cotter pins must be used to split the concrete block. This method works on the principle that the material expands when it gets wet. To split a block you will need a hammer drill with a drill, a marker for marking, wooden cotter pins with a thin tip, and a sledgehammer.

The work looks like this:

  1. Markings are made on three sides of the concrete block.
  2. Using a hammer drill, drill about 7-10 holes.
  3. Wooden cotter pins are inserted into the holes.
  4. The cotter pins are watered with water.
  5. When the cotter pin picks up moisture, it begins to get wet and swell. As a result, the tree expands and presses on the concrete block from the inside.
  6. The body of the block will be split in half.

Is it possible to make grooves with a grinder?

A wall chaser is the most effective tool because it is designed specifically for this purpose: a modification of an angle grinder with two parallel disks. Thanks to the ability to adjust the gap between them, as well as the depth, a groove with the specified dimensions is obtained.

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What tools are required?

Wall sawing machines

Units of this type are an excellent tool for cutting concrete structures. The machine is equipped with a mount and rails for moving the saw, so it can perform a large amount of work without rest. In addition, using such a mechanism has the following advantages:

  • increasing the depth of the opening to 7.5 cm;
  • performing complex work on a large scale;
  • low vibration and noise levels;
  • possibility of fixing the machine;
  • diamond cutting of reinforced concrete in the shortest possible time.

When cutting on such a machine, training courses are provided and access to a 380 W network is provided.

Manual equipment

A grinder for cutting concrete of this type has replaceable discs that are attached to the unit using a screw device. The construction market offers a wide selection of equipment of various sizes and power. The depth of the cut hole reaches 13 cm. The hand cutter is easy to move from place to place and cut in hard-to-reach places. The disadvantages of such a device include the application of great effort on the part of workers, which reduces the volume and time of the continuous process.

Rope cutting

Such equipment is most often used on large construction sites, as it has a high cost. The cutting device is a diamond-coated rope that cuts concrete in any direction. This equipment is most often used to dismantle concrete on bridges, piers, columns or other large objects. The advantage of a cable cutter is that it is powered by a hydraulic or electric drive, which makes it possible to use the unit in places without access to electricity. The depth of the holes made by the diamond wire reaches half a meter.

Work as an angle grinder

The tool is popular and necessary in every household. A concrete grinder cuts material 15 cm deep, and when accessing both sides of the structure, the thickness of the wall it cuts increases by 2 times. The device is quite mobile, so it provides access even to hard-to-reach areas. When cutting reinforced concrete structures, it is better to choose a saw without teeth, as they cling to the metal and the cutting element will be damaged. For regular concrete, serrated discs are also suitable.

Seam cutters

A similar device is designed for cutting seams on a horizontal plane. Professional equipment also has disadvantages. First of all, this is the high cost of tools and labor. The device is equipped with a motor and a cutting element, which can easily move along the floor using wheels. Depending on the thickness of the floors, the following 2 types of seam cutters are used:

  • Stationary. Used for cutting thick layers of monolithic concrete.
  • Portable. The depth of the incisions is no more than 2.7 cm.

Diamond saw cutting

Diamond cutting of concrete is often carried out on sites where there is no access to electricity. In such cases, a gas cutter is suitable. The saw is easy to use and makes right angle cuts. The appearance is similar to a wood chainsaw, but the chain stands out due to the complexity of the tires, which are equipped with water channels. This allows you to make dust-free cuts. Ease of operation allows you to use the equipment without special training, so a saw for cutting concrete of this type is used in DIY construction.

It is important to know

Modern manufacturers offer a variety of equipment models, so finding a specific model of equipment in Moscow and the regions will not be difficult (as well as companies or specialists who will quickly and efficiently complete the work). But you need to remember some nuances.

Things to remember when cutting concrete:

  • Wall saws are not used in multi-storey panel buildings due to the risk of flooding the lower floors with water. The machine is also not suitable for working in confined spaces and when it is necessary to perform small volumes of cutting.
  • To reduce noise, you can cut openings in parts (at least 6 parts). The price of the work in this case increases and depends on the number of pieces cut out.
  • All holes/openings in load-bearing structures are made only by certified companies and in strict accordance with the rules.
  • Legalization of hatches/openings in load-bearing walls requires contacting government agencies with a full package of documents.

Cutting concrete without dust is a difficult task, which can only be partially realized. It is very difficult to completely get rid of dust, but its amount can be significantly reduced through the correct choice of equipment and attachments, cutting method, as well as the use of a construction vacuum cleaner and the creation of special devices for collecting dust.

Is it possible to cut porcelain tiles with a grinder?

Of course, an angle grinder can cut anything, with the possible exception of glass or particularly complex ceramic products. But cutting porcelain tiles with a grinder so as to achieve a perfectly straight cut line is not so easy.

Of all the reasons that interfere with high-quality cutting of porcelain stoneware, the most important are:

  • The grinder is a hand tool, and often you have to cut the material, as they say, on the fly; as a result, the disk deviates from the cutting plane, this leads to the formation of chips and sometimes cracking of porcelain stoneware;
  • The cutting wheel is incorrectly selected. In their first experiments, beginners try to cut porcelain stoneware using vulcanite cutting discs on stone and concrete. This material can be used to cut off a small part of the tile, but most often the result is negative;
  • Incorrect cutting mode or lack of cooling of the cutting line. The desire to cut faster leads to unnecessarily strong pressure on the tool, as a result of which the circle and the tile itself break, not to mention the fact that the entire cutting line remains covered with chips and microcracks.

In theory, cutting porcelain stoneware is no more difficult than any other facing material; you just need to choose the right mode, cutting speed, pressing force and choose the right cutting tool.

If you cut by weight with a grinder, then chips will definitely appear.

Advice! In addition, the problem of tool support will need to be addressed. For example, use a homemade aluminum sole attachment.

Cutting with a grinder by weight can only be done by those who have sufficiently strong hands. If you have to saw along a length of at least 20 cm, then even experienced and strong craftsmen’s hands get tired very quickly, the circle begins to deviate from the vertical plane, as a result the seam begins to wobble, and chips appear.

Cutting with sole support

Related Posts

During repairs or construction, from time to time it is necessary to carry out concrete work: cut an opening for a window, a niche, tap walls for wiring. Masters understand how many small particles appear in all this. Cleaning up after similar events is a very labor-intensive task. We suggest you figure out whether it is possible to cut concrete without dust and how to organize this process.

How to choose a disc for an angle grinder

Concrete is a strong material, so working with it is quite difficult. To perform cutting, in most cases they use an angle grinder (angle grinder). How to cut tiles with a grinder without chipping and how to saw without the concrete itself. This instrument is better known in everyday life as a “ grinder ”.

A diamond wheel is used as a nozzle. Depending on the design features, they are divided into several types:

  • segmental,
  • solid;
  • combined (turbocharged).

Option 1 is a solid base with a segmented edge. This wheel has a low price, but is not very suitable for working with strong materials. It is also necessary to take into account that it is used only for dry cutting. Maybe there is some know-how to saw the walls of a house like a grinder, and I didn’t even cut concrete. The solid disc has a continuous diamond edge, which prevents chipping during operation. This nozzle heats up quickly, so it needs to be cooled with a continuous stream of water.

A combined or turbo diamond blade is universal. It can withstand critical loads and is even suitable for cutting reinforced concrete.

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