Recommendations for multi tool blade for brick/plaster

[Gavin John Hyde]

I am looking for recommendations for a decent multi tool blade to cut through plaster and some brick/block. I could use a standard blade but it will kill the blade.
Have a job coming up where it needs some delicate cutting without going too heavy on the wall. normal chasing isnt an option. likewise disc cutters would be too intense and heavy handed.
I used to use decent erbaur ones, but they are no longer available.
What makes/blades are people using ?
I will be making a series of cuts to make a narrow chase and then sink a shallow box in for a switch. the chase will be less than half an inch wide, the customer has agreed to this so that it avoids too much remedial work.

 

[Pete999]

I am looking for recommendations for a decent multi tool blade to cut through plaster and some brick/block. I could use a standard blade but it will kill the blade.
Have a job coming up where it needs some delicate cutting without going too heavy on the wall. normal chasing isnt an option. likewise disc cutters would be too intense and heavy handed.
I used to use decent erbaur ones, but they are no longer available.
What makes/blades are people using ?
I will be making a series of cuts to make a narrow chase and then sink a shallow box in for a switch. the chase will be less than half an inch wide, the customer has agreed to this so that it avoids too much remedial work.

Gavin Hi, can't see the point, there will be a scar on the wall 1/2" or 2" it's still a scar and will need some redecoration, just saying.

 

[static zap]

(Going to be cheaper with masonry bits)
(but may look a bit like - our mate with outdoor socket)

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

P

Gavin Hi, can't see the point, there will be a scar on the wall 1/2" or 2" it's still a scar and will need some redecoration, just saying.

Point taken. I can only do what my customer asks for... even if it means they pay extra for the extra care required

 

[ruston]

Did you cut brick with the erbauer blades.
It is a thing I would not of considered due to the respect for the machine . If so , how did it fare?

 

[Andy78]

You can get carbide and diamond blades, but wouldn't know about performance in brick, certainly good for block though.

 

[ruston]

A quick Google got this . At £20 a crack and the wear on the machine you will need a helluva mark up.
Smart Multi Cutter Mortar Buster Blade 32mm - https://www.toolstation.com/shop/Power+Tool+Accessories/d80/Multi+Tool+Accessories/sd3282/Smart+Multi+Cutter+Mortar+Buster+Blade/p46597

 

[Pete999]

P

Point taken. I can only do what my customer asks for... even if it means they pay extra for the extra care required

Yes I know, they can be a pain can't they? good luck with your search for a new blade for your Multi Tool

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

I have found cutting breeze blocks easy, the brick i need to cut is soft, its bath stone. the old erbauer blades i used i found worked fine, they were only £8 each and as long as you didnt push it too hard into the cut and let it skim over the cutting line it worked fine without putting too much pressure on the motor. Sadly erbauer no longer make the blades and i have run out..

 

[Pete999]

I have found cutting breeze blocks easy, the brick i need to cut is soft, its bath stone. the old erbauer blades i used i found worked fine, they were only £8 each and as long as you didnt push it too hard into the cut and let it skim over the cutting line it worked fine without putting too much pressure on the motor. Sadly erbauer no longer make the blades and i have run out..

Are these the jobbies you are on about?
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=e...x-b&gfe_rd=cr&dcr=0&ei=B-xoWsPfDYHS8AfV9qboCg

 

[geordie]

Carbide End Cut Blade - https://www.saxtonblades.co.uk/fein-multimaster-bosch-makita-compatible-blades/carbide-coated-blades/carbide-end-cut-blade
We use them same to cut most hard material

 

[Andy78]

Carbide End Cut Blade - https://www.saxtonblades.co.uk/fein-multimaster-bosch-makita-compatible-blades/carbide-coated-blades/carbide-end-cut-blade
We use them same to cut most hard material

This is where I get all my blades from. Very good value.

 

[FatAlan]

Smaller diameter disc cuter can be quite accurate if you can cope with the dust. Will certainly give you the neat edges on the surface.

