Overview of Concrete Cutting Blades

There are two basic concrete saws (hand held and walk-behind). The first ones are easier to be held and can be used to cut straight small openings, while the second one allows you to stand up while sawing. Because you hold the saw while standing you can apply more force during the cutting which is an additional option to minimize the ugly random cracks on the surface.

One important thing to remember is that concrete saws are normally fitted with gasoline powered engines. Accordingly, they produce carbon monoxide fumes and can't be used in a basement or other closed areas without proper ventilation. You must have floor level ventilation in your working area to control the exhaust fumes.

If you are not sawing that much, look no further than a hand-held electric saws. These are preferred choice that eliminates any exhaust fume problems. Consequently, because it is electric, you aren’t allowed to use water to hold down dust so you will be cutting dry. The downside of the dry cutting procedure is the dust that gets all over the place so it's not a good choice for basements. If you cut concrete indoors, you can use fans to ventilate the dust to clear the air so that you can see where you're cutting.

The most preferred choice for sawing in enclosed spaces is the pneumatic saw. Pneumatic saws use compressed air to operate and are available in both hand-held and walk-behind versions. They can be used wet or dry concrete cutting, but typically are used wet for better dust control. The saw is designed to cut walls, floors and can be used in the basement or other sawing location. This is the best way to saw concrete in an enclosed area. The unique versatility allows you to cut faster and cheaper, which is simply not possible with other concrete saws.

Available in many different lengths and power sources chain saws are the best option if you need to cut through walls. The saw is capable to cut perfectly square corners and plunge cut through a 15" wall in one pass without a glitch.

Saw Blades can be used and are the most cost efficient for short of jobs because they are too small to cut large depths. Diamond blades, on the other hand are very expensive compared to abrasive blades, but they do last a bit longer and they hold their depth of cut, so on larger jobs they are the way to go. Diamond blades are also thinner than abrasive blade which means that you'll be cutting faster because you have less concrete to remove when cutting due to the narrower swath.