The Brew Cabin

Hi Tony happy new year mate, can u plz assist??? when cutting clay blocks can i still use a normal block splitter or do they all need a tickle with a diamond blade?? also when i consolidate the finished area can i pass over with a normal wacker plate over kiln sand or do i need a rubber cover for the plate?? cheers tony

A normal splitter will work with clays, but you'll probably find that you're getting a lot of reject cuts or spalling. Probst do a special splitter for clay pavers, but, in all honesty, you're probably better off with a saw cut.

As for the consolidating, many manufacturers recommend a rubber/neoprene mat be fitted to the base of the plate compactor, but it's not absolutely essential, and you can achieve a similar effect by lashing a doubled-up sheet of visqueen to the plate. There can be a greater incidence of spalling caused by the plate compactir if you have a thoroughly compacted base/sub-base/bedding layer, but, if you've used the partial pre-compaction method for your screeding, then any damage tends to be very minimal.

If you find you're doing a lot of clay paver work, it's worth investing in a plate mat, but if it's a one-off or something you do once or twice a year, partial pre-com-action and a sheet of visqueen are just as good.