 

[geordie]

Or one of these and a good vac
Festool 574806 Dsc-ag 125 Fh-plus Gb Diamond Cutting System 240v - https://www.angliatoolcentre.co.uk/festool-574806-dsc-ag-125-fh-plus-gb-diamond-cutting-system-240v-pid46501.html

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

@FatAlan disc cutter is a no go in the old house. also cant risk a over run along an edge as the bare wall will be on display and seen afterwards, also too much dust, by using a multi cutter i can cut perfectly sized square hole and then using a mallet and chisel knock centre out. The house is immaculate to the extreme and listed, there is a old giant wheel in the downstairs fireplace that the rich folk would have put a dog in during Georgian times to spin the wheel for the spit roast! they showed me a pile of letters from building control covering a lot of it, there are so many listed things in this house, the wheel is one, there are also hooks, most of the plaster work and some bells, the entire staircase as it was handcrafted by some famous chippy! the garden is also protected as it was designed by some notable person! part of living in a unesco protected heritage city full of old buildings. At least the noise will make there pedigree cat run a mile and leave me alone, its better fed than most people is their cat.

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

Or one of these and a good vac
Festool 574806 Dsc-ag 125 Fh-plus Gb Diamond Cutting System 240v - https://www.angliatoolcentre.co.uk/festool-574806-dsc-ag-125-fh-plus-gb-diamond-cutting-system-240v-pid46501.html

Far too big for what i need, i have to be delicate and precise.

 

[ruston]

@Gavin John Hyde . Forget what I said about the mark up then

 

[Grant webber]

I had to do the same sort of thing last week. I used a tile blade to make a chase about 2 metres and cut a back box in. It was nice and neat but the blade went in the bin after.

 

[HandySparks]

Carbide End Cut Blade - https://www.saxtonblades.co.uk/fein-multimaster-bosch-makita-compatible-blades/carbide-coated-blades/carbide-end-cut-blade
We use them same to cut most hard material

I've used the tungsten carbide grit blades from Saxton. Definitely worth a try, although they soon wear out cutting anything hard.

 

[elsparko]

for the box use 5.5 masonry bit or something near that size, mark out the line , grab a masonry chisel or a joiners flathead screwdriver and knock out the square, it should come off quite easy once youve drilled all the way round

get it quite often with the diamond corer, if the wall is too deep i have to chisel out the 4inch block to carry on, usually a few good hits with the hammer removes it, but if not, get the chisel in the gap and prize it till the 4inch block snaps off

 

[elsparko]

or, tell your customer to leave the property whilst you are working and get your chase on with an impacter and a chisel bit, make good before the return home

 

[Pete999]

for the box use 5.5 masonry bit or something near that size, mark out the line , grab a masonry chisel or a joiners flathead screwdriver and knock out the square, it should come off quite easy once youve drilled all the way round

get it quite often with the diamond corer, if the wall is too deep i have to chisel out the 4inch block to carry on, usually a few good hits with the hammer removes it, but if not, get the chisel in the gap and prize it till the 4inch block snaps off

Hit a screwdriver with a hammer?? you Philistine, blasphemy. I trust you mean a demolition screwdriver.

 

[elsparko]

Hit a screwdriver with a hammer?? you Philistine, blasphemy. I trust you mean a demolition screwdriver.

yes, a joiners flathead, one that does not belong to you

 

[Pete999]

yes, a joiners flathead, one that does not belong to you

Oh good man bugger someone Else's kit up.

 

[pirate]

Just got a delivery from Saxton, so ready to tackle a job tomorrow. I'm taking down a glass-brick partition wall, and don't just want to hit it with a hammer. I got diamond tiped blades for my multi-tool and hoping it will slice nicely between the bricks. I suppose it all depends on what the grout is...just grout, or cement...
I will report back.

 

[Pete E]

Just got a delivery from Saxton, so ready to tackle a job tomorrow. I'm taking down a glass-brick partition wall, and don't just want to hit it with a hammer. I got diamond tiped blades for my multi-tool and hoping it will slice nicely between the bricks. I suppose it all depends on what the grout is...just grout, or cement...
I will report back.

Just be thankful its not blue engineer brick!

 

[pirate]

My only worry is that the "builder" has incorporated the glass bricks into a supporting wall. My archictect laughed when I asked him..."glass bricks are NEVER structural"...
aye, and you can't run your sockets on bell-wire...
Anyway, job postponed 24 hours, but I'm certain it's a light partition wall only and the glass bricks are only there to allow borrowed light into the kitchen...a common conversion in tenement flats.

