Cutting Granite With A Circular Saw And Diamond Blade

[@russellwilliams4031]

I thin your water supply method is one of the best DYIs I’ve seen in years. Great job.

[@elwellboy]

Thanks. It works pretty well. I've actually improved it a bit. I connected it to a water hose and added a small valve to control the water flow. No more siphon. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@MrTurbogreg6969]

I agree. Very ingenious! I'm impressed.!

[@wonderstew]

The brake line was literally all I was missing. Trying manage the tubing while safely controlling the saw stressed me out enough that I hadn’t tackled this yet. Thanks for the brilliant tip!

[@elwellboy]

Glad you found it helpful. I've improved it by adding a connector to garden hose and a valve to control water flow and have used it several times. Works great. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@pocket83squared]

Experienced saw user here. You made this look too easy! I've been using a nearly identical method over the last few days, and it didn't go nearly as well. After several cuts, I'm pretty sure now that my blade was bad. I had to take the 1.25" slab in three cuts, and even still, the deck lifted and the motor strained at a snail's pace. I also think that the saw I used held the blade so that it was not perfectly parallel to the fence, and so my last cut ended up going off nearly an eighth. If I were to advise somebody starting out, it's this: 1) buy a brand-new blade, and 2) make sure your saw's blade is running perfectly parallel to its sole's edge. The brake line is a cool idea, except that you can't adjust the blade height. I ended up using a copper wire spooled around some 1/8" vinyl tubing, and this was able to be easily adjusted until I found the sweet spot. No complaints there. Perfect amount of water. Also, my siphon line ran into a sealed bottle, which means that I was able to use a separate straw to blow pressure _into_ the container and thus get the flow going. Sucking, well, sucks. Wish I would've seen your video a week ago, before having to scratch my head for a few days only to arrive at the same conclusions, and then ending up not realizing that it should've been cutting way better the whole time. Oh well. Not every project can end up a May breeze, can it? On to the polishing. Maybe I'll try to watch a few how-to videos first.

[@elwellboy]

Glad you found the video helpful. Sorry you had difficulty making your cuts. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@dwightluciow3531]

Loved the water siphon trick! Brilliant!

[@elwellboy]

Glad you liked it. I've since added a valve and also a hose adapter so I can connect to a garden hose. Works awesome. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@biondatiziana]

@@elwellboy Agree with Dwight. Please consider doing a *detailed* video on your DIY water cooling system with a parts list. TIA!

[@chuckzissman4081]

Two things: First: That, sir, is brilliant! Your siphon effect blade wetting system, that is. That is one of the coolest hacks I've ever seen! Well done, and THANK YOU for sharing it! Second: For those of you hand-wringing over using water with an electric saw: He stated that his saw is connected to a GFCI protected source. Should the water create a problem with the saw (very, VERY unlikely with what he's doing) the GFCI breaker would keep him safe: It's breaker will trip within about 1/10 of a second when it senses as little as 4-5 milliamps of current leakage.

[@elwellboy]

Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for your second point re: GFCI protection. I have actually improved the wetting system a bit. Instead of using a siphon, I connected to a garden hose and turn the water on just lightly and then I put a valve on the plastic hose right by the saw so turning water on/off is more handy. I recently used this setup to cut some bluestone for a patio. Worked great. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@emilcioran8873]

It was pure satisfaction watching your video. So simple yet so brilliant.

[@elwellboy]

Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@whiterabbit063]

Thanks for your video, that is pretty much exactly what I was thinking of doing too! I have to cut a much thinner piece of ceramic tile but it's 4' x 2'. Adapting my Skilsaw to do this work is a key feature that doesn't break the bank on a specialty tool that I'll only use a couple of times!

[@elwellboy]

Glad you found it helpful. I have used it several times to cut stone. I've since added a valve so I can shut off the siphon. Good luck on your project. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@DomashnaRabotilnica]

How did that go? I plan to cut ceramic with the circular saw and a straight edge to guide it. I was thinking to have two passes, a scoring one and then one final so I don't go too deep into the material thus achieve cleaner cut. Have you got any tips that I (we) can take advantage of?

