10 inch portable table saw, cut bricks?

1

Hi

I am excited to start my brick pizza oven project in the spring. I am figuring out what tools I need. For cutting bricks I have an old Ryobi 10 inch table top table saw (small table saw). Does anyone know if such a saw can be used to cut bricks?

Thanks very much.

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Yes, you should be able to, provided the blade can be raised high enough to cut through a brick at 2 ½ inches high, at an angle (which requires even more height on the blade).

You will need a 10 inch diamond edge masonry blade, which is not cheap, but it’s much less expensive than a different kind of saw.

You should check your saw first to be sure you can raise the blade high enough. Unlike miter or chop saws, there is no guard above the blade to catch flying splinters of brick, but most dust and debris in a table saw exits toward the rear and under the table. As always protective equipment is a must, especially good safety glasses and a N-95 dust mask.

If your Ryobi won’t “cut it,” you can choose between renting a masonry wet saw or purchasing a cheap miter saw. It doesn’t have to be top of the line, because it’s doing one job for you that’s not super-precision like woodworking.

If you have an angle grinder, that’s another good option though some here have reported that it’s more difficult to maneuver and won’t cut all the way through a brick without turning the brick. You need one anyway for cutting off rebar, and it’s always a good tool to have in your bag.

Again, with any of these, you need the appropriate blade or wheel. You can use a masonry wheel with a grinder, but folks report better results with a diamond wheel.

3

Hi Matt

Thanks very much for this thorough answer, this is very helpful. I’ll check the blade height, it would be great to be able to get another project out of my old, but little used table saw.

I actually got a nice cordless Dewalt Angle Grinder for Christmas, and agree that using it for all required brick cuts would not be practical.

My patio and pavilion are scheduled to be built in March, then I can finally start my brick oven project (the oven is going to be built adjacent to the patio).

Thanks again.
Greg

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