 

[pirate]

OK, it went well...sort of!
9am, glass brick wall, and I attacked it with Saxton diamond tipped blade
(sorry, I took pics but for some reason they won't upload...)
Saxton sliced in ok, and I thought, here we go! But, I had not reckoned with the huge nylon spacers which clogged the blade...the blade was very good, but as each brick had a grout line that was nylon spacer for a third its width at each side, well I wasn't going anywhere...
Next up, angle grinder! WoW! cut through no problem, although the nylon spacers did cause a hiccup...but the dust was unbelievable, set the smoke alarms off (all 3 of them, being radio-linked, but thats another thread!) so I stopped after one run along the bottom row. It's now 10am, and I have 1 glass block extracted, the flat is full of dust and it's looking hopeless...
so I got out the club hammer...
10.30, the wall is gone! Put full goggles and mask on, and just hit it...result!
Made a mess, but a cleanable mess, so my view is hammer it!
Finally, those Saxton diamond tipped blades for tile/grout are very good...just not for this job. (But much better than the dewalt blades which, oddly enough, are not available to pick up or for delivery from Screwfix, even though showing online...)
Sorry no pics but my pc won't upload from my phone tonight...

 

[SparkySy]

I use saxtonblades as well and the brick ones are good for soft brick and plaster, I do a few listed buildings and have found that stitch drilling the switch box outline first and then use the multi in the holes to get the last bits out works well then a small scutch chisel if you need to remove any brick for depth as they don't seem to rattle the wall as much as a bolster. Also I use the irwin multiconstruction drills as they will drill with no hammer needed.
Sy

 

[pirate]

Thanks for that Sy, useful info for me. Haven't tried the Irwin multiconstruction but will look for them.
The Saxton blades i used were the DeWalt substitute diamond tipped tile/grout ones (can't actually find any original DeWalt equivalents) and they did a fine job when able to do so, but the massive nylon spacers killed the game.
Love a scutch chisel, btw!
Listed buildings are a bit of an art though, surely? I have been involved in a few over the years, and it is tricky to find a modern solution to some needs...but great fun too.
I helped out on a renovation in Spain recently, and inadvertently got them to use those quinetic switches...totally changed the game-plan, as no need to raggle the walls and mix just the right mortar to fill in.
Some of the guys were a bit miffed cos their mortar skills weren't required, but the project was finished ahead of time, and with no boxing-in with plasterboard.
The marriage of the old with the new...sometimes the result is just perfect!

 

[SparkySy]

No worries happy to help! Bosch make some similar ones too but I like the irwin ones as the are 150mm long and seem to last for ages!
Yeah most of the grout type grit edged work well with plaster, I have used old normal blades before on plaster just cut a series of slots in it with a 1mm cutting disk in the grinder. They leave a really crisp edge to the cut and produce minimal dust but only work on plaster.
It takes some skill and patience to do listed buildings and some luck as well. My pet hate is lath and plaster, once disturbed is a bugger to make good!
Got to love a scutch they are much neater IMHO!
All good fun!
All the best
Sy

 

[bonjovi]

A quick Google got this . At £20 a crack and the wear on the machine you will need a helluva mark up.
Smart Multi Cutter Mortar Buster Blade 32mm - https://www.toolstation.com/shop/Power+Tool+Accessories/d80/Multi+Tool+Accessories/sd3282/Smart+Multi+Cutter+Mortar+Buster+Blade/p46597

wow thats a new one on me , i suppose everything is available if you look . and its available from tool station so must be a common item ,who new

 

[Staurt tim]

Try with these to cut soft brick as well as you could use is in your garden for multi purposes.

 

[pirate]

I would suggest the Saxton ones, the diamond tipped ones...they work well in mortar and soft brick. I used them to take out a glass brick wall, and they sliced through the mortar easily...unfortunately, when they encountered the nylon tile spacers they clogged up.
I have recently tried their multi=purpose wide blades, and they are great for general cutting, slicing, back-box cutting etc.
Don't be too precious about blades...pay the price, save the time, fling them away...
Old blades are slow, stutter and fart, go off line, take ages to finish the job...who needs that?
Charge the customer! Buy good blades!