[@jellman101]

great video, I got a piece of granite to cut , mine wasn't free but, I had some questions about the blade to use and how I would set up the water supply, and your DIY video has really helped , informative and got to the point, Thank you

[@elwellboy]

Glad you found it helpfull. Hope your project turned out well. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@mv80401]

Great idea well implemented. I just bought an electric plant mister ($20) to do the continuous spraying but may return it and go this route instead.

[@elwellboy]

Glad you found it helpful. I have since improved it a bit and made a direct connection to a garden hose with a valve in the plastic tubing to manage the water flow. Works great. Have used it several times since. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@nelsonlopez511]

A little tip put painters tape where you gonna may that cut the help not chip the granite

[@elwellboy]

Good suggestion. Tape would show the cut line mark much better too. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@donpantolonez]

Not much actually, making a scoring shallow cut prevent chip edges much effectively. Also gives the little engine some breathing room. Cut 1/3 or 1/2 at first then cut the rest at the second cut. Pretty good cut btw you did it like a pro.

[@dantheman1337]

I bet tape makes no difference

[@lindacutino2571]

Thank you you explained exactly what I needed to know.

[@elwellboy]

Glad you found it helpful. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@jimpullman-sr2525]

THANK YOU!! Extremely helpful and well done.

[@elwellboy]

Glad you found it helpful. I used the same set up to cut some bluestone for a patio. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@Nancy-xg9nc]

Really clever..thanks for posting!

[@elwellboy]

Thanks. I have added a valve and a connector to a garden hose so i don't rely on a bucket and siphon. Going to make something similar for my angle grinder to polish edges. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@bbruuse]

Holy Lick... Thankyou thankyou thankyou... this is exactly what i need.. I'm basically "Ignorant" zero experience whatsoever, was planning to use and angle grinder,, Not A Chance In Hell after seeing this video... Helpful? Extremely ... probably saved me injury and a trip to the emergency.

[@elwellboy]

Glad you found it helpful. You can use an angle grinder IF it is variable speed and can run at 4k or so RPMs and equipped with a diamond blade. I have a Bosch variable speed angle grinder and have used it to cut granite. I rigged up a water siphon for it too. Make sure you are plugged into a GFCI when using water. Good luck & be safe. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@ron1martens]

Great video. Good insight. The rail system and the slight wondering my immediate thoughts are when a blade wonders it may jam or bind a little. So it seems a more sturdy guide system may be considered. I picked up some granite and will purchase a purpose machine to do the task if what I do have doesn't quite work. The direction of the blade running plays an important part of wet granite cutting. Circular saws cut from the underside upward which pulls the saw to the work piece. Ideally when cutting granite the blade want to cause the machine to pull up. Not my words those from a proffesional granite specialist. I have an angle grinder which has an attachment so I can run it on a guide rail with dust collection. The thing is I know water cutting is a lot more efficient. My question is will the speed of the blade when using an angle grinder be too quick? Also the direction of the blade running? I'm thinking I may do a mock run and see how it goes.

[@elwellboy]

This setup worked great for needs. I've used it a few times now. I believe a regular angle grinder runs too fast for a diamond blade. I have a Bosch variable speed angle grinder and it does fine with a diamond blade on the lowest speed. I also use my Bosch on low speed to polish the edges.

[@Slangevar333]

Yo1u have to check that blade alignment is perfectly parallel to the edge of the saw platform and if not adjust by triming off a bit of the platform if there is no other means of trueing it up.

[@Twobirdsbreakingfree]

Would it be okay to use a 5-inch continuous rim diamond-coated cutting disc with a 7.25-inch circular saw for making accurate cuts in tile?

