In this post we are just going to look at selecting portable wet/dry cutting Diamond Saw Blades which would typically go on a handheld gas saw such as the SpeediCut Core Cut 12”, 14” or 16” saws. One would think this would be very simple right, possibly 3 or 4 options but you would be very wrong. In a 14” x .125 size alone we are looking at over 50 options so with the different sizes there are hundreds of possibilities. Why so many options… it comes down to money, after all we are talking about real diamonds.
Diamond Quality – Just like gemstone diamonds there are quality grades to cutting diamonds. High quality solid diamonds are more expensive than “flawed” diamonds with lots of carbon imbedded; they also cut better, longer. Diamond Quality is the main factor in pricing any diamond blade, without the diamonds these are basically just big pieces of sheet metal.
Segment Height – The metal in the segments are used for one basic thing to control the cut rate of the diamonds. The segment metals are far less expensive than the diamonds baked into them and really play little significance in the price; often the taller segments are used with lower grade blades. This seems counter intuitive because there are more diamonds in a larger segment, but often these are lower quality diamonds. Since the lower quality diamonds have more flaws they will not last as long and the metal needs to wear quicker exposing fresh diamonds to make more cuts.
Material Being Cut – It is very important to match the right blade with the right material if you have any intention of preserving the blade and getting the most value for your dollar. The basic rule of thumb is you want a harder blade for softer material and softer blade for harder material. This of course has everything to do with controlling the rate the diamonds are exposed. Asphalt is very soft, a hard segment will hold the diamonds in place and allow them to cut much longer. Cured reinforced concrete would be much harder and in ture use a soft metal for the blade, if an hard blade was used it would hold the diamonds in place too long and you would end up trying to cut with very dull diamonds. Good news is if you went back to asphalt or other soft material the blade would eventually recover provided you hadn’t pushed it and burnt the blade up. A hard concrete blade on the other hand will work like butter in asphalt because the soft segment in the soft material wears away quickly exposing new diamonds constantly. The bad news is the blade will be used up very quickly.
Blade Size & RPM – Each size saw spins at different speeds, 12” have the highest RPM while the 16” spin the slowest. The 14” saws spin at 5400 RPM for instance so all the 14” blades are made for that speed. The 12” blades are will work on the 14” saw because they are being used at a slower speed which may not be ideal but work just fine. Never however use a blade above its max RPM rating. The blades have a concaved shape and spinning them faster will cause them to heat up and potentially be very unsafe.
Wet vs. Dry – All the dry high speed blades can be run wet or dry for most applications. With large surface area and intermittent cutting the saw blades are constantly exposed to plenty of air cooling the blade. If the same saw blade however were used in a walk behind saw, half buried in concrete for continuous use water would need to be applied or the blade would over heat.
Hopefully this will help when you make your next diamond blade selection. Typically if you are working with a knowledgeable company, like Ohio Power Tool and have a general idea what you will be cutting they will be able to help you select the right blade at the right price. Everyone’s situation is different if these blades are going to be used by new employees with little training the inexpensive Star Blue blade with high segment and low quality diamonds will ensure limit risk due to improper use. For the professional with many years of experience cutting the same material a Heavy Duty Orange or Premium Black blade will be a better value in the long run, lasting longer and cutting faster.
