Diamond Tools For Granite Fabricating

First, let’s define what bullnosing is. If you’re considering tackling a kitchen, bathroom or bar countertop fabrication and installation yourself, you’re going to come across the bullnose term frequently. Bullnosing is the process of adding a smooth, finished, aesthetically-pleasing edge to an unfinished natural stone, granite slab or tile. A good bullnosing job also protects the edge from chipping and cracking.

Natural stone such as granite, marble and travertine in slab form are popular choices for new construction and remodeling or reconstruction projects. Decorative stone, ceramic, and custom or hand-made tiles can be alternative substitutes for massive stone slabs, because tiles can be easily installed by one DIY person working alone.

Bullnosing requires specialized diamond tools… like diamond grinders, routers, polishing pads and shapers… for cutting, grinding, and polishing natural stones like granite and marble. When ceramic or porcelain tiles require bullnosing, the tile must be cut, bullnosed, and the edge or trim must be polished and refinished to match the surface finish. All the tools and accessories needed for cutting, grinding, sanding, finishing and polishing the average DIY countertop project along with instruction is offered.

Need to drill granite, marble, any natural stone, porcelain, concrete… even glass? Then you need to be using diamond drilling bits. There are Diamond Drill Bits for drilling ceramic tile, drilling glass, concrete, porcelain, granite and other natural stone. Diaomnd drilling bits provide drilling solutions for almost every material imaginable to help you get the job done right and as inexpensively as possible. These Diamond Drill Bits are made to last long through heavy, daily, professional use, so they’ll save you money, and they’ll make your job easier.

Fluted, high-speed diamond drill bits have brazed diamond on the cutting edge allowing you to make small, chip-free holes in ceramic tile, travertine, marble or glass. They fit a regular drill chuck and may be run wet or dry. Need to set an anchor? Now you never have to worry about busting the material with a rotary hammer. Diamond drill bits cut through glass or tiles or just about any material you can imagine, and they do it very cost-efficiently.

Diamond tools are, of course, cutting tools which contain diamond segments for cutting or grinding through a wide variety of natural stones like granite and marble which other industrial-strength cutting tools cannot. The segments are composed of diamond crystals and powder metal which form the bond, or matrix, of the segments.

The matrix is one of the prime factors when selecting which tool to use for cutting a specific material depending on how hard, or abrasive, the material is. The matrix is what decides the rate at which the metallic powders wear down and expose new diamond crystals at the surface to maintain what would be considered a sharp or effective removal edge.

For cutting hard materials, a diamond blade with a soft bond would be needed. This means the metallic powders in the segments or teeth of the diamond blade wear fast enough to release old, dull crystals; and expose new diamond at the edges to continue cutting efficiently. On the other hand, to cut a soft, abrasive material like asphalt or freshly- poured concrete, you would need to use a diamond blade with a hard bond so that the segments do not wear down prematurely, and the blade’s life is not shortened dramatically. Diamond is especially suited to cut highly-abrasive materials, such as ceramics and tiles… in addition to granite and stone.

The diamonds used in these cutting and grinding tools are synthetic or natural industrial diamonds of different grain sizes and shapes. It should be understood that all of these hard vs. soft matrix considerations don’t equate to making the choice of the proper tools a guessing game. But, you should be aware that these considerations have a very profound impact on what success you might expect when using diamond tools. The best advice is to follow the manufacturers’ recommendation and guidelines for diamond tool selection, your wholesaler, distributor or retailer can also often offer excellent guidance as well.

The back splash is usually made from the same granite used for the counters, but it can be ceramic tile, or some other stone or tile product. It may be attached to the counter or to the wall, but in either case the seam between the counter and the back splash will be sealed with caulk. The standard height for a back splash is 4-inches; although they can be made higher if that’s what’s desired. A high or tall back splash is sometimes used behind the kitchen range, stovetop or sink to protect the wall from grease and oil splattering or other stains. This may be adjusted to suit personal taste, but it should be decided before the template is made.

Granite can be cantilevered up to 14-inches; if it’s a large piece with sufficient support on the fixed end. It should never be cantilevered where it might receive excessive stress… such as where someone may be tempted to sit on it. In these cases of excessive stress, it must always be supported. It’s usually best to assume the worst and add proper support on any extension over 6″. An unsupported span of no more than 36-inches; is usually acceptable as long as the stone is supported on both sides of the span.

The Taurus 3 Tile Shaper Ring Saw is a high-quality, tile saw that makes precision-cutting possible and easier. This is a tile shaper ring saw that enables you to make straight or curved cuts on tile and stone with ease. You can even use it handheld like a jigsaw for intricate cutting. This saw can cut forward or backward… even sideways because there is diamond on all sides of the blade! These special 6″ blades deliver at least the same life span as a 7″ tile blade at the same price. The difference is, these blades have no center, and are driven from the outside delivering several advantages:

1) The ability to make straight or curved cuts.
2) Easily slice off the edge of your material. The blade remains stable and rigid without wandering.
3) The diamond coating is all around and over the blade, making forward, backward and side cutting possible.
4) You can use the same blade for all materials. There is no need to change blades.
5) The diamond blade will never glaze over, so there is no need to ever dress the blade.

