My new digs :)

[lemoncurd1702]

That's coming along nicely Simon. Some excellent detailing there.
Did you cut the slabs to form the diamonds or do they come like that?

[sy76uk]

Thank Mark.
I cut 600's down to fit a 300x300 in the diamond shape.
Although TBH, I made the inserts 340 instead of 320 by mistake so had to cut the diamonds down from 600s lol.

[rxbren]

Cracking job there mate

[lemoncurd1702]

Thank Mark.
I cut 600's down to fit a 300x300 in the diamond shape.
Although TBH, I made the inserts 340 instead of 320 by mistake so had to cut the diamonds down from 600s lol.

Looks spot on to me.
Did you cut those on a Table saw or with a Buzz saw?

[sy76uk]

Thanks rxbren.

110v 9" grinder and a work mate mark :laugh:
I do need to invest in a table saw. It would make that type of work easier.

[rxbren]

Must be a lot of dust with the grinder?

[sy76uk]

There is. I use a respirator.
I also have a cut off saw with water suppression but I find I do my best cutting with a grinder.

[lemoncurd1702]

Same here Simon, I find a grinder much smoother. How anyone can cut a straight line with a buzz saw I don't know and as soon as the water touches it the marked line is lost.
I do have a wet bench saw with a laser guide but its such a palaver to set up its only worth getting out if there's a lot of cutting to do.
Not exactly portable either at 98kg and a 5kva tranny that trips every customers unit.

[sy76uk]

I know what you mean Mark.
I use my cut off saw when the stuff i'm cutting is over 50mm thick. I usually run the saw lightly over the line dry to score it before I use water suppression so I don't wash the line away.

I did a patio in teakwood a few years back and the stuff was that easy to cut I used a 4" grinder on it.
The way I see it is the smaller the tool the easier it is to handle.
Sod being bent over with a big cut off saw all day if you don't have to. Or lug about a bench saw that weighs as much as I do lol and have to shout the client every 5 minutes to flip the switch on the fuse box

[lemoncurd1702]

What i find funny is the different way people hold cutters.
I'm right handed, I hold the front handle in the right and the trigger in the left, my right forearm rests on my right knee to steady things.

Everyone else seems to hold it the other hand around looking like their playing a game of twister. Cack handed fecks

[sy76uk]

I'm right handed but use my right hand on the trigger. I do use my left knee to help steady though.
Funnily enough one of my friends is left handed but he uses a grinder in the exact same way I do.

Don't you have to work the trigger with your palm that way around ?

[mickg]

looks like the cack hand is you Mark as I am the same as Simon with the trigger in my right hand but my knee is well away from everything

do you cut clockwise or anti clock wise ?

[lemoncurd1702]

Nah your all cack handed I'm the only one who isn't . clockwise, is it possible to go anti, surely it will only spin in one direction?
The handle can be rotated so the trigger faces towards the floor, should be a a screw somewhere to do this.

I think the way I hold it has to do with my stance which gives me a side view of the blade rather than directly over it. Much clearer view of the line and less muck in the face. Dunno but it works for me.

[sy76uk]

:laugh:
We've all got our own way of holding the cutter.

I'm quite tall at 6'4" and I hold the grinder with my left hand on the adjustable grip facing upward and my right hand on the trigger.
I rest my left elbow on my knee while cutting and king of move my knee without moving my feet in a kind of kung fu motion to go forward with the cutter. Because of my long legs I can go through 600 in one motion whilst looking at the side of the blade.

I'm not as good on any type of cutter as my dad though. When he cuts slabs down to use as edgings it doesn't matter which way up they go.

[KAMIKAZEE DIY]

Sy76,

Your project looks fantastic and cuts look like done in a factory. When I laid my slabs straight cuts was a challenge. OK I didn't have bananas but they were nothing like yours.

Any tips?

Read the section on main site about using a metal straight edge as cutting guide but I don't fancy that, not in my Nike air max (hence KAMIKAZEE name).

Good luck with project, I'm sure it'll be worth the effort.

Cheers