Cutting perforated bricks

subhuman · 1 Oct 2015

This might sound daft to the pros, but how do you get a good cut on a perforated brick?

I'm using Carlton Civic Multi 73mm (3 perforations) and need some 3/4 bricks.

Tried marking and cutting using bolster (brick placed on bag of sand) - the bricks just end up splitting at random, mostly through the middle perforation.

What am I doing wrong? I could resort to the angle grinder but messy....

Cheers

stuart45 · 1 Oct 2015

The angle grinder might be your best option as they are not the cheapest bricks. Have you used the bolster gently on all 4 sides of the brick, working your way round? You often find that some bricks cut better with the brick trowel as long as you have the confidence.

noseall · 1 Oct 2015

We will often use the grinder when faced with misbehaving bricks. It's the best option otherwise you will end up with a pile of hard core infill.

mfarrow · 1 Oct 2015

Maybe I was working with a better brick, but for my extension I just used a brick hammer near the edge of the hole then trimmed to size?

Holding brick on a surface instead of across well-spread fingers made a mess like you've got.

subhuman · 1 Oct 2015

Thanks for the suggestions - will see how I get in tomorrow!

noseall · 2 Oct 2015

We used a brick on an extension that had four holes in it. Yes FOUR. Impossible to break in half neatly.

Shinogi · 4 Oct 2015

The bricks I used for my shed had 5 holes in them. I used an angle grinder to score a line on 3 faces of the brick, obviously not the facing side, and then hit the brick on the line with a bolster chisel and hammer on it's longest face (the top). Cut perfectly 98% of the time. I cut around 30 bricks this way and only one didn't cut properly.

tomfe · 7 Oct 2015

If you've got a lot of 3/4s to cut you're be better off with a sthil saw and do a a dozen at a time.

JBR · 7 Oct 2015

I am not a builder, and it probably shows in what I'm about to say!
It occurs to me that half-bricks (and probably three-quarter-bricks) are in demand by builders, yet are apparently not exactly easy to create from standard bricks.
So why are they not produced by brick manufacturers? I wouldn't have thought it would be difficult, and surely they would sell!

noseall · 8 Oct 2015

JBR said:
I am not a builder, and it probably shows in what I'm about to say!
It occurs to me that half-bricks (and probably three-quarter-bricks) are in demand by builders, yet are apparently not exactly easy to create from standard bricks.
So why are they not produced by brick manufacturers? I wouldn't have thought it would be difficult, and surely they would sell!

There are brick cutting companies that produce repeat cuts for larger projects and sites as well as produce the usual specials etc.

JBR · 8 Oct 2015

Fair enough, but why the need for having bricks professionally cut when they could more easily be made to half-brick size in the first place? Just use different moulds and supply them in minimum quantities to make the production economically worthwhile.

stuart45 · 8 Oct 2015

3/4 cuts usually vary slightly in size, so making them in mass wouldn't really work. Half bats are easier to cut as the end of the brick is usually good enough, plus you normally get quite a few bats in the packs.

noseall · 8 Oct 2015

Collateral pack damage accounts for a fair few halves but I have yet to find a reliable way of achieving pack damage to suit my walls.

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Cutting perforated bricks

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