victorh81•1mo agoTop Commenter

My dad swore by doing control joints by hand, I always thought it was BS until last Tuesday

We were pouring a 30x40 slab for a barn outside of Waco, and the guy running the saw showed up late so I grabbed a groover and went old school like my old man showed me. The finish was way smoother and I didn't have that constant worry about chipping the edges along the cuts. Has anyone else given up on a saw for smaller residential jobs or am I just being a stubborn fool?

3 comments

3 Comments

robin6281mo ago

victor's got a point about the wavy lines, but I've seen a good groover hand steady enough to pull a straight line if you've got the touch and aren't rushing it. A lot of it depends on whether your mix is right for hand work or a saw, either way you're gonna have a bad time if you pick the wrong tool for the slump.

victor_robinson1mo ago

Hold on, you really think that groover gave you a better finish than a saw? I have to push back on that one. I've seen more than a few hand-cut joints get wavy and uneven when the concrete starts setting faster than you can work, especially on a hot Texas day like last week. The risk of tearing the aggregate and leaving a rough, raggedy edge is way higher with a groover than a good saw blade, and that's a headache you don't want to explain to a homeowner. Plus, a saw is just hands down more consistent for the depth and straightness, even if you have to deal with a little chipping on the corners.

cora5181mo ago

Oh man, I've been burned by that too... thought I could get a clean joint with a groover on a hot day and ended up with a mess that took forever to grind smooth. That raggedy edge from tearing the aggregate is the worst, especially when you're trying to keep a tight schedule and the sun's just baking the slab faster than you can react. Saw's definitely the safer bet for consistent depth and straight lines, even with a little chipping you can patch easy.