Brick Splitter

[Leone]

I have just purchased my firebricks and was going to use a chop saw to cut them, but a friend of mine suggested using a brick splitter. He said it would be much faster and less messy. My local tool rental place rents them for $20 a day. I realize I would have to use a saw for the more intricate cuts, but before I wasted time and money, I was wondering if anyone has had success using a splitter. Below is a link of a similar splitter on Amazon.

Thanks

Dino M.

Amazon.com: Kraft Brick Splitter: Home Improvement

[fxpose]

If you are going to use your chop saw eventually for the intricate cuts why not just use it for the whole project? With a segmented diamond blade it'll cut through bricks like butter. You will be dealing with a lot of brick dust, however.

Also, for the cost of that Amazon brick splitter you can buy yourself a wet saw.

George

[Leone]

Thanks George. I will heed your advise and use the chop saw instead of the brick splitter. I didn't realize that firebrick would cut that easily (with a diamond blade).

Also, I've read your 3 legged oven thread and found it very interesting because I have a similar problem with hearth space. My hearth is 47" by 55" and I would like to build a 36" oven. I plan on cutting the first few chains of brick down to 3" like you did at least where the brick meets the edges plus 2" of insulating blanket. That gives me 46" total diameter with 1/2 inch on each end to finish my dome. I plan on using a stucco house, so I'll have to be creative on the finish.

[Neil2]

"You will be dealing with a lot of brick dust, however."

If you soak your bricks (until the bubbles stop) you will get virtually no dust and your blade will last 10 time longer. Since the motor and switches on a chop saw are mounted high up you won't have a problem with water in the electrics.

[fxpose]

Originally Posted by Neil2

If you soak your bricks (until the bubbles stop) you will get virtually no dust and your blade will last 10 time longer.

This is true. I had several dozen bricks just sitting in buckets of water for days (although they only require a few minutes of thorough soaking) and pulled each brick out as I needed them for cutting. Instead of brick dust you'll end up with a build up of wet brick grime everywhere.

George

[david s]

If you score around the brick in the middle, then hit it with a brick bolster (like a giant wide cold chisel) the brick will split in half easily. This method is quick and cheap. Then lay the bricks with the split on the outside.

[fxpose]

For the first 3 courses I split my bricks with a brick set thinking I can do this for the entire dome. Almost midway up the dome I got myself a segmented diamond blade for my miter saw to make tapered cuts. I should have just started out with this set up from the very beginning instead of splitting the bricks...

George

[dmun]

If you score around the brick in the middle, then hit it with a brick bolster (like a giant wide cold chisel) the brick will split in half easily.

Cutting bricks with a brickset (bolster in UK speak) is a skill born of long practice. To me, it's like cutting glass: it breaks everywhere except where you want it to.

[Leone]

thanks for the input. I have the chop saw set up in my backyard and will soak the bricks and grab the mask and goggles and give it a whirl. The brick scoring sounds great if I knew what I was doing. I've tried using a tile scorer when I put in my bathroom tile and they split in all the wrong places.