This month the experts at Drilltec Diamond Drilling are here to explore what diamond concrete sawing is and cover the reasons as to why it is a preferred and chosen method used by many workers within the construction industry today.

What is diamond concrete sawing?

Diamond concrete cutting or sawing is a technique that enables construction workers to control and manipulate concrete to the best of their abilities. It is an essential method that makes easy work of cutting, removing and remodeling.

Different types of saws

Even for basic DIY in and around the home, we use different screw heads to prise open or securely adjust shelves, weighing scales, draws and cupboards. This is exactly the same for concrete sawing within the construction industry, we use a variety of saws that are built especially for certain jobs in particular.  

These types of saws include:

 

  • Floor saws – Also referred to as ‘flat saw’ too. Imagine cutting into a floor, with a saw – seems somewhat impossible but a drill might seem easier to comprehend. How can you cut a flat surface with a flat tool? Well, floor saws are perfectly designed to cut through roads and pavements along with a variety of other work, including creative garden slabs and asphalt overlay.  
  • Ring and chainsawsThese types of tools are of the handheld variety for simpler and smaller jobs, such as sawing through bricks and concrete pipes. This being said, ring and chainsaws come in a range of sizes and shapes in order to tailor to the job at hand. Ring saws and chainsaws are quite different physically, a ring saw blade is rounded, ideal for cutting into awkward places that other saws might find difficult. Whereas a chainsaws blade is oblong with a diamond chain that rotates along the blade in order to make deep cuts. They’re ideal for homeowners when chopping trees and firewood, but industrial chainsaws are good for cutting out doorways – through brick and concrete.
  • Wall sawsSometimes known as ‘track saws’, these tools are used to create doors and windows with ease. They are powerful units that are mounted onto solid aluminum tracks which the blade will move along in order to create deep, clean and precise openings in a wall.
  • Wire sawsThese are robust industrial tools that use cables in order to make cutting easy. They have an unusual way of sawing, rather than with a blade, wire saws use abrasion and can be used for various jobs, including mining.

 

Cutting joints in concrete

When cutting concrete, such as slabs for example, it can be difficult to produce clean cuts without it cracking and falling into many broken pieces. This brittle material is tricky even for us professionals, but for us, the job is made easier because we have the right equipment that’ll help reduce breakages and therefore create less waste.

Before concrete is poured, construction industries usually organise and place down ‘control joints’ so that the concrete sets neatly within these isolated points. This prevents the concrete from forming its own joints or cracks – known as ‘joint activation’.

Contraction joints are formed with the appropriate saws to create clean cut slabs. Timing is everything during this process, slabs must be cut at the optimal time, not too early where the concrete is still in a liquid state and not too late, where it’s rock solid.  

 

Drilltec Diamond Drilling have a wealth of experience within the construction industry, providing customers with a wide range of services including, diamond drilling, concrete cutting – both diamond concrete sawing and concrete chasing – hydraulic bursting & crunching and Brokk Robotic Demolition. So if you would like to know more about us, or have a project in mind – give us a call today and we will schedule you in!