Hydraulic ring saws concrete sawing
MegasawConcrete Cutting

Hydraulic Handheld Ring Saws – Dos and Don’ts

Are you looking to have some concrete cut? Hydraulic ring saws are an essential tool as part of the process. Let’s take a look at do’s and don’ts of using hydraulic ring saws in more detail below.

Hydraulic ring saws are powerful tools that can make short work of almost any cutting job, even cutting concrete. Like any power tool, however, they must be handled with respect.

A short lapse of attention, or a few moments of laziness, and you could lose an eye or a finger.

Staying Safe When Using a Ring Saw

DO: Wear appropriate safety equipment. Safety glasses, robust footwear, a face mask and gloves should be a part of your day-to-day safety kit when cutting concrete on the job.

Even if you’re wet cutting, wearing a mask will help to protect your lungs from any dust that gets kicked up.

The long-term impact of inhaling concrete dust is unclear, but it is known that inhaling large amounts of dust can injure the lungs, causing fibrous scar tissue to form, which can lead to a condition called fibrosis.

DON’T: Use a handheld hydraulic wind saw in bad weather. Heavy rain can lead to slippery surfaces, strong winds can make it difficult to control the saw.

Bad weather, in general, can make it difficult to concentrate and may lead to unsafe operation of the saw.

DO: Check the blade before operating the saw, and replace it if necessary.

DON’T: Operate any form of hydraulic or power tool while tired, intoxicated, or taking medication which could cause drowsiness.

DO: Ensure that you are wearing appropriately fitting clothing (no baggy sleeves or loose garments) and that any loose jewellery has been removed.

If you have long hair, ensure that it is tied back and suitably contained so that there is no risk of anything catching the saw blade while it is rotating.

DON’T: Attempt to use a handheld saw as if it were a fixed tool. If you need to cut a small item, use an appropriate tool for that job.

DO: Turn off the tool when it is not in use, and make sure that the safety/guard is in place if you are going to leave the tool unattended.

DON’T: Touch the tool immediately after you have been cutting with it. The blades of ring saws cut through abrasion and can get very hot. Always allow them to cool down before moving them.

DO: Make sure that the area around you is free from obstruction and that there are no children or pets nearby before you start cutting.

In addition, make sure that there are no loose items nearby that could cause distraction or obstruction, and that you have a stable foothold.

DON’T: Operate a ring saw in an area where you would be unable to summon help in an emergency. Ideally, there should be others with you when you are working.

DO: Take regular breaks. Operating this kind of machine can lead to nerve or circulation damage in the fingers/hands.

If you start experiencing tingling, prickling or altered sensation in the extremities, stop using the saw immediately.

The risk of nerve and circulation damage increases at colder temperatures, so more frequent breaks may be necessary during cold weather.

Putting Safety First

Modern hydraulic ring saws are incredibly powerful and can make short work of things that would have previously been challenging to cut. With the right blades, they can be a joy to use.

You and others on your site should get regular safety training to ensure that the machines are operated safely.

Whenever you are handling powerful equipment, whether it’s a hydraulic handheld ring saw, a drill, sander, or something else entirely you should always wear appropriate safety equipment.

Follow the manufacturer’s directions for using the tool to the letter and never cut corners.

A few extra moments doing things right today could save you from some expensive mistakes or a trip to the emergency room!

If you are looking for a specialist concrete cutting company who uses only the best practices to get the job done right, then please call us at Megasaw on 1300 920 419 or contact us through our website. 

MegasawConcrete Cutting

Can Hydraulic Ring Saws Cut Any Type of Concrete?

Did you know that there are many different kinds of concrete and that each type has its own purpose in construction jobs?

There are more than 20 different varieties of concrete, each with different levels of strength, pouring method, and weighting of ingredients or additives to make it suitable for use in a given environment.

Let’s take a look at this in more detail below.

What are the Most Commonly Used Types of Concrete?

The most simple form of concrete is simply a mixture of cement, water, and aggregate.

This mixture gives us ‘normal strength’ concrete which sets within 30 to 90 minutes, and has a strength of 10 to 40Pa. That type of concrete is ideal for making pavements or flooring.

It is strong when compressed under a load, but it is weak in tension. This kind of concrete is usually easy to cut.

Reinforced concrete is made to a similar formula, but has tension bars in it to help it handle bigger loads. In more modern concrete recipes, fibres are added to improve strength as well.

Some concrete is re-stressed, which helps to strengthen it before it is put under load in the real world.

For very heavy loads, there are high-density concrete options which use much heavier aggregates.

There are also high-performance recipes, and recipes which use vacuum pumps to reduce the water content of the recipe, as well as concrete which uses other substances such as glass or asphalt as a part of their aggregates.

How is Concrete Cut?

Hydraulic ring sawing is often used to cut concrete. These saws are ideal for cutting large concrete slabs, and for cutting into walls or other fixed items.

