Slate is a very practical and affordable material for roofing and finishing. But here, not every home master knows how to cut slate and how to do it correctly. Let's try to answer the question in detail.
Slate. Features of the material and its area of \u200b\u200buse
Slate - This is a material that is used in construction very often. It is also used in the construction of high-rise buildings, and in the construction of country houses and other structures, such as greenhouses or composting facilities.
As a rule, the word slate means a material with a wavy profile, made on the basis of asbestos cement.Although today there are varieties of this coating that do not include asbestos, for example, the so-called Euroslate.
For the production of traditional slate, the following ingredients are used:
- Asbestos;
- Portland cement;
- Water.
roofing material It turns out quite strong, but light and inexpensive. It is due to these properties that it has become widespread.
There is an opinion that the use of slate is unsafe from an environmental point of view, since it emits dust containing asbestos particles. However, this problem is successfully solved by coloring the slate. In addition, painted sheets are more durable and have a longer service life.
Asbestos-cement slate can be recommended for roofing with a slope of more than 12 degrees. In addition to corrugated slate, material with flat sheets is produced, which is often used for wall decoration and the construction of various light buildings.
How to work with slate?
As can be seen from the above, the scope of slate is quite wide. This material is very often used for a variety of purposes by home craftsmen.
But the question arises, how to cut the slate so that the edges of the sheets are even? After all, this material is fragile, so it is quite difficult to make an even cut.
In addition, it should be noted that the composition of the material includes asbestos, the dust of which, if inhaled, can cause harm to health. Therefore, when planning construction, you should decide not only how to cut slate, but also how to do it safely.
To do this, measures should be taken to reduce dusting, as well as use protective equipment - gloves, goggles, a respirator.
Dust reduction measures include:
- Water use. When cutting wet asbestos cement, much less dust is released than when cutting dry material.
- Correct location. Sawing is best done in the air, standing on the leeward side so that the dust is carried away by the wind.
The main ways of cutting slate
When planning work with such material as asbestos-cement sheets, it is unlikely that it will be possible to avoid the need for sawing the material. Therefore, when purchasing slate - how to cut it must be decided in the first place. Consider the most common methods that home masters can use.
- The easiest way to solve the problem is to cut flat slate. For this work, you can successfully use the grinder, which is equipped with a stone disc. It is more convenient to work together. One master performs cutting with a tool, the second pours water into the cut in a thin stream. You can pour water with a hose or just pour it from a plastic bottle. Using such a simple method avoids the formation of a large amount of dust that scatters in the air and contaminates the tool. When water is used, asbestos dust flows as dirt onto the ground or substrate and can be easily removed.
- To resolve the issue of how to cut slate, you can use a grinder equipped with a diamond wheel. . When using this method, a prerequisite is the use of protective equipment that can prevent inhalation of asbestos dust and its contact with the eyes. Using diamond blades, you can cut in a variety of directions, as well as polish the edges. To solve the dust problem, it is desirable to work outdoors.Moreover, you need to place yourself so that the wind carries the resulting dust away from the worker.
Advice! If it becomes necessary to cut the slate in the winter, you can do it easier: the slate sheet is laid on the snow, the grinder is brought up to it from above. When working with this method, the main part of the dust will remain on the snow.
- Before sawing the slate, it is advisable to wet the line of the future cut with water. First you need to outline the line along which the cutting will be made. Then, along the basting, any rags that have been abundantly moistened with water are laid. Leave the slate like this for two to three hours. As a result, the asbestos cement gets wet and becomes more elastic than before. Wet slate can be cut with a grinder, as well as using a jigsaw or a regular hacksaw. When using any of the listed tools, do not press hard on the slate sheet to prevent splitting.
Advice! We will tell you how to cut slate with a cutting machine. To perform the work, cutting discs for stone are used. It is necessary to draw a disc along the moistened incision line without pressing it. As a result, a risk is formed, which should be moistened with water again. Then re-carry out the machine, deepening the risk. So in three or four passes the cut will deepen so much that the slate can be easily broken along the intended line.
- And how to cut the slate if the cutting machine was not at hand? In this case, you can use an electric jigsaw with reduced speed or the most ordinary hacksaw. It is important to act carefully and avoid strong pressure on the sheet so that it does not break.
- If a home craftsman has a cutter in his arsenal, then the question of how to cut flat slate is solved very simply.To do this, a sheet of material is laid on a flat flat surface and a cut line is marked. Further, using a ruler, they make along the intended line of risk. After completing two or three passes with the tool, deepen the risk. Then a rail is placed under the sheet and the sheet is broken along the marked line.
- Similarly, wavy slate can be cut if the cut line is located along the wave. When using a cutter, cutting the slate can be completed in 2 minutes. And with the acquisition of some experience, you can cut quite narrow strips from the sheet. Moreover, when working with a cutter, much less dust is generated than when using a grinder.
- And how can cutting of flat slate be carried out if there are no suitable tools for this at the disposal of the master? In this case, we can recommend using the simplest method. To begin with, a cut line is marked on the sheet. Then they take a slate nail and a hammer and begin to punch holes along the cut line. The more holes are located, the easier it will be to break the sheet. After the holes are made, a long rail is placed under the slate sheet. Now you need to break the sheet along the intended line. Of course, in this case, it is unlikely that a perfectly even notch line will turn out. However, it all depends on the accuracy of the master and the number of holes that were made. If you want to cut several sheets using this method, then it is recommended to make a device resembling a comb, which will significantly speed up the process. To make a comb, take a wooden plank and drill holes in it every two centimeters. Slate nails are inserted into the holes obtained.Then the manufactured comb is installed along the cut line and hit with a hammer, punching several holes at once.
Advice! When using this method, it is necessary to use slate nails, and not those that came to hand. The fact is that the slate nail has a specific design of the rod and a head made of soft metal, so such a nail easily penetrates the structure of the slate sheet without damaging it.
conclusions
There are many methods for cutting a slate sheet. Some of them are more laborious, others require a special tool.
Deciding how to cut slate has to take into account the equipment at hand, as well as the presence or absence of an assistant.
The main component of success in the performance of this work is accuracy and slowness. Since excessive haste can lead to the fact that the sheet will simply split and it will have to be sent to marriage.
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