How To Cut Flat Slate
How to do without a power tool
If the work has to be done indoors or there are no suitable electrical tools available, you can use the classic methods of cutting corrugated slate sheets. Having previously wetted the asbestos-cement material, you can:
- Saw it with a hand saw. It is necessary to use a tool with replaceable blades with a fine tooth, since the working part will quickly become blunt and clogged with asbestos-cement chips. It is better to cut without pressure, so as not to break fragile material;
- Cut with a conventional hand-held cutter. The cut along the marked mowing line is deepened in several passes, which alternate with slate soaking. When the cutter deepens by more than 2/3 of the sheet thickness, place a wooden plank under the notch line and press on the edges of the sheet. it will split into two.
It is possible to divide the slate sheet without the use of cutting tools, using only a hammer and a roofing nail. A lot of holes are punched with a nail along the intended mowing line (along or across the wave). the more there are, the smoother the line of the break will be and the easier it is to break off the excess part of the sheet. If holes are punched along the wave, the sheet should be turned so that this wave is bottom. After the chain of holes has been punched, a long strip or bar is placed under the intended line, after which the sheet is broken by pressing on the edges. You can also tap the material into the cut line from the holes with the side of the hammer.
If many slate sheets need to be split, the punching process can be speeded up. To do this, drive a row of roofing nails into the block and punch the slate with a ready-made "comb".
You can learn how to properly “cut” slate sheets without dust from the.
Slate cutting angle grinder with stone disc
Using an angle grinder (angle grinder) equipped with a stone disc, you can effortlessly cut a sheet of wave slate. The technology of work requires the use of water, which must be supplied in a thin stream to the cutting site. this will simultaneously cool the working part of the tool and prevent the appearance of harmful asbestos dust.
To supply water, you need an assistant who will hold the hose or water the incision with water from an ordinary plastic bottle. In this case, the dust will not scatter, but will drain together with the water to the ground. If there is no assistant, then you can use improvised means to fix the hose with water so that it flows for the cut.
It is convenient to cut sheets of roofing material along a wave with an angle machine (hereinafter UGShM) with a stone disk. First, you should mark the place of the cut, put the sheet on a flat piece of land so that the cut falls on the lower wave, or on wide boards, so that the place of the cut is near the edge of one of them.
If you have to cut the sheet across the wave, the operation is carried out in two steps: at the first stage, convex ridges are cut along the intended mowing line, at the second stage, the sheet is turned over, and the convex ridges, which previously remained at the bottom, are cut again. In this way, the slate is cut through and splits itself into two parts.
How and what to cut slate: basic methods
To successfully cope with the installation of flat or corrugated slate sheets, it is important to know how to cut the slate, and what precautions should be taken to protect your health.
Organization of work when cutting slate
Slate is a rather fragile material, and when it is broken or sawed, the smallest particles and fibers of asbestos, extremely harmful to health, get into the air. To avoid the destruction of sheets not along the cut line of the cut, as well as to protect yourself from the negative effects of asbestos dust, you should strictly follow the work technology and use protective equipment.
In the course of cutting slate sheets:
- It is required to protect the respiratory organs with a respirator, eyes. with construction goggles, skin. with gloves and thick clothing. The operation of power tools (angle grinder, cutting machine, jigsaw, etc.) is accompanied by a lot of noise, so it is recommended to use protective headphones;
- To reduce the emission of dust and reduce the fragility of the slate, you can pre-moisten the cutting site with water using wet rags, or pour water over the contact point of the power tool with sheet material during the cutting process;
- In the open air, it is recommended to find a comfortable working position on the leeward side, so that the wind blows away asbestos dust released during sawing;
- When working indoors, remove everyone who is not directly involved in work from it, close the door tightly and take care that asbestos dust does not penetrate into neighboring rooms.
Let’s consider further how to cut slate for roofing: corrugated and flat asbestos-cement sheets lend themselves to various tools.
