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What are my options for sawing a 8 inch concrete wall

ARB

Titanium
Joined
Dec 7, 2002
Location
Granville,NY,USA
I have an 8 inch poured concrete wall that i would like to saw a door way in.

What are my options nowadays for this. I have seen people struggle with drilling holes and using demo saws. I'm not interested in those methods.

Is there some sort of slick diamond rail saw that I can rent for this?
 
Sorry - but your best bet is to hire a concrete sawing company

They specialize in this crap and have all the frames, jigs, and tools to make short work out that
 
Options for sawing an eight inch concrete wall

I had an opening sawed in my 8 inch concrete wall and OMG what a mess.
They did not use any water to stop the dust. (No floor drains)
I cleaned dust out of the basement for two days and then I hired it cleaned by a professional cleaning company. I aint gonna tell ya what I paid............
They did use plastic drop cloths to try to contain the dust but what a mess. I would hire it done and explain to them you really don't want to have to contend with the dust.
I would think if they or you would build a room out of plywood and hook up a large vac system to vent to the outside, you might have a chance. Maybe even two rooms, one on each side of the wall if it is into another room. Drill holes to allow the vac system to draw from both rooms until you have a large "vent hole".

This was 9 or 10 years ago. I still find dusty things in he basement.

The gas powered concrete saws really do a fast job but the dust is abundant.
Good Luck
Regards Walt...
 
Sorry - but your best bet is to hire a concrete sawing company

They specialize in this crap and have all the frames, jigs, and tools to make short work out that

X 2 (or is it 3;)) ...... it's a specialised job,........ if you want it clean, insist the contractor understands your requirements.
 
I had a couple windows cut in an 8 inch concrete wall by the same chain saw concrete cutting method already mentioned. I don't recall exactly what it cost, I think about $300 per window and well worth it. I also don't remember a major dust storm, I think they used water. One thing to remember at least around here cutting the hole does not include removing the center slug of concrete. They cut the four sides and then left the piece in the window. I had to break it up and haul it out. Afterwards I asked around and heard that was typical.

Alan
 
I was buying out a small shop in a building with pour and tilt concrete walls. This was an old GE plant and the walls were easily 10 maybe 12 inches thick with lots of rebar. Anyway the landord was adding an overhead door for the next tenant and the concrete cutters came in one morning, anchored tracks to the wall and ran the rail saws, in about 8 hours they had a 12 ft overhead door cut, but like above left the concrete in the hole. Until now I just figured they weren't ready to knock it out. Cuts were as slick as glass BTW, they used water, no dust at all.
 
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My neighbor does this for a living. Rail saws and diamond cable. He says to absolutely insist on water assist or find another contractor. You'll never get rid of all that dust. A real contractor will have water vacs or other means of slurry disposal.

Ray
 
Rent a cement saw at your local Rental Company. It looks like a large skill saw with a special blade that cuts cement. It has a fitting for water to keep the blade cool and wash away the dust.
 
If you want to DIY, find a rental company that has a Partner hydraulic ring saw. They're light and powerful, and the rim driven blade allows you to saw about 10" deep with a 14" blade. A ring saw is likely about the most hi-tech solution you'd find on a rental basis. The wire type rail jobs are the sort of thing that has enough of a learning curve to keep most rental outfits from wanting to rent them and have to deal with equipment damage on a regular basis.

But, I wouldn't do that until I'd checked with a local concrete sawing outfit to see what it'd cost for them to do it. One DIY experience would be a plenty to make their price seem lots more reasonable :)
 
I've used the big gas powered 14" circular saws for concrete, Always a big mess, using water or not.
The slickest and quickest are the chain saw looking with diamond blade. always use water, they don't use that much water so clean up can be a shop vac. They cost about $1000 and up to buy, I haven't seen many at rental yards but they are starting to show up.
Probably for one hole the best is to hire a concrete cutting Co.
 
I'm with Joefin. Tell the professionals when you are interviewing them that you can't have any dust. Stay and watch/help them. Walts idea about the room or extra tarps will help, too.

Don't go with the cheapest bid either. The best guys will know what to watch for. If they are cutting and the wall starts to collapse? or crack where it isn't supposed to? They will have supports or something to keep it from crashing down.

When you saw into the re-bar what will that do to the blade? Is there special precautions to take to prevent landslide?

An 8" wall is pretty serious. I saw a storm cellar years ago that was done by some contractors and when they started to move the forms for the entrance opening it caved in. Where the re-bar was placed or not placed didn't allow for the opening to be there.

You'll probably have to put in a steel frame surround to support the area.(You probably already know);)

ARB, I don't want to sound like a know it all. I just don't want you to get hurt, or have something collapse and know that I didn'y say anything.

After talking to a contractor about how they will go about it,you might get enough info to do it yourself.:D

Good luck and let us know what you do.


JAckal:cheers:
 
JAcka beat me to it. I would first see what the local building inspector has to say. Also any chance there are powerlines or plumbing inside the wall?
Bill D.
 
hire a pro and along with specifying a dust free job make sure they have the equipment to cut the full depth in one cut. a monkey with a clapped out hand-held demolition saw cutting from both sides of the wall may bid cheaper but it'll cost you in aggravation...."dust? don't worry, i'll be sure to sweep up real good when i'm done...oh, and i'm a gonna make the opening a few inches wider so there's room to fudge the door in between my mismatched cuts":angry:
 
Thanks for the replies guys.
I found a couple local outfits that do this.

I'll call around.

I don't plan on doing this myself.

I have better things to do.

FWIW there are no utilities in this space and no load bearing.
 
The chain saw is the LASt tool a fellow pulls off the truck,slow exspensive,and hard to handle.
Circluar saws seem to be the norm,ring saw for the last depth,I rode shot gun on trucks loaded with all but the wire/cable cutters/band saw.
water needed,1 man on the saw,nother wit the vaccum suckin up the water.
dirty nasty hard work,pays exellent.
I know late to the game,felt like ramblin.
best o luck
Gw
 
What are my options nowadays for this. I have seen people struggle with drilling holes and using demo saws.

It doesn't need to be a struggle. All you need is a drill, a couple drift punches sized to fit the drilled hole (one won't last for the whole job), and a sledge hammer. Drill the holes, then work your way around with the drift punches; they're like controlled dynamite. I can be cathartic.
 
well, lol. i drilled holes and use a demo saw. and it was FREE. sort of.

see, the expense of a diamond chainsaw rental (and chain wear charge) or the gas demo saw rental was more thant buying a decent abrasive cutoff saw. which I reasoned would be usefull to have after the hole in the wall.

I just unpinned it from it's base and held the unrully bastard carefully.
wall1.jpg


the chainsaw blade wear or the demo saw would have cost hundreds to do this job, per the guys at the rental store, (which was Sunbelt, and they are not a dumb homeowner rental outfit)

mine was mostly block. and a little limestone brick. I pitty the fool doing poured concrerte

I did build a plastic tent inside. and had a good fan. it contained the dust well.

I had to cut from bothe sides due to blade depth. which wasnt very hard using snap lines from drilled holes.
 








 
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