Category: Concrete Cutting

Concrete is a difficult material to work with. If you need to cut, saw or drill into concrete you will need to use special drills and the right safety equipment. Here is a handy guide that will help you to make sure that your work with concrete goes as smoothly as possible.

How Concrete Sawing Works

Concrete saws come in two forms: cut-off machines and diamond chain saws.

Cut-off machines have circular blades that are good for cutting smaller pieces of concrete such as paving stones. These tools are light and easy to handle. However, they can only be used for smaller cuts, and tend toproduce some over-cut.

In contrast, diamond chain saws are able to cut much deeper, and can be used to make perfect corners with no over-cut. This means that they are much more versatile and are an ideal choice for both heavy duty jobs and jobs that require slightly more precision.

It is important that you choose the right tool for the job. Bear in mind that while cut-off machines have circular blades that can be quite large in diameter, the depth of the cut that the blade can make is dictated by how much blade is visible past the guard. The cut will usually be significantly less than the radius of the blade. For example, most 14 inch blades can only make five inch cuts, not seven inch cuts as you might expect.

How Concrete Drilling Works

Just as with concrete sawing, there are a few different kind of concrete drills. These drills can be divided into two types: impact drills and non-impact drills.

Impact drills work a lot like normal drills, except in addition to rotational force they use percussive force to speed up the drilling process. Because concrete is so hard, you must use special drill bits that are either made of a strong carbide, or have diamond tips. If you choose the wrong drill bit then the drilling process will take a lot longer, or you could end up damaging the bit, or, worse, the material that you are trying to drill.

Non-impact drilling uses diamond tipped drill bits instead of carbide drill bits. Non-impact drills can drill holes that are much bigger in diameter than the holes made by impact drills, but the drilling process takes a very long time. Because of the friction that is generated when drilling, non-impact drills must be cooled with water, and you will also need to use a vacuum cleaner to suck up the slurry that is produced by the combination of water and dust from the drill.

Some Final Tips

Whether you are sawing or drilling into concrete it is important that you clean up properly after the work is done. Many local authorities will not allow you to dispose of concrete in the normal garbage disposal system so you will need to arrange for the waste to be collected. There are a lot of specialist waste disposal companies that will do this for you, and the company that rented the drill or saw may be able to either do the disposal work in-house or recommend a company for you to call.

Be sure to wear the correct safety gear when you are working with concrete. Wear goggles to stop dust getting in your eyes, gloves to protect your hands and a mask so that you don’t accidentally inhale any dust.

If you are renting cutting equipment, choose the highest quality gear that you can afford.

Cutting into concrete can be hard work and if you skimp on equipment you are only making the job harder for yourself.

Remember that gas powered machines tend to be more powerful than electric ones. However, there are some occasions when an electric machine is a better choice. For example, if you are renting a machine for use indoors then you should choose electrical over gas to reduce the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Gas powered machines are not safe to use in areas with poor ventilation.

In contrast, if you will be working outdoors far away from a power source, a gas powered machine is the logical choice.

Renovating a driveway can be a lot of hard work. These driveway concrete cutting tips will help you to ensure that the concrete cutting process goes as smoothly as possible, keeping you safe and minimising the amount of physical effort needed to get the job done effectively.

Working with Concrete

Concrete is one of the toughest and most difficult materials to work with. It is hard and dense, and produces a huge amount of dust when it is cut into.

To work with concrete safely you need the right tools. You also need to be very patient, since cutting concrete is a slow process.

The following tips will help you to learn how to cut and break through concrete safely and neatly.

 

Choosing the Right Tools

If the concrete on your driveway is not reinforced, and if it is no thicker than four inches, then you can get away with using a sledge hammer – assuming, of course, that you don’t mind hard physical labour.

However, if you are cutting a much thicker surface then you will need more powerful equipment. You have several choices depending on the location of the concrete, its thickness, and the type of cut you want to make.

Most people use hammer drills, pneumatic jack hammers or electric breakers to cut up concrete on their driveway.

The first thing that you need to do is make an initial surface cut:

1. Mark out the hole that you need to cut using some chalk;
2. Cut along the line as deep as you can using a circular saw or a demolition saw;
3. Start the breaking process

This initial surface cut helps to make the concrete a little easier to break through and also ensures that the final cut is as neat as possible.

 

The Final Cut

Slowly work with the tip of your cutting tool from inside the marked zone, chipping the concrete carefully along the saw line. To ensure that the cut is accurate, let the tool’s tip lean away from the section of concrete that you want to keep in place.