[@elwellboy]

Don't think I'd use that combination to cut tile. It might work but would be difficult to be very precise as needed for tile work. I'd suggest a tile saw. Hope that helps. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@Twobirdsbreakingfree]

@@elwellboy you can use a spirit level clamped to the tile as a fence to run the saw in a straight line..

[@justinw1765]

Nice hack. Another thing that you can do, is to take a hot glue gun and create a little channel around the area to be cut that will hold water in it. I do this for glass drilling as well.

[@elwellboy]

That would work great for drilling but would have to be a pretty big area when cutting granite or stone. Not sure how well it would contain the water. Interesting idea though. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@zross8471]

Excellent video! Well done 👍

[@elwellboy]

Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@SJG-96]

Great video, and a great job. Thanks

[@elwellboy]

Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@mj4362]

I like your blue and white towel 🌴🌙

[@elwellboy]

Hahaha - just one I grabbed out of the rag box. Glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@aaronjaysmith1]

This was pretty cool

[@elwellboy]

Thanks. I've improved the set up a bit and have used it several times. Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@jasonparker329]

Need to make sure you have a (GFCI) Ground fault interrupter between saw and cord or cord and wall plug. Ive done this before and it started shocking me. Linemans gloves be good too if you have them? Electricity and water, turns you into a direct ground.

[@jasonparker329]

I just herd him say he was gfci protected. Smart Man

[@elwellboy]

Yep. I think I mentioned in the video that I was on a GFCI protected circuit. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@nathanfreeman38]

How do support the granite during the cut? Just two sawhorses?

[@elwellboy]

I had some 2xs under both sides of the cut so it would stay flat and not break toward the end of the cut. Worked fine. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@jessebarrera317]

Hey what Diamond blade did u use? Please let me know brand and all

[@elwellboy]

It is a Dewalt blade - see Amazon link below. It worked great. Good luck on your project. Thanks for watching and commenting. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00291EJ32/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[@winna101ify]

Belay your answer to my question about the blade, I see you already answered it for Jesse Barrera below.

[@elwellboy]

Glad you found the video helpful. Good luck on your project. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@royspeakman1157]

Brillant !

[@elwellboy]

Thanks. It works very well. I've used it several times to cut granite and bluestone. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@gillpavon4967]

Good idea on that water supply

[@elwellboy]

It works awesome. I need to make something similar for my variable speed angle grinder to polish granite edges with some diamond disks. I'll do a short vid on what I come up with. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@frankbullitt4556]

Nice engineering.

[@elwellboy]

Thanks. I've actually improved it a bit. Instead of using a siphon, I added a garden hose connection with a valve to control the water flow. Works awesome. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@oldjaybird1978]

Nice ad for Lowe’s with the bucket. They should scratch you a check

[@elwellboy]

Hahaha - That would be nice. No longer using the bucket/siphon - I added an adaptor and valve to connect it directly to a garden hose. Works great. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@MatisBogdan]

Nice cheap setup for difficult cuts. A cordless circular saw would probably be safer considering the water. But yeah, that's a thick piece of stone, clean cut, job done

[@elwellboy]

It worked great for what I needed. I've since added a valve so I can just connect to a hose so no need for siphon. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@BlueOriginAire]

that would be a serious battery to hold up under that time constraint to cut straight thru. Not sure how stopping to change out charged battery would affect the precision of the cut. But l like how you're thinking brother. Gonna give it try as well. ✌🏽

[@Memo-nd6fj]

@@elwellboy Video is exactly what I was looking for. I have the same saw you have and I really did not want to buy another saw since I will probably not be using it again. I am converting my garage to a ADU and have 11' of granite that I will need to cut through. I think, like you, you had it in mind already to go with your saw that you had on hand, and even if I did not see your video I would have done everything you did including adding the water, though I probably would of done it different. Your video has boosted my confidence and I thank you for that!

[@elwellboy]

@@Memo-nd6fj Glad it was helpful. Good luck with your project.

