Tibby Singh cuts a dash with the Norton Clipper CM42 Masonry Saw
Although carpentry and joiner is my speciality, being self-employed means getting hands on with other trades. Recently, I’ve recently been repairing some brickwork reveals, for instance, and that involved constant cutting. The material is actually reclaimed brick of various sizes and, in some cases, I’m only needing to cut small slithers.
It can be back–breaking having to cut these with a disc saw but the folding legs on the Norton Clipper CM42 Masonry Saw is a big benefit because it allows you to work at a comfortable height. OK, it’s not the smallest machine but, when you’re having to do cuts day in, day out, it makes light work of heavy tasks. It also has transport wheels, which assists with mobility from site to site.
The masonry saw works like a chop saw, so it’s capable of being plunged for step cutting or locked into place for a specific depth of cut. This makes it versatile and perfect for when you need to cut a step or a notch out of a brick or block.
The conveyor cart moves back–and–forth, which makes it a breeze, especially when cutting big breeze blocks, and it is big enough to fit a 600mm x 600mm patio slab. The blade size is 400mm, which means you can achieve a depth of cut of 135mm. That is more than enough for the average size bricks, blocks and patio slabs. It also benefits from high accuracy cutting and an angular guide, which is easy to install and ideal for intricate and more detailed work.
Not only do Norton Clipper make masonry cutters but they also make a vast range of cutting discs including:
- High-Speed Blades
- Masonry Blades
- Tile Blades
The products I’ve been using with the Masonry Saw are the 4×4 Max Cut Multi-Purpose Dry Segmented High Speed Blade and Clipper Silencio iHD Critically Hard Wet Segmented Masonry Blade. The multi–purpose blade cuts all materials and the 12mm high laser welded segment means you’ll get a long–life and they’ve also incorporated a wear indicator.
On the other hand, the Silencio is Norton Clippers premium blade, which maximises cutting performance and product life. It has a 15mm high laser welded segment and features an offset steel centre sandwich that prevents whistling through the gullets and assists the reduction of noise by up to 15db versus conventional blades. This makes it perfect for work in high traffic environments where it’s less disruptive.
Finally, for health and safety it has an inbuilt tube for a constant stream of water, which serves two functions. Firstly, it turns airborne dust into a slurry, reducing the risk of respiratory dust exposure and is particularly useful when working in confined spaces – or indoors. Secondly, the water cools the blade down, minimising overheating, maximising performance, efficiency and helping the blades last longer. The machine even has a splash guard, acting as a curtain to contain the water within the tray, which is filtered and re-pumped back around, so you don’t need an actual water supply or need to continually add new water or remove wastewater. You can, however, use the tool both wet or dry, as you prefer.
For further information on the Norton Clipper CM42 Masonry Saw visit Masonry saws – CM42 | Norton Abrasives | United Kingdom.
