Wall Saws

A wall saw cuts concrete and reinforced concrete with a diamond blade guided along a rail anchored to the wall or slab. The head is driven mechanically and controlled remotely, which keeps the kerf straight and square to the face. Blades of 600–1600 mm give cutting depths in the 250–700 mm range, so a single machine passes through the full section of a load-bearing wall. Typical work covers door and window openings, service penetrations and controlled demolition with low vibration.

Blade diameter should exceed twice the thickness of the element, because usable depth amounts to about half the diameter once the flange and guard are subtracted. A 240 mm wall needs a 600–650 mm blade, a 300 mm slab around 800 mm, and a 500 mm section 1200 mm — or cutting from both faces on one shared axis. Beyond roughly 700 mm the work goes to a wire saw, which has no section limit. Dense reinforcement additionally calls for a harder segment bond.

A wall saw wins wherever depth and a square kerf decide the outcome. A hand-held cutter reaches some 100–150 mm and depends on the operator's force, so on a 240 mm wall it will neither break through nor hold a straight edge over a two-metre run. A rail-guided saw takes 250–700 mm from one set-up and works vertically or overhead without the operator carrying the machine. The trade-off is set-up: mounting the rail takes some 20–40 minutes and the head needs a power pack behind it.

Four things decide whether the saw starts: a power unit, water, anchors and slurry handling. Hydraulic saws need a power pack of roughly 9–20 kW delivering 35–65 l/min at up to about 230 bar, while high-frequency electric saws run off a 400 V three-phase supply through a converter. Cooling consumes 3–8 litres of water per minute, which comes to roughly 180–480 litres over an hour of cutting. The rail is fixed with anchors, and before the first score the crew checks for concealed services and supports the block being removed — one square metre of a 200 mm wall weighs about 480 kg. Power units are listed under power packs.