How to cut brick without a masonry saw

Cutting bricks with a circular saw

Everyone knows it’s important to have the right tool for the right job. When it comes to cutting brick pavers, stone pavers or similar materials, the ideal tool is a circular saw.

As the name suggests, circular saws are specifically designed to cut through brick and other hard, stone-like substances. But there are times when you don’t always have access to the ideal tool for a job, in which case your only option may be to improvise. In this post, we’ll look at one situation in which this might be necessary: how to cut bricks with a circular saw.

When would you need to cut bricks with a circular saw?

When cutting bricks with a circular saw, there are two general scenarios in which one might need to know how to cut bricks with a circular saw. And both of them involve not having a masonry saw or other dedicated machine. So, how would you cut bricks without a saw specifically designed for masonry?

When you don’t have a masonry saw, brick saw or other saw

This can be the case if you aren’t able to rent or buy a masonry saw near you. Improvising using a circular saw to cut brick pavers is much more dangerous than using a dedicated machine, so we highly recommend you make every effort to find one.
However, if you own a circular saw and are wondering: “Can you cut bricks with a circular saw?”, the answer is “Yes, you can. It will be harder, but perfectly possible”.

When brick pavers that are installed in such a way that they cannot be removed onto a standard masonry saw

The second scenario involves brick pavers that are installed in such a way that they cannot be removed or placed onto a standard masonry saw.

Masonry saws, brick saws and similar machines are bench saws, which means the paver would need to be placed on the table of the saw in order to be cut. If, for example, the bricks or pavers have been set into the ground with concrete, but they need to be cut into for some reason, a masonry bench saw would not be able to do that job.

How to cut bricks with a circular saw

However, if you have access to a standard, run of the mill circular saw, it is possible to use it to cut brick pavers or other types of pavers, given the right equipment and technique.
The first and most important thing you need is a blade that will cut through the brick, that is also the correct size for your circular saw. The type of blade you need to get is a diamond blade. These blades have their edges coated in tiny diamond particles that grind through brick, stone, etc. If possible, look for one specifically labeled for use on brick.
You will also need some personal protective equipment, two sets, because you will need an assistant. Your assistant’s job will be to stand in for a key element in any circular saw: the water pump.
They will need to very carefully pour water over and just in front of the blade while you are cutting bricks with a circular saw. This is to keep the blade from overheating due to friction, and also to dampen down the dust that will be generated while cutting. Obviously, electricity and water don’t mix, so this needs to be done with extreme caution.
Knowing how to cut bricks for a circle with a circular saw isn’t very complicated, but it is a risky improvisation and must be treated as such.