We throw the term ‘diamond blade’ around a lot here, being that many of our machines use them in order to do their jobs. But we are also aware that plenty of people from outside the masonry and construction industries might not be familiar with these essential supplies. This post will serve as a basic guide to what diamond blades are used for, and how they relate to our equipment, like masonry saws and tile saws.
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What are diamond blades used for? The basics
The simple answer to the question, “What are diamond blades used for?” is this: they are used to cut stone. Not just stone, of course, but a wide variety of materials that share characteristics in common with stone, such as being very hard and abrasive. In layman’s terms, many things that can’t be cut with a regular metal saw blade with sharp teeth must be cut with a diamond blade instead.
Some of the most common things that diamond blades are used to cut include: stone, granite, marble, concrete, brick, porcelain, glass, many types of tile, and even very tough materials like concrete that is reinforced with steel rebar.
Types of saws that use diamond blades
Masonry and construction professionals rely on several different types of equipment to cut through these substances, depending on the size and specific circumstances of the job. The one that people will be most familiar with is the tile saw, which uses a variety of diamond blade compositions to cut through tiles made from different materials, from porcelain to marble and everything in between.
A similar machine that may not be as well-known is the masonry saw. These look a lot like larger versions of tile saws, and their job is basically a larger version of the tile saw’s job. Masonry saws use diamond blades to cut through larger pieces of stone, such as a slab of granite being shaped for countertops, for example.
How do diamond blades work?
To understand how masonry saws and tile saws use diamond blades to cut through substances like stone and concrete, we need a general understanding of how these blades are made. The largest part is the core, which is the metal disc that holds all the other components. Around the edge of the core, millions of tiny pieces of industrial-grade diamond are stuck on and held in place by a softer, more malleable metal called the bond.
Now, when a masonry saw fitted with a diamond blade starts to cut into a piece of stone, for example, those sharp little diamond particles scratch and grind away at the stone, carving through it until it is cut into two pieces. As the diamonds wear down and get dull, they lose their ability to cut. This problem is solved by the stone abrading the bond away little by little, exposing a new layer of fresh, sharp diamonds so that the blade can keep going strong for many hours of cutting.
With that, you should have a fairly good grasp of what diamond blades are used for, at least in terms of stone cutting and construction.
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