Cutting Pavers? Harbor Freight 14" Cut-Off Saw?

Looks like your question has been answered. Any old diamond blade in a tile saw or skill saw will work, but in my humble opinion I'm with the reply posted by Daryl in MN... I'd simply scribe and hammer and chisel on the break line. It seems like anything else is just more time and unnecessary work for brick, stone or paver jobs. Sure perfect cut is required for tile work, but yard pavers or brick work unless you really have a need for precise clean cuts... not really. Pavers, stone and brick work is rustic by nature.
 
Depends on the cut. À straight cut at 90 degrees yeah à Good hammer and it Will break perfectly. If à round or diagonal is required Well à machine would do the job nicer.


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The pavers are concrete. I need some rather thin wedge shaped pieces to fit around some curved pavement. I tried the chisel (brick set) and hammer but that was an abysmal failure. Although I could easily cut all the pieces in one day with a wet saw, setting them and fitting is what takes the time. I'm sure a professional could finish the job easily in one day, me not so much. I'm leaning toward trying the angle grinder since it is the real low cost option.
 
There are cheaper table saw style wet saws as well. I have one and it works, but when I got the good overhead saw in the middle of a paver job at my house my everything improved. Because I wasn't frazzled and wore out from concentrating on cutting and the cuts came out 10 times faster and perfect every time I was better focused while laying the pavers too. Good tools make every aspect of the job easier. If I was cutting 10 stones I wouldn't worry about it. Cutting 50 or 100 adds up pretty quick. At the end of the day you will feel better and sharper too.

There are times those other tools are the right tool for the job. I'm also pretty fair (or I used to be) at cutting in a masonry box in a brick wall with an angle grinder, and finishing with a hammer and chisel. Those were the right tool for the job. Its like punching a hole through a concrete wall with a star drill for a conduit. Yeah, I can do it, but WHY!?!

No I am not a masonry contractor. LOL. I was a licensed communications contractor for 23 years and I cut, punch, drilled, and hammered a lot of hard stuff over the years. Sometimes I had to fix things too. Of course I've done plenty of personal projects over the years.

CAVEAT
To be fair I have always preached that good tools save time and money even if they cost more. Its a good rule for a contractor, tradesman, or craftsman of any kind. However, when I was doing the paver job I talked about above I was stubbornly just using the saw I already had like you. I was running paver sidewalk from the back door of my house to the concrete pad next to my work shop. I was completely white with paver mud from cutting on the little table saw cutter. I'd been at it for a day, and a half and I was less than 1/2 done. My wife showed up with the decent quality overhead wet saw and presented it as, "I already bought it so flipping use it." I was beat, so I took a short break and had a glass of water. I didn't really want to stop working for the time to assemble and learn how to use a new tool, but I resigned myself to it rather than get in an argument with SWMBO. I finished the rest of the job the same day. It was almost fun. It was easier, I still had daylight left to clean up and going fishing, and I actually felt like going.

Yeah, she's a good woman, and no she doesn't have a sister. LOL.
 
Rich,
You don't state whether the cut is straight or on a curve.
Myself I try to lay all the whole pieces I can and then go back and fill in the cuts.
Stick with the 4" dry cut off blade and score with two or three passes.
Resist the urge to smooth out the cut with the side of the blade...BAD THINGS HAPPEN...
**Gator**
P.S. Like others above have said be safe and use the proper precautions.
 
Not sure where you are located...you can always buy a used saw or a new one and then sell it when you are done with the job. Often you can get out of a tool for a reasonable cost and have used a nice tool at your leisure
 
I bought a Plasplugs bottom cutting tile saw about a million years ago at HD - under $50. It has lasted over 15 years and completed several tile jobs. I parked it unused for a decade, then pulled it out a few weeks ago when I needed to cut granite cobblestones for a patio. About two minutes of wet sawing 1/4" deep around 3 sides, then a swift whack with a masonry chisel and they gave right up. Amazing value saw.

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So I tried the angle grinder and it works amazingly well. It's dusty and noisy but cuts fast and allows me to cut some curved pieces. The diamond blade was $15. I'm using an old angle grinder that is probably nearing end of life anyway ($5 at a yard sale a few years ago). I'm sure a good wet saw would be much more pleasant to use but this will get the job done.
 
++ on the angle grinder ... done it a number of times ...don't need to go thru, just a good score and break it. use the diamond blade to trim as necessary. Water is good if u can rig it safely, or a large fan at your back to send the dust away from u. still a mess though :>)
 
Make the Area wet on the ground were you cut it. It Will hold half the dust coused by it.


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