[@edzukation]

May be a silly question, but how do you ensure not getting shocked or shorting it out? Thank you

[@elwellboy]

Good questions. First, make you’re using a GFCI protected circuit. Second, the saw motor doesn’t really get any water. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@ankitverma333]

good job

[@elwellboy]

Thanks for watching. It works great. I improved it a bit with a valve to control water flow vs. siphon and connected it to garden hose.

[@smokenHD]

Was the water supply just siphoning? Instead of a valve to slow down the water flow (which will work of course) just use a pair of hemostats and clamp to the flow you want. The hemostat could be clamped to the hose near or even in the bucket.

[@elwellboy]

Yes it was siphoning out of a 5 gallon bucket. I have since put a valve in the line to control/shut off the flow and adapted to use garden hose for water. Works great. Thanks for watcing and commenting.

[@BlueOriginAire]

are you kidding me ??? 😳 l think your idea would work just as good cutting a porcelain floor tile... it's only a third as thick as your granite. I'm glad l researched my tile challenge at 1:30 a.m. 😵😴 or else l would never have found this video in time. You sir, are a genius !

[@elwellboy]

Glad you found it helpful. "Genius"? That might be a bit much. hahaha - Good luck with your project. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@jeannekohlbush3323]

Brilliant!!! thank you

[@elwellboy]

Glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@Sup33erman]

Nice. I am about to try this in a bit. Tried to get the area granite cutters to do, but they are too busy and would not even return my calls. Anyway, one question is if you had to polish or hone the edge after the cut if it is on a front edge? It looks to me like it was a smooth cut because you were running your hand on the edge. IDK. I will see soon enough.

[@elwellboy]

It make the cut fairly smooth but it doesn't polish it. I use a Bosch variable speed angle grinder with various grits of PolishSurf diamond wheels ($40 on Amazon) that I use to polish and/or profile the edges. A regular angle grinder is too fast (RPM wise) to use these diamond wheels. Hope this helps. Good luck. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@denniswebb738]

Thanks for useful video. That looks like 1 1/2 inch granite, is that correct?

[@elwellboy]

Glad you found it helpful. The granite was about 1 inch maybe a bit more. Whatever the standard thickness is. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@fencerider1492]

Thank you worked great.at home.

[@elwellboy]

Awesome. Glad you found it helpful. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@aaaaaa67a]

Hey thanks I did enjoy the video could you tell me please is that a regular porter cable Skil saw?

[@elwellboy]

Yes the saw is an older (about 35 years) Porter Cable model 315. I hadn't used it for years and thought this was a good use for it.

[@AP-mk4dq]

what saw blade did you use?

[@elwellboy]

I used a 7" diamond blade. About $12 on Amazon. Works great. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@AP-mk4dq]

@@elwellboy Thank you for a great video

[@rumhound5903]

Would you suggest a diamond blade or carbide blade for soapstone?

[@elwellboy]

Definitely a diamond blade. While soapstone is softer than granite it's still rock and would likely ruin a carbide blade. Hope that helps. Good luck with your project. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@Twoteuw]

Hi, i have a sink unit to cut, I'm.not sure if it's granite, little info by customer, sort of like China? Sorry for the stupid question, but I should be OK just cutting it with a diamond tip and circular?

[@elwellboy]

Interesting. If unsure about the material try a test cut in the middle of the cutout to see how the material reacts before cutting the edges. Good luck. Let me know what you find out and how it goes. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@Twoteuw]

@@elwellboy exactly what i was thinking. I've decided to use my grinder as not so aggressive and can take my time with it. It is porcelain china. Diamond tip and grinder should do it, thank you for your response

[@winna101ify]

Thanks for a very instructive video. I have a piece of granite to cut. I have the same P.C. saw you used, and I want to know what saw blade you used for this job?

[@elwellboy]

Glad it was helpful!

[@duffermod1]

Good job sir

[@elwellboy]

It works great. I've since added a valve so I can just connect it to a hose vs. using a siphon. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@ItachiUchiha-ff5yb]

You should have used the saw in the back actions. Diamond blades are means to rotate in the opposite direction of saw blades. So if you're using a circle saw, you need to turn the saw to face you and lift up the guard and push it away from you.

