How Diamond Blades Work
Since they do wear down in use, diamond blades are actually “grinding wheels” with diamond particles as the abrasive agent. Individual diamond particles remove material by “scratching out” particles of hard, dense substances, or by “knocking out” larger particles of loosely bonded, abrasive material during the cutting operation.
Although diamonds are the hardest substance in the world, these diamond particles do wear out or break down after cutting for a period of time. New, untouched diamonds are, however, exposed by the wearing down of the metal “bond.”
Large particles of soft, abrasive materials wear down this metal bond faster than the small particles removed from hard, dense materials. Because of this, a diamond blade for cutting a soft, abrasive material must have a hard metal bond to resist this erosion long enough for the exposed diamonds to be properly utilized. Conversely, a soft bond is needed to ensure that it will erode and expose new diamonds, allowing the blade to continue cutting efficiently.
Years of experience and development have given Penhall a vast number of bonds of different hardness levels for different levels of “Controlled Bond Erosion” for all masonry and concrete materials.
Diamond Blade Safety
All manufacturers of diamond blades are very concerned that their products are used in a safe manner. The following is a list of Do’s and Don’ts for concrete and masonry sawing. This is provided with the intention of eliminating hazardous conditions or practices. Please take time to read and understand its principles.
How to Mount Diamond or Abrasive Blades
- Using the blade shaft wrench supplied with the saw, loosen and remove the blade shaft bolt and remove collar. Be sure blade shaft collars and arbor are free of dirt and all foreign materials before mounting blade on the shaft. TIGHTENING AN ABRASIVE BLADE AGAINST AN UNEVEN SURFACE COULD FRACTURE THE BLADE or cause blade to run out of alignment, causing excessive blade wear, and/or unsafe sawing conditions.
- Place the blade on the arbor. Attach loose collar and tighten the blade shaft bolt securely. When tightening bolt against outside blade shaft collar, be sure to tighten enough to hold the blade firmly without slipping, but do not over tighten. EXCESSIVE TIGHTENING CAN CAUSE AN ABRASIVE BLADE TO FRACTURE.