Cut-Off demolition saws are used for cutting concrete and metal with
abrasive wheels. These machines couple a high power engine with a fast
spindle and wheel to quickly cut though very hard material. Buying the
right tool for the application is critical. More powerful machines are
able to make quick work of large jobs. Advanced filtration and water jets
address the dust cloud the forms around the operator, and diamond and
abrasive cutting wheels need matched to the material that's being tackled.
- Cutting Wheel Size A larger cutting wheel is able to cut
though thicker material. Typical sizes are 12-20". Larger is not always
better as bigger wheels often don't run at the same high speeds as
smaller ones.
- Cuttings Wheels need to be matched to the application. The
most common wheels are simple abrasive wheels for stone or metal.
Diamond blades are 5-6x the cost of simple abrasive blades but are
needed when cutting the hardest materials.
- Water Attachment is a must have feature for cutting anything
other than metals. Stones and concrete turn to dust when cut with an
abrasive wheel. A water jet in the cutting area helps lubricate the cut
and control dust levels that can choke out air supply of both the saw
and operator.
- Engine displacement is a measurement of the size of the
engines cylinders. Typically a saw with more displacement has more
power. Today this logic is skewed some as many saws will share a common
engine, but by tweaking compression and fuel ratios the manufactured can
change the true power output. The most reputable brands publish both
engine displacement and horsepower so you know what your getting.
Because of the enormous amounts of power needed in this application some
saws use more advanced ignition systems to help get the most out of the
engine.