What's The Best Diamond Blade For Cutting Concrete?
Diamond blades are widely used for cutting concrete, asphalt and other similar hard materials. Often a cut may be made through more than one material – for example, when cutting through asphalt into concrete or commonly when cutting asphalt on one job, and concrete on the next – and in those instances, a multi-purpose diamond blade may be preferable.
However, if you are only cutting concrete, we would recommend using a blade that is designed solely for this purpose, as it will include features that maximise the efficiency of the cut and the lifetime of the blade.
Let’s take a look at some of the features of a concrete-cutting diamond blade and what they do.
Most diamond concrete cutting blades have a segmented rim
A segmented rim splits the cutting edge into short lengths, divided by gaps called gullets, as this improves the rate of dust removal from the cut.
The gullets between the segments may vary in depth, width and shape. They are conventionally a straight cut that is perpendicular to the rim and terminates at a circular hole, but the gullets can also be teardrop-shaped, as with the OTEC DX05.
Some diamond blades that are suitable for cutting concrete may have a turbo rim – the OTEC LT10R is an example of this.
Diamond concrete blades often have holes in the core
While not seen on all concrete cutting diamond blades, a pattern of small holes drilled through the core of the blade serves two purposes.
The primary purpose of the holes is to improve the cooling capability of the blade, as avoiding excessively high temperatures will prolong the life of the blade.
A diamond blade with a large number of cooling holes, such as the OTEC X19P and OTEC DX05 also has the advantage of appearing to be semi-transparent when rotating at high speed. This enables the operator to ‘see through’ the blade and monitor the cut more easily.
Diamond concrete blades come in a range of sizes
The diameters of the blades will need to match the diamond cutting saw you are using.
Blades for use with an angle grinder are likely to have an outside diameter of 105mm, 115mm, 125mm, 150mm, or 230mm. These saws are usually electrical or battery-powered.
The larger petrol-powered saws – commonly known as ‘Stihlsaws’ or ‘petrol saws’ most commonly have a 300mm diameter blade, although some take a larger 350mm blade.
Floor saws come in a wide range of sizes from 350mm to up to 2m in diameter, however, the most common sizes of floorsaw blade are 350mm and 450mm.
Choosing a diamond concrete cutting saw blade
It’s important that you select the right blade for your saw and task, both for your safety and the best blade performance.
If you would like further information or advice, speak to a diamond blade expert. Our friendly, professional technical team can be contacted on 020 8311 1144 or via email at customersupport@cmt.co.uk. Alternatively, you speak with us via live chat on WhatsApp.
