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About Diamond Blades
Diamond blades consist of a steel core with diamond segments added to its periphery.
Diamond blades are available for different hardnesses of masonry materials, stone, concrete, reinforced
concrete, etc.
Some diamond blades are designed to be used wet only, while others are designed to be allowed to be used
dry. Refer to the blade manufacturer’s instructions.
Generally speaking, even if the blade is specified as a dry type blade, diamond tools always work better when
wet, and dry cutting should be limited to situations in which water cannot or should not be used. Water will
prevent the blade from overheating, greatly reduce the amount of harmful dust created by cutting, remove
the slurry from the cut, and extend the life of the blade. Dry cutting of very hard materials such as porcelain or
reinforced concrete will lead to rapid tool wear and possible failure.
The diamond impregnated segments operate on a principle of controlled erosion. The bond matrix holding
the diamonds is continually worn away by abrasion with the workpiece, exposing the harder diamonds to
stand proud from the bond matrix. Blades made for cutting harder materials will have a softer bond, allowing
the diamonds project more aggressively (but will not last as long). Blades made for cutting softer, abrasive
materials will have a harder bond, allowing them to resist the abrasiveness of the material and to last longer.
With enough erosion of the bond matrix (the diamonds not exposed) and the blade becomes dull . This is
called glazing . If the blade seems to refuse to cut anymore,
it is glazed.
See below:
”Sharpening a Glazed Blade”
Never use a sharp motion or the blade will be damaged. Conversely, don’t feed too gently or the diamond
segments will become glazed. Keep the blade steadily working.
Take great care to keep the blade perpendicularly aligned to the kerf. If the blade is crooked, it will easily bind.
When cutting reinforced concrete, if embedded steel is encountered, take special care. Reduce the feed
pressure by about 1/3 and let the blade go at its own pace, if there is too much vibration the blade may be
destroyed. Once the steel is passed, continue normally.
NOTE: Never use a wet-type diamond blade without water. It will overheat and be destroyed.
NOTE: When using dry blades, do not allow them to overheat. It is best to cut no longer than about 60
seconds at a time, with 10 second running in air cool down times in between.
Always mount the blade with the arrow matching the direction of rotation of the machine (A direction arrow is
marked on the blade guard).
WARNING: Never use blades for cutting a material other than the material they were intended for.
SHARPENING A GLAZED BLADE
Diamond blades may become glazed (dull). Once the diamond segments are glazed, the blade’s cutting
performance will degrade and the segments will overheat. To resharpen the blade, turn down the water
feed and make a few cuts in a very soft, abrasive material such as brick or an alumina oxide or silicon carbide
dressing stone.