Hydraulic ring saws are handheld and use diamond blades which cut via abrasion. This makes them very good for cutting even when the concrete is quite dense and solid.

Can Hydraulic Ring Saws Cut Any Type of Concrete?

Hydraulic ring saws can cut most types of concrete, even reinforced concrete. The blades that are used for these saws are good for plunge cutting and work best for very dense and hard materials.

Note, however, that the best type of saw to use is one that is water-cooled, as this prevents dust from being kicked up and also to stop the blade from glazing over with dust and metal (from the bond used to hold the diamond segments in place).

If the blade is allowed to overheat then it will start to smooth over and become less effective at cutting.

What are the Limitations of Hydraulic Ring Saws

The main limitation of a hydraulic ring saw is that it is limited in terms of how deep it can cut, based on the diameter of the blade.

The size of the blade is limited because large blades are difficult to handle.

Hydraulic ring saws are good for making straight cuts in smaller, awkward to reach places, but they are not always the ideal tool for the job.

Cutting concrete takes experience because it can be tricky. It is hard to produce clean cuts into thinner slabs without them cracking and breaking, and it is hard to cut thicker concrete too.

Chainsaws are good for deep cuts, as long as the vibration action of the saw will not be an issue. Hydraulic saws are versatile and are suitable for most concrete cutting applications.

If you are not sure what blade to choose, or whether a hydraulic handheld ring saw is suitable for your project, then be sure to seek expert advice so that you do not cause irreparable damage to the wall or slabs.

With the right tools, your construction or renovation project should be a breeze.

If you are looking for a specialist concrete cutting company who uses only the best practices to get the job done right, then please call us at Megasaw on 1300 920 419 or contact us through our website. 

MegasawConcrete Sawing, Tools

Concrete Sawing – Handheld Concrete Saw or Walk Behind ?

A Concrete Saw is a powerful tool used to cut very hard objects, like concrete, asphalt, masonry, tiles etc. There are several types of saws like portable and hand held saws, a giant walk behind saw and different types of other saws used for various sawing purposes. In the same way it has various blades that are integrated in different types of saws for various types of cutting. A close overview of the types of saws blades and ways to concrete sawing is discussed below:

Types of Concrete Saws

Concrete SawingUsually there are two categories of concrete saws – small handheld and bigger walk-behind. The formal saws are lightweight and easily movable, compared to the walk-behind saw. These are, more often than not, facilitated to saw wall openings along with minor surface jobs like curbing holes for putting posts in a slab.

Walk-behind saws are used while standing behind the saw and operating it. These are faster cutting devices as they’re equipped with increased horsepower and its power can be increased while cutting. The heavy weight of these saws enables you to hold it down into the cut area giving a better and sharper cut. Due to having wheels and a guide indicator, it is very easy to work over a defined crayon line and get a straight cut. The blades in a walk-behind saw are mounted to one side to enable a cut closer to a standing wall.

Concrete saws are usually associated with gasoline fueled engines. These cannot be used in closed spaces or basements as it generates carbon monoxide fumes. If you are not going to saw much you should opt for a hand-held electric saw as it will eliminate any exhaust fume issue. However it is electric, you can’t facilitate water to settle down dust hence you need to cut dry. Preferably you should use any type of saw in open areas instead of a basement or closed ones.

A better option of using a saw in a closed space is using a pneumatic saw. Such saws functions on compressed air can be found in both hand-held and walk-behind saws. Mostly they are used in wet conditions but in both the atmosphere they perform. If you need to cut completely through a poured concrete wall, you may want to use a chain saw.

Types of Saw Blades

There are two major types of saw blades – abrasive and diamond blades. Abrasive blades are mostly used and found to be affordable, in terms of cost, for small projects. The blade’s full diameter is normally 14″, and it reduces in size as it is used for cutting purposes. Finally it may become too small at one time to cut up to the required depth and then it is thrown off and a new blade is put to use.

Diamond blades do not reduce in size over time due to continuous usage. The particles of diamonds are welded on it in the form of segments using laser to a steel hub. The diamonds keep dropping off as it wears out and a fresh row keeps appearing. When the segment finally wears down the blade is required to be replaced. Diamond blades are quite expensive aka abrasive blades but they last a lot longer than abrasive blades. In addition, they are quite longer and hold their depth of cutting better and are best for larger jobs. Diamond blades cut faster and require less concrete to remove and thus less dust is formed.

Saw Cutting Tips

Concrete contracts and expands when it gets cold or hot. Due to this, control joints are cut in the slab at every 10’ or to find a weak spot of the crack. It is advisable to cut 1/5th of the thickness of slabs so usually 4 inch slabs are cut at a depth of 1 inch. The slab will find the weakest point and crack right beneath the control joint and the cracks will not be that visible.

Concrete sawing is a vital aspect of any construction project and it is one of the most strenuous and important tasks that is done in any construction site. Knowledge of types of concrete saws available and the different types of blades matters a lot when you are actively involved in any construction business.

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