Stupid Question

stacker

ok i have a stupid question.
i have been wanting a masonry chainsaw since i first saw them,but cant see myself parting with the 1500 bucks to buy one.so the other day i get a wild idea. why couldnt a man buy the diamond chain blade and use it on a regular chain saw?
so thats my question,would it work or would a guy be wasting the money on the chain?i know most the concrete saws have a water inlet for dust,but who would care.
just kicking it around,let me know what you thunk.

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joasis

I had the same thought about a concrete saw...I really like the Stihl TS460....well, it is the same as my 460 mag chainsaw, right? Nope, according to the Stihl guy...different clutch and case parts...the TS is a lot heavier. I would bet the chainsaw would be the same....but when you part with the bucks, be sure tolet us know how it works...I am really wanting one also.....and have no business with one either.

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jvcstone

The water is not so much for dust control--it is the coolent that keeps the diamonds on the teeth.

JVC

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turbomason

Yeah the water supply on the concrete chain saw make the chain last many times longer then not haveing afterall the blade is plunged into a masonry or concrete wall with no other way to cool down talk about warping and metal expansion as well as it is built for concrete dust with a heavier air cleaner and stronger parts for construction abuse you wouldnt have very good luck with a regular wood chainsaw. ..

bill r

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I put an abrasive wheel into my little aluminum Delta mitre saw once to chop some light angle. Worked great... for about 10 minutes. Then I threw the saw away. Bad idea... The motor is open framed and the sparkles got in there, they also fouled up the aluminum miter box parts. These products are designed (bearings, rubber seals, specific temps, etc.) for specific applications. I wouldn't do it. It might work, but it might ruin your wood saw.

JasontheMason

I used one and they are relallly nice to have around. A firend of mine who new a lot about engines and things took a Sthil saw and did somethings to the clutch and the engine, and then I added a water thing on there and it worked great, until some fu** stole it out of my truck.

But you can try and add a water connection to it and see how that works. It might work.And you could also put a Uni airfilter on it so this way you can jsut rinse it off.
http://www.bladepowersports.com/prod...?prod=1inchuni

jvcstone

Bill, At one time, I was building a lot of Rumford Fireplaces, many of which had the firebrick laid in a herringbone. Got a 12 inch dewalt compound miter saw, put a dry cut diamond blade on it and worked out great for those angled cuts where the covens meet the back wall. Been about 8 years now, and 6 or 7 fireboxes, and it still runs fine, although it has a wood blade on it now. I did keep an air hose nearby, and blew the dust out of the moter housing frequently, but I'm thinking the dewalt does have sealed bearings in it.

JVC

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bill r

Good data. You probably have more of a saw than mine was. It was just a little Delta from HD simple mitre for moldings. I just didn't want to see him ruin his chainsaw. Maybe the iron filings are diff from mason dust. I shouldn't butt in, but I sure miss having my little saw. My little aluminum table got to where it wouldn't rotate; from the filings, also. I dug in and fixed the brushes, but never could recover the motor. I guess I might have simply overheated the little motor, although I was trying not to.

POOLMANinCT

ive used 'em, they dont like #3 rebar & bigger

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lukachuki

Hey Stacker,

Can't help you with your retrofit questions but I do have a redzaw.

http://contractorstools.com/redzaw_rz60.html
I initially thought it was a great idea, with the ability to cut clean square openings and also cut all the way through a block wall with one cut etc. I thought it was such a great idea that I bought one.

Let me just say that it has failed to impress me and in fact only gets used when nothing else will do. Now don't get me wrong the saw runs like a champ on 25:1 mix but when it comes to actually performing in the field I have found it to leave quite a bit to be desired. My first and practically my last job with it was to cut our 2 4' door opening in an 8" block wall. Perfect for this saw and in fact just what I bought it for, right? Wrong! I burned up the original blade that came with the saw in about halfway through the the second vertical cut in my FIRST door. Not only did it chew up the chain extremely fast but it was extremely slow...kinda like one of my guys who put my chainsaw chain on backwards and then wondered why all he could do is smoke the tree branches. You had to exert an awful lot of leverage just to get the dummy thing to move...and that was with gravity on my side. Needless to say I finished up the job with my ts400 stihl concrete saw. I have to say I feel ripped off.

