Diamond drills and diamond saws are extremely useful tools, specifically designed to cut through very hard materials. As they are coated with a fine layer of diamond dust, and diamond is one of the hardest materials in the world, they can cut through just about anything. However, there are certain materials which are perfectly suited to a diamond drill or saw, and some others which should be avoided for various reasons.
In this article we will take the guesswork out of it for you, and lay out some of the main examples of materials you might cut with a diamond drill or saw, as well as those you should use a different tool on.
What are diamond drills and diamond saws?
Before we get into what diamond drills and diamond saws can cut, first we should explain exactly what these tools are and what they can do for you.
Diamond drills
When people refer to diamond drills they’re really talking about diamond drill bits. These are just like normal drill bits in that you can use them with any electric or power drill, but they have one crucial difference. Diamond drill bits are, as the name suggests, coated in a layer of very fine diamond. This diamond coating is what makes a diamond drill able to cut through extremely hard materials relatively easily, as diamond is such a hard substance. This means that when that diamond layer is worn down to the point of disappearing, you need to replace your diamond drill bit with a fresh, new one.
Diamond saws
Diamond saws, sometimes known as diamond blades, are made mostly from steel, but with a diamond coating on the edge of the blade itself. Like with diamond drills, this diamond coating allows it to cut through very hard materials.
Diamond saws don’t actually strictly speaking cut thoughthrough materials at all, rather they grind through them. The diamond edge can grind smoothly and precisely through almost anything you can throw at it.
What can they cut through?
Diamond drills and diamond saws are extremely versatile and can be used to cut through a very wide range of different materials with ease. Cutting through anything from concrete to granite and from pottery to pebbles, a diamond drill or saw could well be the solution you’ve been looking for.
Glass
Diamond drills and saws make light work of cutting through most glass, including sea glass, sheet glass and glass beads.
The one type of glass you should never attempt to use a diamond drill or saw on is tempered glass. If you try to drill or cut through tempered glass the glass will either shatter completely or leave you with a lot of cracks. Either way, that’s probably not the desired effect!
Concrete
Concrete, and even reinforced concrete, is no match for diamond. A diamond drill or diamond saw can cut through concrete easily, making them ideal for a whole host of construction projects.
Asphalt
Asphalt can be extremely difficult to cut and reshape once it’s been set. However, with a diamond saw this can be done with no difficulty at all. By applying slow, gentle pressure you can cut through asphalt with no issues.
Stone and rock
All stone and masonry, including brick, marble, granite and even fossils, can be safely cut using a diamond drill or saw.
Porcelain and pottery
Porcelain, pottery and all kinds of ceramics can be cut with a diamond drill or saw. Ideal if you need to hang something on a tiled surface, or want to engrave some china.
Bone and shell
Animal products such as bone, shell, antler and ivory can be cut using a diamond drill or saw without cracking or damaging the material.
Hardwood
Although a lot of types of wood aren’t suitable for cutting with a diamond drill or diamond saw, some of the hardest varieties of wood can be. For example, you could use a diamond drill or saw on ebony, olivewood or walnut perfectly happily, but most other types of wood would be too soft and could ruin your tools.
What can’t they cut through?
Tempered glass
As we already mentioned above, tempered glass cannot be drilled or cut into using diamond drills or saws. However, it can’t be drilled or cut into by anything else either. Tempered glass is toughened in such a way that it evenly distributes pressure across its entire surface. This makes it safer and much tougher, but also means it can’t be cut without the whole thing shattering.
Wood
We already know that only the hardest woods are appropriate to cut with a diamond drill or saw. The vast majority of types of wood are simply too soft. Trying to cut through one of these softer woods would just clog up your drill or saw, ruining your drill bit or blade and leaving you with a mess to fix.
Luckily, wood can be cut through with almost any more traditional drill bit or saw, so you won’t have any issues finding something that works on your woodwork project.
Plaster
Similarly, plaster is too soft to cut through using a diamond coated tool. The plaster would quickly ruin your tools. Diamonds are famously expensive, and so diamond coated tools such as drill bits and saws are much more expensive than your standard tools. It’s definitely not worth the risk to use them on plaster.
Soft plastics
Most plastics are much too soft to need a diamond drill or saw to cut through. Save your money (and your tools) and use a more traditional drill or saw to cut your plastics.
What should you do if you’re not sure?
It’s always better to check before trying to use a diamond drill or saw in a project. Luckily at Confast we are more than happy to put our knowledge and expertise to good use and offer our advice. Simply get in touch with us with your questions or plans and we’ll see what we can do for you.