Cutting Concrete Yardstones?

[liquid1010]

Anyone have any suggestions for cutting concrete yardstones such as the ones below? I spoke a guy at Totem/Rona, and he mentioned that a diamond blade on my Mitre Saw wouldn't be able to cut these....

I was thinking of just using a chisel and hammer - but I would prefer the look of a nice clean/smooth cut.

http://files.armtec.com/Images/Categories/landscaping-products-and-amenities/garden-walls/yardstone.jpg

[sxtasy]

7" grinder with a diamond blade is a good compromise of cost and cutting ability. Never tried a diamond blade in a mitre saw before. Or if you have a lot to cut, renting a block/masonry wet saw may be worth it.

[ExtraSlow]

masonry blade on a circular saw absoloutley can cut these. A true dedicated masonry saw is a better idea if you have many cuts to make.

[raceman6135]

Originally posted by liquid1010
Anyone have any suggestions for cutting concrete yardstones such as the ones below? I spoke a guy at Totem/Rona, and he mentioned that a diamond blade on my Mitre Saw wouldn't be able to cut these....

When he said that your saw would not be able to cut them, was he suggesting that the saw would not have enough power? Or that it wouldn't cut all the way through?

If those bricks are 6" high or more, then a 10" or 12" mitre saw won't be able to cut all the way through in a single pass. You would have to flip the brick on its side, or the opposite side, to cut all the way through.

As others have stated, though, with the proper blade, almost any rotary tool will work. I've used the proper masonry blade in a regular 7 1/4" circular saw, a 4 1/2" angle grinder and also a 14" chop saw (pic below), all with good results on regular masonry and concrete-based landscape blocks and bricks.

http://www.homedepot.ca/wcsstore/HomeDepotCanada/images/catalog/177477_4.jpg

[liquid1010]

Thanks very much for the replies. I only have about 10 cuts to make in total, so it sounds like I can use a masonry blade on my 10" mitre saw.

I'll let you know how it goes :D

[ExtraSlow]

Wear safety glasses and take your time. Those blades cut best with light pressure.

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
Wear safety glasses and take your time. Those blades cut best with light pressure.

And a dust mask!!!!! If there's no wind, it's funny to see the person literally get enveloped in a cloud of dust so that you can't even see the guy.

(I've also cut large blocks with just my mini-grinder and 4 1/2" blade. Cut "score" cuts about 1" deep all around the piece...then smack it with a hammer. Piece will break off easily. The inside rough part can be smoothed a bit with the blade in a "grinder-ish" fashion.