Use for Cutting Angle Grinder with Diamond Wheel
Having at its disposal UGShM with a diamond wheel, you can cut slate sheets both along and across the waves. First, it is necessary to wet the material well by placing very wet rags along the mowing line and leaving them there for about three hours. Wet slate becomes more elastic, pliable, less dusty.
Equipped with a diamond disc angle grinder, it is convenient to cut slate sheets in winter by laying them on the snow. Since the working part of the tool comes into contact with the material from above, most of the asbestos dust will settle on the snow and will not scatter.
Ugshm with a diamond wheel will help to cope with cutting sheets in any direction, and will also allow you to grind their edges, making the material more resistant to destruction under the influence of weathering. With the help of a diamond wheel, it is also convenient to cut the corners of the sheets if you plan to install them without shifting half the width.
Before starting independent work, it is recommended to look at the thematic on how to properly cut a slate sheet with a power tool with a diamond wheel.
Using other power tools for cutting slate
To accurately cut a sheet of slate, it is enough to have at your disposal a cutting machine, on which a disc for cutting stone is installed. Having drawn the line of the future cut, it is necessary to wet the material well. Then you need to slide the disc exactly along the intended mowing line, without pressure, to make a shallow cut. The resulting cut is moistened (moistened with water from a plastic bottle, but it is better to put wet rags for a while), after which you should again cut the cutting line along the mowing line with the working part of the cutting machine, deepening it. The cycle is repeated three to four times, after which the sheet breaks easily.
Pre-wetted wave slate can also be cut with an ordinary jigsaw. It is important to use blades with fine teeth and downshift the spindle. You should work with the tool carefully, without pressing on the material, otherwise it will begin to crumble. It makes sense to use a jigsaw only if you need to cut a small number of sheets.
How to properly work with slate?
Learning to work with slate
Slate is a rather fragile and unsafe material if improperly organized work with it. Therefore, every builder must know how to cut slate., so that the cut of the sheet is even, so that the material does not crumble, and also so that your work does not harm your health.
As you know, slate consists of asbestos, which belongs to the class of silicates and, if inhaled, is unsafe for the human body.
In order to protect yourself and others as much as possible when working with slate sheets, strictly follow the basic rules:
- When working, be sure to use personal protective equipment such as a respirator, gloves and goggles;
- Wet material to reduce dust;
- Position yourself outdoors so that dust is blown away by the wind when cutting slate.
Slate sheet cutting methods
Using a circular saw to cut slate
They use several methods, depending on what we cut the slate with:
- Angle grinder with stone disc,
- Angle grinder with diamond disc,
- Cutting machine,
- Jigsaw,
- Hacksaw, cutter, slate nail.
- Let’s consider each of the sheet cutting methods in more detail.
We moisten the rags with water, put them on the intended line, along which the slate will be cut, and leave for a couple of hours. The material has become softer, but you still need to be careful when pressing on it to avoid splitting. To cut wet slate, use an angle grinder, jigsaw or ordinary hacksaw.
How and what to cut slate?
Surely slate is the most widespread and popular roofing material in the territory of the former USSR. It has found application everywhere. roofs, fences, garages. However, not everyone knows how to work with this material, as well as the main thing than to cut slate. We will try to give the most detailed answer about the nuances of working with this material.
Asbestos, Portland cement and water are used for the production of slate. However, foreign manufacturers, keeping up with the times, are trying to eliminate the use of asbestos as a component harmful to the human body.
Material advantages
The main advantage of using slate is its resistance to extremes of both high and low temperatures in different climatic zones, as well as its resistance to water resistance and resistance to aggressive UV radiation. In addition, its predominant property is excellent sound insulation of roofing and mansard structures.
Most often, the slate coating is made in the form of rectangular sheets with a wavy surface to facilitate drainage from the roof surface. But today flat sheets of slate cover are also produced for the construction and improvement of sites. It is used by:
- For installation of walls of utility rooms;
- Arrangements of fences and barriers;
- In construction. when pouring foundations. as a permanent formwork, which serves as a waterproofing barrier, protecting the product from groundwater and blocking of the product.
How to cut wave slate?
