Cutting bricks (patio)

[The Swede]

Finishing up a small project and have a dozen-20 patio bricks that need to be fitted up to a wall, so need to custom cut.

What's the best/easiest way to do this?

[elchivito]

Originally Posted by The Swede

Finishing up a small project and have a dozen-20 patio bricks that need to be fitted up to a wall, so need to custom cut.

What's the best/easiest way to do this?

Not being very good with a brick chisel, I've had good luck by scoring brick with a masonry blade on either a skill saw or angle grinder and then whacking outside the scoreline firmly with a brick hammer.

[kerry]

Chisel or wet saw depending on how clean a cut you want.

[TMAllison]

Elmo's Little Helper is a score/snapping tool if the cut doesn't have to be clean.

Rent a tile or brick wet saw if the cut needs to be pretty.

[SwampYankee]

When I did my patio two years ago I just bought a couple masonry blades for my circular saw and just took my time.

[barry12345]

Originally Posted by SwampYankee

When I did my patio two years ago I just bought a couple masonry blades for my circular saw and just took my time.

This works well except do not use a good table saw. The resultant dust from cutting will get into the mechanisim. I have an old 9 inch table saw that is reserved for that duty.

For example one blade will easily allow me to put a brick veneer of simulated rustic bricks made of colored concrete on a house with a lot of blade life left. This is dry cutting those bricks as well. I have also used an old chop saw dry with the same results. We are talking the 10.00 diamond serrrated blades here in the eight inch range. Masonary abrasive type blades are a total joke in comparison.

[KarTek]

The guys that built my front porch simply held the bricks in their hand and struck them with the cutting end of the brick hammer.

I tried a few and while the bricks break very easily, it takes a little finesse to get a clean cut exactly where you want it.

[The Swede]

I wonder if a brick hammer or score/snapping tool would be effective to remove something like 2 cm longitudinally? Some of the bricks just barely fit...

I'm thinking a wet-saw would be a better fit, but like the hand tool route as to avoid a daily rental fee for something that will only take part of a morning.

[The Swede]

Originally Posted by SwampYankee

When I did my patio two years ago I just bought a couple masonry blades for my circular saw and just took my time.

No circular saw.

[Stoney]

4 1/2 inch grinder with a diamond masonry cutting blade will do the trick. Check out what HD or your local Hilti store has in stock.

[The Swede]

Originally Posted by Stoney

4 1/2 inch grinder with a diamond masonry cutting blade will do the trick. Check out what HD or your local Hilti store has in stock.

Thanks, think I'll go this route.

[Benz Fan]

Originally Posted by The Swede

No circular saw.

You're better off. I've grown used to being able to count to ten without using someone else's fingers and plan to keep it that way.

[cullennewsom]

Originally Posted by Benz Fan

You're better off. I've grown used to being able to count to ten without using someone else's fingers and plan to keep it that way.

You aren't supposed to put your fingers in it.

[elchivito]

I find a 4.5" grinder WAY harder to control than a skilsaw, especially cutting or scoring masonry.

[Zulfiqar]

I have seen rock being used as decorative bricks and those folks would use a copper saw with some sand to make the gouge, lodge a chisel in the gouge and smartly tap it with. Once every bit was tapped - one strike would slice the brick shaped rock.

This was in the ME - but may work for your bricks too.