This tile saw runs whisper quiet and since the blade goes through a water bath it does not make a mess like traditional tile saws do. The saw easily detaches from the waterpan/base so you can run it handheld - just like it was a jigsaw.

Diamond saw blades cut everything from asphalt… to brick and block… to concrete… all the way up to fine, natural stones like granite and marble. They are without question the finest cutting tools available for heavy-duty use. Accordingly, all grades and types of diamond saw blades can be fairly expensive. The most important measure of a good diamond blade is its grade and blade life. A saw’s grade is an assigned rating that defines its use, most typically… rated by the number of times, and the cutting or grinding difficulty of what the blade is being used to cut. As an example, an economy-grade, diamond saw blade is probably only good for a couple of projects before it goes dull and requires sharpening. Standard-grade diamond blades are good for light to moderate use. If you intend to use diamond blades regularly or frequently, choose the premium and/or supreme-grade diamond saw blades. Saw blades rated under this label are excellent for everyday, frequent use with a long blade life, and are usually backed by longer warranties and service guarantees.

Brazed diamond grinding drums are excellent tools for doing an inside circle, oval, or arc. Available with a top bearing (for use with a template) or without one (at a reduced price), they feature the fastest material removal rate of any grinding drum when used on granite and other stone. This is because a diamond tool that utilizes the brazed process of embedding industrial diamonds has 100% diamond exposure… which means you’ll always have tough, abrasive diamond against the material you’re grinding.

The diamond grinding drum pictured above is manufactured by Diamante Italia.

The coarseness grit or grade of this tool is the one of choice for fabrication shops that are manually roughing in a hole in granite for an undermount sink… a very typical task and application in fabricating granite for kitchen and bathroom countertops.

Simple saw and diamond blade maintenance can extend a machine’s life and keep cuts straight and true. If you believe cutting granite or stone is harder than it should be, you might be right. Your saw or blade may not be performing as it should, causing you to force the blade through the material… leaving you with less than perfect cuts. The solution may be a simple saw tune-up or blade change, performed in tandem with basic maintenance and proper care of these workhorses. Anytime excessive force has to be used to get the blade to cut, or uneven wear of the blade is evident, then there’s a problem. It could be a tool breakdown, or it may be that the wrong equipment is being used for the job.

Diamond blades have been to be proven to be so reliable in countless applications that fabricators take them for granted and don’t always maintain them properly… assuming they’re always going to perform flawlessly. Diamond blades should periodically be inspected for fatigue cracks. This type of wear can impede the blades performance.

Also, different types of stone may require a specific blade, run within a specified operating speed or range. Ignoring or not following the manufacturer’s specifications can prematurely wear out the blade and cause imperfect cuts. For instance, if a blade runs too fast… it will glaze.

Basic maintenance includes using the proper blade for the corresponding material hardness, ensuring the shaft bearings aren’t worn, and keeping the saw head aligned. These simple procedures allow for better equipment operation, extending tool longevity and increased safety.

 

The Blockbuster Mini Masonry saw from Norton Clipper is a 14″ saw that comes with a segmented 14″ masonry diamond blade. This saw is truly unique in that it can be run dry or wet (with optional wet kit of $100). This makes it so versatile that you can use it for cutting brick, block, tiles (including porcelain and granite tiles) or even paving bricks.

Built with the quality you have come to expect from Norton Clipper, this saw is built like a regular masonry saw with a plunging head and a sliding tray so you can use it like a chop saw or a brick saw or a tile saw. This saw has an all steel unibody construction with a plastic water pan that drains out the back so when you run it wet you simply place a 5 gallon bucket under it (included in wet kit).

Excellent for masons, landscapers, general contractors and remodeling contractors who want an all purpose general usage saw that will always get the job done!

Features:
* 20-amp, 3hp motor
* 5″ depth-of-cut with 14″ blade
* open-back design for 8×8x16″ block
* Easy use filter cleaning

This saw carries a 6 month warranty. The blade included is designed for masonry materials and pavers but other blades are available for porcelain, granite or other unique products.

Zero Tolerance Blades
If you need to take a heavy-duty approach to stock removal of extra-hard granite or any other natural stone to prepare for polishing, a zero tolerance grinding blade should be considered as the tool of choice. This 3″ x 1-1/2″ tool is a hybrid metal bond - resin-bonded grinding drum for use on a wet stone grinder. It features a clean, aggressive cut on granite and other natural or engineered stones. It is a wet only tool. Manufactured by Diamante Italia this tool features and benefits are…

– Great for rapid stock removal of natural stone
– 5/8″ threaded arbor
– Excellent quality for working with hard granite.