I know that the OEM chain is junk but still!!! I have purchased another chain (200.00 + if my memory serves) and wait for my next chance to use it. One of my guys used it to cut out an opening through a 4" slab for a drain and he didn't exactly give it rave review either. It is a "tool" i want to like but so far it has been tough and expensive. I will give it another chance or 2 though before we part ways.

Hope this helps.

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Less with the jaw more with the paw!

Michaeljp86

I dont realy have much to say on the chainsaw but I was looking through the sears add and they had a gasoline driveway edger for $199 if I can remember. It looked like it would be a easy conversion to put a concrete diamond blade on there and have a cheap concrete saw on wheels for cutting joints in floors. And I would think cutting concrete wouldnt be as harsh as running a blade in dirt and rocks.

Subia29

Not a stupid ? but sounds to good to be true... Like the automatic sqeeze bag gun, and the blocklaying machine.

lukachuki

yep and that makes me a sucker then....

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Less with the jaw more with the paw!

john1066

I have a RedZaw RZ80 that i picked up a few years ago. my dad has the rz60 which is not that great but my rz80 is great. I have used it to cut a 36" door opening in a 10" concrete wall we have plunge cut into manholes to add drain lines cut out the top of catchbasins in the street when they have to be off set. The chain has lasted me 3 years now and if you use plenty of water there is no problem. but you do have to turn the blade around every once in a while to sharpen the diamonds . I actually had the saw kick back on me once and get thrown into my knee. Ripped my pants but not a scratch on me. I guess when they say that it won't cut you they were right. That shows that it beats the Demo saw any way.

DJ9222

I have a 14" ICS 633GC concrete chain saw ,I alsothought it would be great,but it turned out to be a pain in the ass, ,If you buy a cheap chain $200.00 it wears out super fast, then you buy a good chain $750.00 and worry about the guys pushing it too hard, it is also hard to keep the cut straight.
My guys would rather use the stihl 420 and cut the wall on both sides.. all in all it was a waste of money...

jomama

I have the 613, 12" saw. I'd say this preaty much sums it up. Other than I've had the motor rebuilt 2 or 3 times at $400 a crack. Knock on wood, it hasn't blown up in 2+ years. If your using the saw to cut an access doorway for an addition, for example, and everything goes well, the thing can be invaluable sometimes. Note, IF everything goes well. To those having extreme chain wear & crooked cuts, I would definately look into a .250" thick, 14" dia. blade for pre-sawing. It was the best $200 I spent for the chainsaw. We usually cut (from the outside) with a std. diamond blade in a cut-off saw first, switch to the "fat" circular blade next, & then use the chain saw to plunge. A lot less binding & wear on the sides of the chain IMO. I've noticed that the chains last quite a bit longer with this configuration. You used to be able to buy the blade right thru ICS or Redsaw, but the last time I tried to find one for someone else, I think it was discontinued? Probably so they could sell more bars & chains! Either way, the .250 blade is definately worth the money, as I don't miss the saw kicking back when you first enter the cut, or worse yet, binding & getting stuck in the wall!

shanekw1

I can't even imagine how freaking wild it would be to do this.

I'm going to buy one just because.

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lukachuki

i'll sell you mine used 3 times

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"The problem with internet quotes is, you never know if they are authentic." -Abraham Lincoln-

Less with the jaw more with the paw!

Chris Johnson

I had to cut a 6' x 4'6' window in a completed ICF wall last year. I was tempted to buy the ICS concrete chain saw after seeing it several years at the Concrete Show in Vegas. Before dropping the cash I found a rental center that had two. So, I rented and tried, I killed the first saw at about 40% complete, got the second saw off them to finish the job and had to change the chain before I finished.

It was great on the concrete, the #5 gr. 60 rebar gave it the most hassle. All in all I look at the rental cost, the replacement chain I bought and for $ 75.00 more I could have hired the guy with a wall saw to do the job and save me getting wet feet.

No thanks, I won't be buying one anytime soon.

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CJKarl

yup. sub out any serious wall cuts and you won't have any problems. If you ask me the guys work cheap for what you end up getting.

Also as for buying a saw, the concrete cutting chainsaws are NOT retrofitted wood cutting chain saws. Ask anyone that cuts wood for a living and I bet they tell you any good saw is $800-1000. and that's just for wood. It's very hard to beat a 16"+ diamond blade on a water fed track.

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