How to Cut Brick Tiles

During the erection of brick walls, during the arrangement of furnaces, as well as during facing works, building materials of non-standard shapes and dimensions are often required. Therefore, every worker who deals with similar work must know exactly how to saw a brick and how to correctly carry out this operation. In this article we will talk about devices that will help in this matter.

How to get a custom size or irregular brick

Not so long ago, professional builders and amateurs did not even ask themselves how to saw a brick. They used the usual pickaxe and chopping method, which does not have a high level of complexity.

The process of felling a brick with a pickaxe or combined trowel is as follows:

  • it is necessary to take a unit of building material in the left hand;
  • then you need to apply a split line with a tool on all sides of the product;
  • at the end, deliver a sharp jerky blow to the edge of the product, while the pick and the brick surface should form a right angle.

How to Cut Brick Tiles

Manual felling of bricks

This method has some disadvantages:

  • low accuracy;
  • the surface of the formed face is uneven, so you have to hide it inside the masonry, and this in some cases is impossible;
  • you can not crack a brick at a different angle than the straight one.

But, time has passed, and now there are new construction tools that can be used for these purposes. They make the process more convenient and accurate, plus they significantly reduce time costs. In addition, the formed faces of the products have a flat surface.

Now a completely fair question arises as to how to cut silicate or fireclay bricks. Modern specialists in the construction industry use the following tools for this purpose:

  • machine for processing bricks;
  • special saw (gas cutter);
  • Angle Grinder.

Video review of brick cutting tools

How is brick cutting

When processing these building materials, you will need a pencil and a corner, in addition to the main cutting element. It should be noted that this procedure is accompanied by the formation of a significant amount of dust, so it is extremely important to use personal protective equipment. The respiratory tract should be protected by a respiratory mask, eyes with protective glasses, and hands with gloves.

For a more accurate cutting of building materials, you must first start marking its surface. To do this, use a construction pencil. Now you can start cutting, and you need to do this not along the line itself, but near it, otherwise the brick fragment will not be as large as required.

Using an angle grinder

Now let’s talk about how to properly cut a brick angle grinder. This operation is carried out when it is required to make a small number of fragments of building material. For processing, models that can be equipped with a circle with a diameter of 23 centimeters are suitable.

Smaller cutting elements can also be used, but in this case performance and accuracy suffer, since the disc will not pass through the entire thickness of the product, so the workpiece will have to be turned over.

Brick Cutting Angle Grinder

The power of the tool used must be at least 2000 watts. Do not use a tool too powerful for this purpose, as it will be unreasonably heavy and bulky.

What disk to cut a brick

It is also very important to choose the right disk for processing bricks. Cutting tools that are used for such operations are divided into two main groups:

The main advantage of the abrasive disc is its relatively low cost. However, it should be said that such products quickly fail, so they often need to be changed. In addition, abrasive discs are subject to deformation and cracking, and therefore are quite unsafe.

Diamond blades are best suited for this operation. They are made on the basis of durable steel. Such a product is reliable and has a long service life. Also, such discs are safer. Diamond cutting elements are also divided into several groups:

Simple solid edge products. Such products provide a smooth surface of the newly formed faces and are of low cost. Among the disadvantages are quick wear and high heating during processing.

Segmented. The main design feature of such products is the presence of cuts on their edge. This design provides high-quality waste removal from the working area and slow heating. These discs are well suited for dry cutting.

Toothed edge discs. The main advantage of such products is a large margin of safety. They are distinguished by a long service life and the ability to use with wet and dry cutting.

diamond disc angle grinder

To improve the quality of cutting building materials, experts recommend using a bed for an angle grinder. By means of this design, the cutting tool and the workpiece can be rigidly fixed. Using the bed, you can saw a brick along or in half at different angles.

Precautions when working with angle grinder

Before starting all work, you should familiarize yourself with the basic requirements and rules of the work with a cutting tool. The first thing to remember is to hold the tool with both hands. Despite its simplicity, this requirement is the most important, since the strong holding angle grinder guarantees high precision work. A kickback will not be able to significantly displace the tool and certainly will not be able to pull it out of hand. It is also very important to choose a comfortable position in which you definitely do not risk losing your balance.

Video: How to Cut Brick Tiles


The power cable must be laid so that it is at the maximum distance from the working area of ​​the tool in order to exclude the possibility of their contact with each other. Otherwise, the cable may be cut or wound onto a disc. These situations are very unpleasant, since there is a risk of a short circuit or a river stopping the circle with a further displacement of the device. It is also forbidden to put an angle grinder with a still spinning circle on any surface.

Cutting bricks with an angle grinder is a fairly simple procedure, but full concentration is necessary for its safe conduct. Keep in mind the formation of dust during processing. To remove dust, a protective cover is used, which is equipped with a nozzle for a vacuum cleaner. If it is not possible to organize waste disposal, wear a respiratory mask. You can also pour water into the work area and often ventilate the room.

