[stacker]

i have a carbide for my sawzall.works great to cut block.
drill holes large enough for the blade and follow you line for a tight fit.

 

[CJKarl]

Well I hope that was in the specs then and you caught that before your bid. Score them with a grinder, drill holes and knock them out with a chisel.

I do stuff like this all the time. Finish block, finish bluestone. Need to have skilled craftspeople doing it. 4" grinder cut as deep as you can, score, cut diagonal. Tap out with a small sharp chisel.
Pay me and I'll come out and do it for you. :clap:

 

[masonkable]

I have to add to the ideas here. With regards to any style block from burnished to a fused glazed tile face, I have cut many rectangle holes; first I outline the box or whatever needs to be inserted, then by using a diamond drill bit 3/16" in size hammer drill multiple holes all the way around the outline. The piece will obviously fall out, you will have numerous small semi-circular holes to deal with. Though after sparky inserts the box you should only have a very minimum of semi-circular holes showing, plus dont forget that there will be a switch plate our outlet plate that will cover any small defects of the drilling. I would say it should take about 5-7 minutes per hole to do. I have done multiples of these on commercial projects in the past. And if it is also a architectual thing that they are needed in the middle of the face of the unit, then oh well, thats what needs to be done.

 

[sleeper]

I’m not a Mason, but I’ve had to do this a number of times as an electrician.
I tried a lot of ways, but I always ended up drilling holes in each corner and using a small grinder to cut between the holes. The round grinder will not cut all the way through, but at least gives you a straight edge and then I used a chisel to break it up and clean the sides.

 

[Rockmonster]

Although it seems like an odd request by the architect, nothing surprises me nowadays. But this might be just what the doctor ordered;http://youtube.com/watch?v=7hfyyJqnNk0

I don't envy you with groundface........

 

[concretemasonry]

Brick -

Apparently you are a small customer for the limited block producers in your area. The Ivany is an old, archaic (40 years old) they was made for a different purposes.

Few contractors buy enough block to be able to get specials made and will not pay the price. The good supplier of architectural block spuuplier (especially burnished and colored) can get the block from a supplier or make them and finish them with cut-outs to mason contractor.

I have seen colored 8" burnish/ground block made with one flush en and one with "ears", 2 cores that were different sixes and one had a solid bottom. - It was worth it for the project and fortunately, the architect had it on the architectural and acoustic drawings for a concert hall.

 

[NJ Brickie]

I do stuff like this all the time. Finish block, finish bluestone. Need to have skilled craftspeople doing it. 4" grinder cut as deep as you can, score, cut diagonal. Tap out with a small sharp chisel.
Pay me and I'll come out and do it for you. :clap:

That's the whole point. "Pay me". What the architect is asking for is not considered normal means or methods. Soooo like I said, sure it can be done. But it had better been called out in the specs. It hardly takes "skilled craftspeople" to cut boxes in CMU. But it takes a lot of extra time (money) to cut it the way the architect is asking for.

 

[NJ Brickie]

Brick -

Apparently you are a small customer for the limited block producers in your area. The Ivany is an old, archaic (40 years old) they was made for a different purposes.

Few contractors buy enough block to be able to get specials made and will not pay the price. The good supplier of architectural block spuuplier (especially burnished and colored) can get the block from a supplier or make them and finish them with cut-outs to mason contractor.

I have seen colored 8" burnish/ground block made with one flush en and one with "ears", 2 cores that were different sixes and one had a solid bottom. - It was worth it for the project and fortunately, the architect had it on the architectural and acoustic drawings for a concert hall.

I'm not here to have a pissing contest with you or anyone else. I am not a customer at all. I work for a large masonry company out of Philadelphia. We have had specialty block made for various projects, including stadiums and schools. But this still has nothing to do with the OP question. Going under the assumption that he is using a standard CMU. He needs the center of his boxes to be 3 5/8" from the end and 3 5/8" up from the bottom. How does the type of block he is using change the fact this can not be done using normal means and methods?

 

[Nac]

That's the whole point. "Pay me". What the architect is asking for is not considered normal means or methods. Soooo like I said, sure it can be done. But it had better been called out in the specs. It hardly takes "skilled craftspeople" to cut boxes in CMU. But it takes a lot of extra time (money) to cut it the way the architect is asking for.

If it is not called out in the spec or a detail in the drawing it has change order written all over it. I agree it can be done but at an extra cost. Never mind all the bends you have to put in the conduit above the box to miss all the webs or you are going to have to cut the center web and close pin all the other cmu above.

 

[Nac]

Brick -

Apparently you are a small customer for the limited block producers in your area. The Ivany is an old, archaic (40 years old) they was made for a different purposes.

Few contractors buy enough block to be able to get specials made and will not pay the price. The good supplier of architectural block spuuplier (especially burnished and colored) can get the block from a supplier or make them and finish them with cut-outs to mason contractor.

I have seen colored 8" burnish/ground block made with one flush en and one with "ears", 2 cores that were different sixes and one had a solid bottom. - It was worth it for the project and fortunately, the architect had it on the architectural and acoustic drawings for a concert hall.

Not that I want to get evolved but I am from the area and we have quite a few large cmu suppliers manufactures in the area. Clayton Anchor Block (Old Castle) and they will make anything you want if your order in advance and want to pay to tool up. And Ivony block are a usually a stock item around here but it is for a retaining wall. In our area two hole block is standard cmu.