If your farm has an angle grinder equipped with a diamond wheel, then the question “how to cut slate” has already been resolved. Using diamond discs on an angle grinder, we make cuts in different directions and grind the edges. If we use this method in the winter, then we cut in the snow, bringing an angle grinder on top of the sheet, as a result of which the dust is not sprayed.
Another way to cut slate is using a cutting machine to which a stone disc is attached. The method is as follows: we moisten the line of the cut of the leaf, lightly sweep it with the disc, moisten it again, sweep it a little deeper with the disc and repeat this several times until the maximum deepening of the mowing line of the cut. After which the slate can be easily broken and unnecessary marriage avoided.
Cutting flat sheets
Cutting flat sheets
If you are going to use flat slate in construction, then there are several methods that will help you decide what to cut flat slate.
Basically you can use an angle grinder with a stone disc. But for this you need an assistant. The scheme of work is as follows. you cut the sheet, and the assistant pours water into the cut site with a thin stream. This method will help you to reduce the dustiness of the environment and the tool. Since asbestos dust accumulates, dries up and, as a result, becomes difficult to remove, all contamination must be washed off after work.
The cutter will also help with cutting flat slate sheets. On the sheet, mark the cutting line, after placing the slate on a flat, even surface. We run the cutter several times along this mowing line, deepening the cut, and carefully break the sheet along the cut mowing line.
But the easiest way is to use such an improvised tool as a slate nail and hammer. Only with the help of the construction of a slate nail, the sheet will be cut without damage and chips. To do this, on the marked mowing line of the cut with a slate nail and a hammer, punch holes, put a block under the line of the cut and break the slate sheet. It should be remembered that the more holes, the smoother the cut.
Choosing a convenient and effective method of cutting slate, you can once again emphasize the practicality and ease of use of this roofing material in modern construction of cozy houses and summer cottages.
We cut with an electric saw and a chisel
This slate is traditionally cut using a chisel and an electric circular saw:
- We take a ruler, a sharp chisel and make notches on both sides of the future cut.
- Place the slate on a flat base with a sharp block or edge so that the mowing line matches.
- We carefully break the slate.
- If the slate could not break, we cut it with an electric circular saw, from time to time cooling it with water.
Method number 2. We break the slate with a nail
- Mark the cut with a simple pencil.
- Mark this line with a sharp nail.
- Drive this nail into the line every 2 cm.The more holes you make, the easier it will be for you to break the sheet later.
- Pressing on the slate fragment, easily break it along the punctured mowing line.
We cut on a home circular
It is not difficult to cut flat slate also on a regular circular, 2 kW. Place the wheel with carbide taps on the wood to have more teeth. Everything turns out quickly and without any problems. Wear safety glasses, sleeveless clothing, and sturdy gloves. It is only important that the sheet itself is fixed.
If you are using a manual circular, then set the RPM in the range of 3500-4000. This will cut the slate evenly and much cleaner than at a maximum revolution of 5500.
What is flat slate?
First, answer this question: How much slate do you need to cut? The fact is that some tools are easiest to use for a small amount of work, and completely different ones are needed with a different approach.
Secondly, today flat slate is produced in a wide variety of widths, compositions and even the percentage of asbestos content. All this depends, in turn, on how long the fibers are, what their diameter is and how evenly they are located. All this in production is controlled by GOST 18124-95.
The difference between wavy and flat slate is that the latter is much thicker. Have you ever wondered why metal tiles, profiles and other similar roofing materials look like this? Is it all about the decor? In fact, the profiled shape gives the material additional flexural rigidity as well as durability. Why the thickness of the sheets themselves can already be made thinner. But flat slate is already denser and more fragile.
In general, you can deal with two types of slate:
- Pressed, which is distinguished by its strength and durability.
- Unpressed, which is made from economical raw materials and is usually used for purposes such as temporary roofing or foundation formwork.
Usually the thickness of flat slate is in the range of 4-5 mm, but one whose parameters are from 8 to 10 mm is considered durable. Flat slate 10 mm thick is often used in the roof of small outbuildings. It is weather resistant and the most affordable.