The main nuisance that may arise during the work is a back strike. This is an unexpected tool shift due to jamming of the wheel. Almost always, the disk is destroyed. This situation may arise due to the fact that the direction of movement of the angle grinder is inverse to the direction of the cutting tool. In most cases, a back strike is a consequence of the employee’s incorrect actions. To protect yourself from such troubles, you should remember the following rules:

  • It is necessary to stand in the place where the tool does not bounce during the back strike, otherwise there is a risk of injury.
  • It is also necessary to hold the tool firmly with both hands.

Brick cutting with a gas cutter

Brick cutting with a gas cutter

If the question arose of how to saw a brick without an angle grinder, then you can use a gas cutter. This device is a special saw. The tool is quite inconvenient for cutting building materials, because it is characterized by cumbersome and heavy weight.

If a disk is used as a cutting element in a gas cutter, then it looks like an angle grinder, with the difference that it works on gasoline. A chain may also be used as a cutting element. In this case, the chainsaw is a bit like a chainsaw. Cutting elements for gas cutting are made by special technology and are coated with diamond chips.

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This device is convenient to use when arranging window or doorways in brickwork. The main advantage of gas cutters is the presence of water supply to the working area of ​​the tool.

Brick cutting with a special machine

The machine for processing such building materials consists of the following elements:

  • reliable metal frame;
  • diamond wheel;
  • power unit;
  • system for holding the workpiece;
  • water supply system to the working area.

Brick Cutting Machine

The purchase of this equipment allows you to do the following:

  • quickly process workpieces;
  • carry out cutting of products with maximum accuracy, resulting in a flat surface, which is very convenient for further work;
  • increase work safety, as the water supply system ensures minimal dust formation.

Choosing a brick cutting machine

Despite the above advantages, the installation for processing bricks is not always advisable to use. The fact is that it is quite expensive, so its purchase will be justified if significant volumes of work are implied. Also, such installations are recommended for specialists who are constantly engaged in such activities.

Processing building materials with this equipment is very simple. Each model comes with instructions. In most cases, the processing of workpieces on the machine includes the following steps:

  • marking must be applied to the workpiece;
  • then the brick is installed at the right angle;
  • the tool is brought to the working area;
  • the engine turns on and the rotation speed is adjusted;
  • the movement of the cutting element is carried out and cutting occurs.

The main advantage in working with brick processing plants is the fact that the worker is in such a position that he can consider the cutting process and, therefore, control it.

Brick Cutting Machine Overview

Brick processing machines are complex structures that can harm the health of the operator if mishandled. Therefore, work on the processing of building materials should be carried out taking into account all safety rules. The device is equipped with a power unit, which works from a network with an operating voltage of 380 volts, so it needs proper grounding. As cutting elements only those circles which are allowed by the manufacturer can be used. Also, the worker must use safety glasses, gloves and a respirator.

A device that is produced at the factory is quite expensive, so if the question arose of how to cut a brick at home, it is better to use other settings. However, some home craftsmen try to assemble such a machine on their own. The parameters of the future device are determined by the capabilities of the designer and the upcoming scope of work.

Some people even decide to completely repeat the design of factory-made machines. Other home masters use improvised tools to simulate machine tools. In most cases, we are talking about an angle grinder, which is mounted on a bed.

The principle of operation of the brick cutting machine

From the foregoing, it follows that the modern market offers a huge number of different devices for processing bricks. The choice of equipment falls on the shoulders of the master, and it must be done taking into account the following factors:

  • scope of proposed work;
  • work environment;
  • budget for work.

How to saw a brick manually

Now let’s talk about how to cut brick for masonry manually. The sequence of actions is as follows:

The first step is to find several blanks without visible defects.

After this, marking should be applied to the surface of the building material.

Then you need to take a pickaxe and inflict a few punches at an angle along the entire perimeter along the markings, and then hit the end faces, while beating off the corners of the product.

To obtain a flat and smooth surface, it is necessary to rub the formed surface on another brick.

Then you need to make a small furrow on the wide edge of the product using the same pickaxe.

After that, it is necessary to install the product with a furrow down and inflict a few blows in the area of ​​the furrow. For these purposes use a hammer.

To obtain a fragment the size of one or three quarters of the product, you need to make a furrow on all faces of the brick. Then start striking with a hammer until the brick breaks.

Splitting brick

Another device for processing data of building materials, which can be used at home and at the construction site, is an installation for splitting bricks.

Installation for splitting bricks

The equipment is a mechanical installation in which the workpiece is fixed and its cutting is carried out using special knives.

The equipment may be automatic or mechanical. Most experts recommend using a guillotine knife as a cutting tool for such structures.

This tool is characterized by a relatively low cost, ease of operation and the possibility of its use for different types of bricks.