This will ensure that when the edges of the concrete crack, the concrete that you are keeping in place will be undamaged.

Work slowly and methodically until you have penetrated all of the concrete surrounding the saw cut. Then break up small chunks of concrete, bit by bit, until the demarcated area is broken down.

 

Safety Tips

Working on your driveway is fairly safe, but there are still some things that you should consider in terms of safety.

Be sure to wear steel toed boots to protect your feet, and wear gloves to protect your hands.

Exposure to concrete dust can cause various skin conditions, and there is always the risk of getting your hand caught by some flying chunks of concrete, or snagged by some tools.

Wear safety goggles, because concrete dust is not just irritating. Dust in your eyes can actually cause you to lose your eyesight.

Wear earmuffs or ear plugs to protect your hearing – especially if you are working with a powerful saw or a pneumatic drill.

Finally, wear a good dust mask – or ideally a respirator. Concrete creates a huge amount of dust when it is broken down, and inhaling that dust can cause both short term respiratory tract irritation and long term lung problems.

Once you have broken down the concrete and finished whatever work it is you need done, you will need to arrange to have the concreted disposed of.

Many companies that offer concrete cutting equipment which you can use for driveway concrete cutting also offer concrete disposal services.

It is a good idea to take advantage of those services instead of simply trying to dispose of concrete in your normal waste bins. Many local authorities will fine you if they notice that you are throwing away concrete in normal domestic waste because it causes issues with recycling or incineration facilities.

Do things properly from the outset to reduce the amount of stress and inconvenience you face, and ensure that everything is safe as well.

Concrete is incredibly dense and can be difficult to work with. If you are cutting concrete or engaging in demolition work and have concerns about how to safely remove the leftover or excess concrete, then you should consider working with a specialist firm to ensure optimal concrete removal safety. Depending on the kind of work you are doing, there could be a lot of potential concrete removal dangers.

Here are a few tips to help you stay safe when working with concrete.

Avoiding Dangers During Demolition

One of the main reasons why people need concrete removal is when they are engaging in demolition. It is common for concrete contractors to need to engage in demolition work, even if they are not primarily specialised in demolition.

If you need to do demolition work, then check first the structure you want to demolish:

• Look for any unapproved modifications to the building’s original design;
• Look for any changes to the design that may have been made during the initial construction; and
• Check the entire building for unexpected weaknesses or problems that could cause a hazard during the demolition

Once you have finished the demolition work, be sure to clean up the concrete and remove it immediately. Leaving loose concrete lying around can pose a safety threat.

Concrete Removal Costs

Concrete removal can be quite expensive, especially if you have a large amount to remove. Depending on where the concrete is and what state it is in, you can have it removed in large slabs, perhaps to sell on to an architectural reclaimer, or you can break up the concrete into smaller chunks which can be disposed of in a skip or a waste bin.

Small amounts of concrete can be broken up using a sledge hammer or you can use a jackhammer to speed up the work. A 5ft by 5ft area can be broken up with a jack hammer in less than an hour, and is fairly easy to dispose of, but bigger areas will need more time and may need to be removed by a specialist.

Working with Concrete

It is important to note that working with concrete, especially if you are cutting it or breaking it up with a jack hammer, can be very dusty work.

You should always wear appropriate safety equipment, including overalls, sturdy shoes with steel toe caps, gloves, eye protection and a mask or a respirator.

Getting concrete dust in your eyes or inhaling it could be very hazardous to your health. It is common for builders and manual labourers to develop respiratory conditions later in life because of repeated exposure to dust. In addition, skin conditions such as dermatitis can also occur if you allow your skin to get covered in dust on a regular basis.

If you work for a construction company then they will provide you with personal protective equipment. If you are working on your own construction project then you will have to purchase the gear for yourself.

Do not skimp on protective equipment.

It is not worth losing an eye or putting yourself at risk of a lung condition because of something that could have been prevented with the right safety gear. Take concrete removal safety seriously from the moment you start work.

Be aware that concrete breakup and removal is hard work, and it can also be physically demanding. If you are not accustomed to doing manual labour then you may find that removing concrete is too much for you. Instead of trying to take on the job yourself you may want to bring in contractors to handle the job for you.

As you can see, concrete removal safety is a large and complex topic. The above are just a few of the things that you should remember. If you are not confident in your ability to cut out concrete slabs and process them safely then you should definitely consider hiring an expert to do it for you. It may cost several hundred dollars to have work done on a small yard, but it is worth the expense.

A good concrete removal firm can handle the job safely and quickly and ensure that the concrete is removed from the site promptly.