We cut with a jigsaw
But the worst of all with such a task is coped with an ordinary cheap jigsaw. it wears out too quickly. The HCS jigsaw made of high carbon steel, which is designed for work with soft materials, is most suitable for such work.
A jigsaw with a file, on each tooth of which a victorious tip is soldered, also perfectly copes with cutting flat slate. Such a tool is convenient not only to cut sheets according to certain parameters, but also to make roundings and arcs.
Another good option, especially if you have to work with slate often and professionally, is a jigsaw with a BIM saw. Such a tool, when cutting sheets, will never break even thin corners of flat slate.
How to cut slate with special tools
So, how to cut flat slate, if you still have to cut it?
Stage 1. Cleaning
First, clean the slate thoroughly. And if you need to paint old material, then in addition to a synthetic brush, you will need a metal one to strip off all the moss and lichen.
Scrubbing this hard will, of course, remove the top layer of the slate and therefore need to be coated with a layer of deep penetrating acrylic primer. If this is not done, no paint will stick, no matter how expensive it is.
Silicone paints: water repellent properties
Unfortunately, on the windy side of the roof, such paint can fade to almost gray in 10-20 years.
See what a rich selection of shades of special paints for slate:
Polyurethane paints: cheap and cheerful
After drying on slate, polyurethane paints create a three-dimensional structure that protects the material well from contact with the environment. They are well resistant to sudden changes in temperature and have a high coefficient of elasticity.
Flat slate will receive maximum protection from modern solvent paints. They penetrate asbestos fibers three times deeper than water-based paints, and as a result, the coating lasts more than 20 years.
If you are looking for how to paint flat slate cheaply, then take a concentrate paint, which needs to be diluted several times. But at the same time, it is better to dilute the paint itself a little less than according to the instructions.
Liquid rubber: perfect coverage
If you have noticed, more and more experts have recently recommended painting slate for roofs with rubber paint. It includes special materials that ultimately create a dense protective film on the surface, elastic and durable. It never delaminates. even over time and in rough terrain. And special pigments prevent the color from fading even after 5 years.
The only serious drawback of rubber paints is their toxicity. Therefore, you will need to work with such paint in the open air without strangers and with mandatory protection of hands and respiratory organs.
Interesting about rubber paint:
Step-by-step instruction on painting work
Competent painting of flat slate implies correct preparation and correct technology.
Slate trimming. how to cut flat slate?
Cutting flat slate is fastest with an angle grinder and stone disc. If you need to cut on a hard surface that is highly undesirable to damage, place a wooden strip under the slate sheet, not far from the place where the cut will take place. However, this option will help you out when you need to cut close to the edge. If you need to cut the sheet in the middle, then it is best to put the slate on a flat surface that will not be scared to damage, for example, on the ground.
It is best to work with an assistant. while one person is cutting, the second will constantly wet the cutting site with a thin stream of water from a hose or bottle. If there is no assistant, then try to bring a hose to the place of the cut, so that the water spreads along the plane of the slate in the place where you will cut. In this way, you can avoid spraying asbestos dust, which will flow to the ground in the form of dirt. Rinse off residues from tools and surfaces as the dirt will harden as it dries. Using the same angle grinder and diamond wheel, you can not only cut, but also polish the edges of the slate. Cutting slate with an angle grinder is a very noisy undertaking, so ear muffs won’t be in the way.
How else can you cut slate from power tools? Indeed, an angle grinder is not the only solution to the problem, a jigsaw or even a hacksaw with a fine tooth will do. However, in this case, get ready for a long marathon. these tools are suitable only for small amounts of work. To make it easier to cut with a jigsaw, and even more so with a hacksaw, put a wet rag over the cutting site and let it stand for at least a couple of hours. Just do not get carried away. remember that the sheets from moisture will become not only elastic, but also more fragile, so you should not press too much. When working with a jigsaw, set a reduced spindle speed.