[@elwellboy]

Hmm. Never heard that before. If that were the case why wouldn't you just put the blade on backwards? Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@carlosct23]

is the blade 7 in or 7 1/4" ?

[@elwellboy]

The blade is 7". Works great. I think it was about $10 on Amazon. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@carlosct23]

@@elwellboy Thanks for your feedback, I will look it on amazon.

[@michaelmaxfield3744]

Aren't diamonds said to be a crystalline something? So, how does a crystal cut through granite? And don't tell me, "It's because it spins."

[@elwellboy]

The diamond crystals on the blade are harder than the granite so when the blade spins the diamonds grind the granite away the width of the blade. Hope that helps. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@martinoamello3017]

Psssst...I don't care what anyone says, but Granite is freakin heavy ass stuff. Bring along a friend or 6 or so.

[@elwellboy]

Yes it is. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@stadtjer689]

I really wonder why most people use an angle grinder for cutting stone slabs. That tool has absolutely zero accuracy compared to a circular saw using a rail/jig

[@elwellboy]

Agreed - However, I do have a attachment for my angle grinder that allows me to use it like a circular saw. It works great for small cuts on tile. For bigger stuff like granite this setup is the way to go. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@michaelhale4041]

I want to try this but I'm worried my saw is not a sealed motor so water and an open motor just don't make a good combination. I do understand the gfi protection

[@elwellboy]

The motor on this saw wasns't sealed. If you're plugged in to a GFCI and keep the water focused on the front of the blade you should be fine. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@fathead5081]

water with electric saw hmm

[@elwellboy]

Granted not an ideal combination and not for production work but with a GFCI and reasonable precautions should be OK to complete basic cuts. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@kyledebow1631]

Water with an electric saw. Oh wait that’s called a wet saw. 😂

[@odstjackson]

And to think archaeologist think the ancients used to cut granite with massive accuracy with bronze and copper saws and chisels hababa

[@elwellboy]

Perhaps but I bet it tool a lot longer.:) Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@Forpublic552]

Emphasis on the GFCI plug in!

[@elwellboy]

Yes sir. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@ShopperPlug]

2:23 - Hope that doesn't electrocute you or damage the saw... don't think it's water proof.

[@elwellboy]

It was on a GFCI circuit so that minimizes shock danger. As for the saw, it's an old one anyway plus very little water gets to the saw. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@SpeedDemonAquatics]

Now do it with sand and copper chisels. In my opinion this makes it obvious that we don’t know how they made the pyramids.

[@elwellboy]

They had bigger saws!! Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@SpeedDemonAquatics]

@@elwellboy do you truly believe that?

[@SpeedDemonAquatics]

@@elwellboy even if your saw was 100X bigger, no way could you cut granite with their precision. You’re using a diamond blade, something the dynastic Egyptians couldn’t even dream of. They used copper (not even bronze) This couldn’t even be done with diamond blades or steel blades. People like you scoffing at people like me is why it’s so hard to make actual progress.

[@pocket83squared]

​@@SpeedDemonAquatics And "people like you" scoff in underestimation of what can be accomplished by an inexhaustible labor force. You _do_ realize that union advocates were used to grease the undersides of the slabs, right? Do you have any idea how callous Pharaoh's indifference to human life was then? Only from our present cultural standard could somebody believe that alien stone-cutting technologies are a more plausible explanation than the sheer force of tenacity over (you mentioned it) dynasties. Have you ever shaped a piece of granite? It's not magical; it's stone. If you had, you'd know that granite can be scratched easily-with granite.

[@AdventuresOutdoors]

Water and electric saws are a BAD combination. Make sure your life insurance is up to date!

[@elwellboy]

Definitely not the preferred combination for production work. But, for a few cuts and protected with a GFCI I thought I'd be OK. Thanks for watching and commenting.