Cutting concrete slabs.

[bluenun20]

I have finished laying the main part of the patio and just have 8 600x600x50mm concrete slabs to cut into the edges.

I need to hire a tool to cut the slabs, which would be the most suitable?

Slab splitter.
Hydraulic Ram.
Power saw.

 

[leeco]

get a stihl saw

 

[bluenun20]

You think a power saw is most suitable for the job, ok.

I will go to the hire shop but don't know if they have stihl.

 

[noseall]

A petrol or electric grinder will do it. I use a Bosch 225mm angle grinder armed with a decent (£75.00+) diamond blade.

Cuts 'em like a knife through butter.

They can be a bit wicked-snatchy though.

 

[Thermo]

decent 9 inch electric grinder will do the job. As noseall says with a decent blade its much easier. I very rarely use my stihl saw. They are very tiring to use and heavy. Its a lot easier to get accurate cuts with a grinder and the more intricate cuts as well

 

[MadAlicesDad]

I don't know how much hire places charge for professional quality tools, but I've never had a problem cutting slabs and pavers with a £30 9" grinder and a £10 diamond disc.
If I were a professional I may have a different view, but for occasional DIY use they are fine. What's more they are available whenever I need them in the future and I don't have to get the job done by 4 o'clock on Saturday to avoid an additional charge!

Mike

 

[noseall]

Cheap diamond blades overheat, then flex and warp. This subsequently allows the blade to wander.

Also the cheaper ones gum up, and again this causes overheating and bluing.

I should know, i bought enough cheap blades before i saw sense! I now pay around the £70 mark and it is well worth spending the extra.

My current blade is over two years old and it takes a battering.

 

[Thermo]

ive got a marcrist thats still going strong after 18 months. With the amount of cutting of slabs we do thats not bad going i reckon. For inrequent use i can understand buying cheap.

 

[bluenun20]

I have a neighbour that is a real pain in the neck.
She complains when I am working outside building a wall or laying slabs.

Last year I took a window out and cut out bricks with a petrol grinder so that I could fit a door on the side of my garage and she moaned about the dust.

So I was trying to cut the slabs dust free.

My local hire shop has electric and petrol grinders and a Hydraulic block cutter. I took a slab there and we tried the block cutter but the cut was not clean.

I found another hire shop that has a masonry bench cutter that pumps water on the cut to keep dust to a minimum.
It will cost me £65 for the day.

I could of course buy a 9 inch grinder for £40 from Toolstation and get a blade for £14 but it is the dust I am worried about.
Nobody else here to squirt the hose on the slab to keep the dust down.

 

[noseall]

Nobody else here to squirt the hose on the slab to keep the dust down.

You can do this with a petrol cutter but i would not advise this method should you choose an electric cutter.