Track/Wall Sawing

This equipment was developed to enable cutting of door and window openings through walls as well as through floors for stairways, lifts, etc., without the need to stitch drill i.e. a series of interlocking holes.

The track saw consists of an aluminium rail which has a set of supporting feet that are secured to the concrete by means of rawlbolts or similar. This track has guides or rails built into it together with a toothed rack or track.
The travelling bogey is secured to track by runners and a cog wheel engages the ‘rack’ to enable it to travel backwards and forwards along the track. The bogey also houses the hydraulic motor which powers the diamond saw blade. This can be as small as 450mm dia. to as large as 2m or more. The smaller the diameter the faster the r.p.m. and vice-versa.

The power unit is now-a-days always hydraulic - either electric or diesel powered, and is operated by remote control away from the surface being worked upon.
The cutting is carried out by making a series of passes along the length being cut. The depth of each pass depends upon the type of material, the blade and the operative.
The operator starts with a small diameter blade and works upwards to finish with one suitable to complete the job. It is vital to ensure that all sections being cut or worked upon are adequately supported, and all services made safe.

Wire Sawing
This is a relatively recent development. Although there are some wire saws which were purpose made, the machines now generally in use in the building industry to-day can be quickly and easily converted from wall/track saws into wire saws.

The method of setting up is similar to that of the track saw but in lieu of the saw blade a grooved pulley wheel of 800mm diameter is fitted which takes the diamond wire. This wire is passed over any number of small idler pulleys to the surface being cut. The wire is a steel core of strands approx. 6m. dia. of almost any length. It has diamond beads along its length approximately 30mm apart and 10mm dia. The beads are separated by either small springs, plastic or rubber, depending upon the type of wire and the manufacturer.

The wire is positioned over the pulleys and fed through pre-drilled holes in the concrete that is being cut and back over the drive pulley. The wire can be of almost any length and is joined by special crimps.

Sawing is carried out by turning on the power and maintaining a constant speed, whilst applying pressure on the wire by gently applying a steady backward movement along the track.

Chain Sawing
Now available in petrol powered as well as hydraulically powered versions, the Concrete Chain Saw typically uses diamond segments, laser-welded onto a specialised chain and powered by a specialised saw power-head. The advantages offered by this technology include deep plunge-cutting and corners with no over-cuts. This makes the tool very useful for windows, door openings and small mechanical openings. A significant time and labour saving can be achieved over "stitch-drilling" with this tool. Now on the market worldwide for more than 15 years, improvements to the technology over the last several years have continually increased chain life and lowered cost of use. A wide variety of saws and chain types are available for different applications, including brick, stone and reinforced concrete. Concrete Chain Saws look like wood cutting chain saws, but use water for cooling and lubrication instead of oil, and do not produce "kickback" like a wood cutting saw as the cutting process is grinding rather than chipping.

Ring Sawing
The ring saw has been developed from the grinder, but is powered by hydraulics and is in daily use in our industry.

As with the chain saw it is hand held and rather cumbersome, although in the hands of a skilled operative it is very effective. Water supply is needed at all times. The depth of cut is limited by the blade diameter, but up to 250mm can usually be managed depending upon the type of material being worked upon.
It is fairly quiet and vibration free, and the blades are diamond type. This unit can be used to form door and window openings in walls also openings in precast floors.

Floor Saw

The floor saw is either pushed by the operator or more generally a self-propelled unit, powered by either a diesel or petrol engine or electric motor.

Floor saws vary in power from 13 HP to in excess of 70 HP. They are used extensively on roads and motorways to cut asphalt and concrete cleanly and quickly to enable efficient repairs and alterations to be carried out to these surfaces.

The advantages of the floor saw over the track / wall saw is that it does not require any setting up time, has its own power unit and is a very rapid cutting machine.

For roads, runways, warehouse aprons and ground floors, this machine is ideal. Cutting depths can reach 550mm, although greater depths have been cut, depending on the blade and guard size.

Some of the more specialised companies are now using laser guided machines in factories and warehouses to obtain straight and accurate lines.
With this unit a good operative is a great asset as he can saw straight and accurate lines over any length, obtain good blade wear and also maintain a high speed of cut.