The best way to cut bricks is to use a masonry saw that uses a diamond cutting blade
. A diamond saw is specially designed to cut through tough-to-carve materials such as granite and brick. Many of these blades employ wet-cutting methods that use a constant stream of water to prevent the saw blade from getting too hot while cutting.
Start by clearly outlining the area that needs to be cut with a piece chalk. Mark off the area both on the top as well as the sides of the brick so you that you have a clear line to follow regardless of which angle you look from.
Start the masonry saw and slowly insert the blade into the brick at an angle. It is important to ensure that the water is running freely over the blade to prevent the cutting area from overheating and damaging either the blade or the brick. Slowly move through the brick by applying a gentle steady pressure. Do not try to move too fast as it might cause the blade to veer off and shear a chunk of the desired brick.
Once you have sliced completely through the brick, power down the saw and keep it aside. Finish by chiseling or sanding down any rough edges to make sure the surface of the brick feels smooth and looks good.
Maintaining Your Diamond Saw Blade
A diamond bladed masonry saw is an expensive piece of equipment and needs to be carefully maintained. The most important maintenance task is to clean the surface of the blade carefully whenever it starts getting gummed up. This ensures that the cutting efficiency remains as good as ever and also helps increase the life of the blade.
The best way to clean a diamond blade is to use a long piece of concrete or cement. Start the saw and turn it up to full power before making a couple of shallow cuts or slashes into the concrete or cement block. Ensure that you cut the block from multiple angles to cover the entire blade surface. You will not need to do so for more than 10 to 20 seconds, half a minute at the maximum, to get a sparkling clean diamond saw blade that cuts through bricks as smoothly as a hot knife moves through butter.