Required tools and materials
You will not surprise anyone with roofing slate. this is the most familiar roofing material throughout the vast territory of the countries of the former Soviet Union. However, how and how to cut flat or wave slate. quite fragile products. often remains a mystery for the younger generation. We will try to clarify this issue.
How to cut slate without dust. hazardous dust
Today, in the wake of craze for everything environmentally friendly, slate is considered perhaps the most dangerous roofing material. How. it contains asbestos, a dangerous mineral! True, the majority has absolutely no idea how exactly this substance acts, and how much it contains different objects and things around us. Consider, if you decide to get rid of everything that contains asbestos, immediately throw away the money! In their manufacture, asbestos is used to increase the service life and strength of banknotes.
But seriously, asbestos for a person in the bound state in which he is in products is completely harmless. A slate on the roof of a house or barn does not create any dust, and if you are so worried about it, just paint it. Fortunately, today slate paints have been specially developed for these purposes, having high adhesion to such surfaces.
That is, asbestos-containing slate itself is no more dangerous than the same plastic roof, since asbestos is bonded with cement, but if you start sawing or grinding it, then the dust that appears, penetrating into our lungs, can really cause chronic bronchitis and other troubles, which are treated with great labor. Starting repairs in order to get rid of all asbestos-cement structures, you just provoke the spread of such dust. It is not for nothing that in the United States at the peak of the campaign to combat asbestos at the state level, a quite sensible decision was made. it is much safer to get along with asbestos than to fight it.
Therefore, do not rush to get rid of all asbestos-containing. use it as you used it before. However, try to keep yourself safe when performing any tasks. The easiest way to avoid dust getting into your lungs and eyes is to wear a respirator and goggles, and stand downwind before cutting the slate. If you have to work indoors, before cutting the slate, wet it properly. Much less dust is emitted from wet products when cutting. In addition, it is much easier to cut products just after soaking. therefore, experienced craftsmen put wet rags on the cutting site before cutting the flat slate for several hours.
While cutting, send those present in the room to breathe air. even street smog is not as harmful as asbestos-cement dust. First of all, children should leave the room. due to their short stature, they breathe air just at the level where the dust is most. And one more important safety measure, as they say, for the future. never throw the remnants of building materials or construction waste on the road. Over time, machines will crush pieces of the same slate, and the air in hot weather will be filled with dust from asbestos.
How to cut flat and wave slate. methods and tools. No dust and noise. how to cut wave slate quietly?
If you have to cut slate indoors, where it is important not only to avoid the appearance of dust, but also to do the job as quietly as possible, then in the case of even sheets of slate, a cutter made of good steel will come in handy. A sheet of slate is laid on a flat place and a line is drawn under the ruler with a cutter. Then, removing the ruler, the line deepens and expands, pressing harder on the cutter.
There is little left to do. put a rail or pipe under the sheet, placing them parallel to the cutting line of the cut, and slightly press. If you tried in the previous step, then there should be no problems here either. Wavy slate can be cut with a cutter only along the wave. having stuffed your hand, you can cut off even very narrow strips of about 10 cm, and mind you, completely dust-free and with minimal noise.
How to cut off the slate if there is only a hammer from the tools? Then a method that belongs to the category of "grandfather’s tricks" will come in handy. Indeed, when there were no grinders and jigsaws, and for using a good hacksaw not for its intended purpose, the grandfather could slap a savory slap on the grandson’s head, this was the only way they cut the slate. Although the word “cut” is somehow wrong to call this method. Rather, they break it. However, they break without dust and unnecessary noise, so the method will always be relevant.
So, you will need not just any, but a slate nail. Pre-mark the cutting line, it is important that it runs along the bottom of the wave. That is, if the line runs along the top, just turn the sheet over. Holes are punched with a nail along the mowing line. the more often they are located, the better. Then a pipe or wooden block is placed under the sheet and gently pressed on the edge of the sheet to break the slate along the mowing line with holes. The evenness of the line depends on the number of holes and the accuracy. Sometimes, in order for the desired piece to come off, it is enough to tap on the mowing line of the cut with the side of the hammer.