Serious question, has anyone else had a brick saw blade just shatter on them?

I was cutting some reclaimed pavers yesterday and the 14-inch diamond blade on my old saw exploded, sending pieces everywhere. I'm now convinced that checking for hairline cracks in the blade before each job is not just a suggestion. What's the best way you guys check yours?

4 comments

4 Comments

aaron3053mo ago

My cousin's old tile saw blade came apart and put a chunk in his garage door, scared him straight lol.

miles_hall3mo ago

Old blades are no joke. I had a diamond blade let go once and it sounded like a gunshot. Now I mark the date on every new blade with a paint pen. If it's over a year old or been through a lot of wet work, it gets swapped out even if it looks fine. What's your cousin using to cut now?

rowan_thomas842mo agoProlific Poster

Miles that paint pen idea is genius, I'm stealing that. My cousin actually switched to a wet saw with a continuous rim blade now, way safer than those segmented ones. The key thing I learned from breaking a few blades is to listen for a change in pitch while cutting. If it starts sounding different, stop and check it immediately. Also never force a blade through material, let it do the work. And that tip about marking dates is solid, I usually write the month right on the arbor flange with a sharpie so I see it every time I swap blades.

the_wesley3mo ago

Checking for hairline cracks" is a good call. I had a similar scare with a cheap angle grinder disc a few years back. It didn't fully explode, but it split and made a sound I can still hear. Now I just hold blades up to a bright light and give them a slow spin. If there's a crack, the light usually finds it. Not exactly high tech, but it's kept me in one piece so far.