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Today's building techniques put a high price on accurate cuts of concrete basing material. The correct tool for this work is a high powered Concrete Cut off Saw. These range from pneumatic or hydraulic behemoths down to rechargeable electric saws. Concrete cut off saws let you to do accurate cuts on cured concrete quickly and competently.

Cut off saw safety, however, is crucially important on any job site. A machine that will chop concrete like butter won't even slow down when it hits your foot.

Essential Ground Rules for Power Tools

Ensure the tool is unplugged (from whatever power source it uses) before trying to change the blades. Ensure that all guides and guards are in position, also make sure you have on protective goggles, and don't use it on anything it wasn't intended for.

Specific Ground Rules for Cut Off Saws

Specific to concrete cut off saws are some guidelines on blade exchanging and wear, and some concerns regarding materials, for example wearing a respirator to protect yourself from any silica dust that may be produced. It's estimated by OSHA that roughly 300 building workers die every year from silicosis (a fibroid growth in the lungs) caused by fine grain silica dust taken deeply into the lungs. Always wear a breathing aid, protective glasses and other mandated safety gear when cutting concrete, and the accepted rule of thumb is that if you can see the airborne suspension of the dust, then there's too much silicon dust and you are in danger. (the accepted limit is about 0.1 micrograms per cubic meter of air).

Some measures to reduce silica dust exposure include employing wet-cut or watered blades, and an enclosed vacuum recovery system. Each of these ways have their drawbacks, as the primary appeal of a cut off saw is its ease of use, and dragging along a water hose or a vacuum hose defeats the purpose of being able to grab the saw and use it anywhere.

Blade Maintenance

Another area where cut off saws require careful attention is blade maintenance. The most important part of a cut off saw, and the part that is the most dangerous is the blade.. Most cut off saws in use at present use blades coated with industrial diamonds. Their purchase cost over abrasive blades has plummeted, and their ability is correspondingly greater. However, for correct blade use, you must use the correct blade for a given job; there's a blade application code created by the CSDA that will give the direction, RPM and blade diameter. It is critical that all the safety guidelines are adhered to.

Before you begin to use any cut off saw, check the blade for small notches or other signs of ill-use. A blade that is damaged can shatter, ejecting hot steel splinters, which are a serious hazard to health when they occur. A recommended way to check the soundness of your blade is to tap it with a block of wood . If it resonates like a bell then there are no concealed cracks to worry about.

Kickback and Lock In

Two important considerations you may come across as you use a concrete cut off saw are kickback and lock in - these occur when the engine of the blade is transferred to the saw, rather than the concrete that is being cut; kickback usually happens when a cut is interrupted, lock-in happens when the item being cut shifts and catches the saw blade, causing it to jerk forward.

Use your head and, abide by all the safety rules and keep safe while using your concrete cut off saw!

Guidelines for the Use of Cut Off saws When Working With Concrete

This Home Improvement article is provided by Articleteller - The Free Article Directory http://www.articleteller.com

Janet Ashby is a keen DIY enthusiast. For more information and some good deals in new and used cut off saws check out www.discountpowersaws.info/Power-Saws/Cut-Off-Saws or for other types of power saws check out www.discountpowersaws.info Also check out www.bargainhandtools.info for a good range of hand tools at great prices.

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Guides for the Use of Cut Off Saws When Working With Concrete

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