Diamond Blade Tips
- Open up the diamonds on a new blade with shallow cuts in soft, abrasive material (eg. limestone)
- For normal cutting, multiple shallow cuts (step cuts) are better than one single deep cuts.
- Do not force the blade. Forcing or twisting the blade can cause bluntness, excessive wear, overheating, distortion and segment damage.
- Do not side grind.
- If your slurry colour changes to brown or red, you are most probably cutting the dirt or sub base. This will wear your diamond blade quicker, so raise your blade.
- If you're going to change directions on a floor saw, make sure your machine is off and the blade is up out of the cut before changing direction.
- If your blade does not have a direction indication on it, you should be able to see a "comet tail" behind exposed diamonds if the blade was "broken in" at the factory. This indicated the direction - the tail should be behind the comet. If you put a blade on in the direction opposite to the directional arrow you may experience a little slower cutting or a little vibration at first until the diamond is exposed on the opposite side. This should not harm the blade as long as you maintain the same direction but may reduce the life fractionally if it is continually reversed.
Diamond Blade Troubleshooting
Glazing - As a diamond blade is used, the bond wears, exposing more diamond that continue cutting. If the bond does not wear back, then eventually there is no diamond exposed, and so the blade will slow down and stop cutting. The cutting edge of the blade will feel smooth. This is known as glazing or polishing
Possible causes are:
- The bond is too hard for the material it is cutting - select the correct blade.
- The machine is not powerful enough for the specification (usually experienced more with professional blades and saws)
- The blade has been mounted with the rotation arrow the wrong way.
Rectify by re dressing the blade by cutting an abrasive material like limestone to remove some bond and expose diamonds so cutting can continue.
Short blade life - Generally caused by using a bond which is too soft for the material being cut. Select the correct blade for the application.
It usually occurs when cutting more abrasive materials such as asphalt, green concrete or sandstone (which requires a UDT black blade). Wet cutting will also extend the life of a blade compared to dry cutting.
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Problem
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Probable Causes
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Solutions
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Diamond Blade Will Not Cut
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Diamond Blade is too hard for material being cut | Select proper specification for material being cut |
| Diamond Blade had become glazed as a result of being used on hard material | Dress with abrasive material until diamond becomes exposed again | |
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Diamond Blade Worn Out of Round
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Shaft Bearings are worn | Replace bearings as required |
| Engine is not properly tuned on concrete saws, causing surges in blade rotation | Tune engine according to manufacturers manual | |
| Bond is too hard for material | Use proper Diamond blade specification | |
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Uneven Segment Wear
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Insufficient water in wet cutting | Ensure water distribution to both sides of Diamond blade |
| Saw is misaligned | Check saw head alignment and shaft alignment | |
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Diamond Blade Arbor Hole Out of Round
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Diamond Blade collar is not properly tightened | Make certain that the Diamond blade is adequately secured |
| Diamond Blade collar is worn or dirty, not allowing proper blade clamping | Clean Diamond blade collars, making sure they are not worn | |
| Diamond Blade is not properly mounted | Make certain the Diamond blade is mounted on the proper shaft diameter before tightening shaft nut. | |
| Ensure the pin bole slides over the drive pin | ||
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Undercutting the Steel Core
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Caused by abrasive debris in cut wearing steel core | Use the Diamond blade with proper undercut protection, or provide adequate water to the steel core |
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Diamond Segment Cracks
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Diamond Blade is too hard for material being cut | Use Diamond blade with softer bond |
| Excessive force to start sawing | Use the saw without any strong force - allow the machine to do the work. | |
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Diamond Blade Wobbles
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Diamond Blade runs at improper speed | Check engine/motor speed |
| Diamond Blade arbor hole is not identical | Check Diamond blade arbor hole to make sure they are clean, flat and or correct diameter | |
| Diamond Blade is bent as a result of dropping or twisting | Change to new Diamond blade | |
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Diamond Segment Loss
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Overheating due to lack of water or continuous dry cutting | Ensure adequate water on both sides of Diamond blade. |
| For dry cutting allow the Diamond blade to run freely every few minutes | ||
| Steel core is worn from undercutting | Use sufficient water to flush out the cut | |
| Diamond Blade is cutting out of round, causing a pounding motion | Replace worn bearing, realign Diamond blade shaft or replace worn blade mounting arbor | |
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Cracks in Steel Core
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Diamond Blade flutters in cut as a result of Diamond blade losing tension | Tighten the Diamond blade shaft nut |
| Make sure the Diamond blade is running at correct speed and that drive pin is functioning properly | ||
| Diamond Blade specification is too hard for material being cut | Use correct Diamond blade with softer bond to eliminate stresses | |
| Forcing or twisting the Diamond blade in the cut | Allow the Diamond blade to cut freely without forcing and keep blade straight | |
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Loss of Tension
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Steel core had been overheating as a result of Diamond blade spinning on arbor | Tighten the Diamond blade shaft nut. |
| Make certain the drive pin is functioning (on concrete saws) | ||
| Diamond Blade being used at incorrect RPM | Make certain Diamond blade shaft is running at the proper RPM | |
| Diamond Blade is excessively hard for the material being cut | Use softer bonded Diamond blade to reduce operating stress |
Factors Effecting Diamond Blade Performance
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Factors
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Variance
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Cutting Speed
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Life of Blade
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Material Hardness
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Harder
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Slower
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Longer
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Softer
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Faster
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Shorter
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Abrasiveness
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More
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Faster
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Shorter
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Less
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Slower
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Longer
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Aggregate Size
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Larger
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Slower
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Shorter
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Smaller
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Faster
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Longer
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Steel Reinforcement
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Less
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Faster
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Longer
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More
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Slower
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Shorter
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Horsepower
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Lower
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Slower
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Longer
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Higher
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Faster
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Shorter
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Blade RPM
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Lower
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Faster
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Shorter
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Higher
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Slower
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Longer
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Water Flow
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Lower
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Faster
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Shorter
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Higher
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Slower
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Longer
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Cutting Depth
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Shallow
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Faster
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Longer
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Deep
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Slower
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Shorter
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Diamond Quality
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Lower
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Slower
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Shorter
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Higher
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Faster
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Longer
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Diamond Grit Size
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Coarser
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Faster
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Longer
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Finer
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Slower
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Shorter
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Diamond Concentration
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Lower
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Faster
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Shorter
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Higher
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Slower
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Longer
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Segment Height
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Thinner
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Faster
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Shorter
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Thicker
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Slower
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Longer
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Bond Hardness
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Harder
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Slower
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Longer
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Softer
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Faster
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Shorter
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Disclaimer: the information on this website is provided in good faith and believed to be reliable and accurate at this time. However, the information is provided on the basis that the reader will be solely responsible for assessing the information and its veracity and usefulness. UDT shall in no way be liable, in negligence or howsoever, for any loss sustained or incurred by anyone relying on the information, even if such information is or turns out to be wrong, incomplete, out-of-date or misleading.
