Bosch PKS16 Mini Circular Saw - Cutting Cement Fibreboard

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bigalxyz

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I've got a Bosch PKS16 handheld mini circular saw, which comes with three round blades (65mm diameter, 15mm hole):
* Ceramic
* "Precision" (whatever that means) - with 12 cutting teeth
* "Special" (whatever that means) - looks similar to precision but has 20 cutting teeth.

I've used the "special" blade for cutting wood flooring, worked nicely.

I have some cement fibreboard that I need to cut (straight lines only). Would the Bosch be a good tool for this, and if so which of the blades would be best? Or is there a different, more suitable, blade that I could buy separately?

Thank you.
 
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I don't know about the power, but the cement fibre board we cut (12 and 15mm thick) requires carbide grit or diamond cutting wheels/teeth for longevity. Granted, it can be cut with conventional TCT wood saw blades, it's just that they don't last that long (the teeth blunt quite quickly making subsequent cuts in wood awful). Similarly even bimetallic jigsaw blades don't last long on it - the coarse carbide grit blades designed for floor tiles seem to last longest. We use Bosch coarse grit carbide grinding wheels on an angle grinder for rough cut outs through cement particle board and its' backer board (OSB or plywood) and it cuts quite easily using even cordless tools. Some of the diamond blades we've tried tended to clog up, possibly because they were too fine(?). So try the ceramic blade and see how it goes

As an aside, if you weren't aware, cutting cement fibre board is probably going to be the dustiest thing you'll do, so cut out doors, wear a well fitting P3 mask, wear goggles and get your saw on a vacuum if at all possible, otherwise you'll end up tasting cement for ages! (and maybe having to wash your eyes out if you aren't in goggles)
 
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I think most trades people who install fibre cement board would either have some technique to score and snap the board, or they would use a larger circular saw to cut it, as most of the blades available for this material, usually have 4/6 or 8 teeth and are a little larger. (google DeWalt DEWDT1471QZ or TREND FIBREBOARD SAWBLADE 216 X 30MM 6T as some examples).

However I think your Bosch PKS16 is more designed for small DIY style cutting jobs as the blade is quite small, just a little bigger than a dremel blade, however if it's just a little bit of cutting that is needed, 1 or 2 sheets, it might work, I would look to use the Ceramic blade, I would think cement board and ceramic tile are a similar clay/sand/cement/flint based sort of material, so I'd give that one a try. The other blades with teeth you have I think would be blunted almost immediately I'd expect.

you might need to carefully mist some water spray on the board before you cut it as I expect dust will be an issue, definately an out door job and it could help to cool the blade.

Let us know how you get on

Paul
 
Paul, have you ever tried to score and snap the stuff? It works after a fashion with thinner boards (6 or 8mm) in small quantities, but the edges are really rough. Trying to snap 12mm or thicker boards quickly becomes an exercise in futility. So we saw it. The only good thing I can say about it is that you can nail it place with a gas nailer!
 
bigalxyz said:
I've got a Bosch PKS16 handheld mini circular saw, which comes with three round blades (65mm diameter, 15mm hole):
* Ceramic
* "Precision" (whatever that means) - with 12 cutting teeth
* "Special" (whatever that means) - looks similar to precision but has 20 cutting teeth.

I've used the "special" blade for cutting wood flooring, worked nicely.

I have some cement fibreboard that I need to cut (straight lines only). Would the Bosch be a good tool for this, and if so which of the blades would be best? Or is there a different, more suitable, blade that I could buy separately?

Thank you.
Click to expand...

Yes , have used a few times , course blade and use vacuum attachment .Dust free.
 
We are currently part way through laying 16,000 square feet of 12mm cement fibreboard subfloor, so loads of cut outs for ventilation, stairs, around balconies and beams. This is beneath the finished floor as a sound proofing insulation as opposed to the visible cut cladding we have installed elsewhere on the project. I've tried many techniques on this and the thicker stuff is a pig to score and cut, not to mention giving a terrible edge - hence the comments about sawing. As I said an 18 volt (brushed) cordless angle grinder fitted with a Bosch carbide grit blade fair flies through it, and that tool has very little real grunt - but it is very, very dusty. For the visible cladding we settled on a 1200 watt plunging rail saw, guide rails and class L vacuum with a PCD blade and that cuts well. But as I say, we are doing large volumes
 
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The cement tile backer type board can be scored and snapped a bit like plasterboard, but if you are talking about weatherplank cladding then a mitre saw with a dedicated cement blade is best.
 
The reality is still that providing you don't mind blunting the blade an ordinary TCT wood blade will cut the stuff quite well - it just won't cut wood all that well afterwards!
 
Thank you all. Update: the PKS16 with the diamond ceramic wheel worked nicely - I wasn't sure if it would do the job but I got nice clean cuts and it doesn't seem to have destroyed the blade. Good times!
 
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