Masonry Magazine October 2008 Page. 42
POWER TOOLS
Power Tools That
Pack a Punch
More power, accurate cutting and dust control raise the bar for new masonry power tools.
By Brett Martin
NEW TOOLS FOR THE MASONRY INDUSTRY CONTINUE THE TREND OF LIGHTER, FASTER AND MORE COMFORTABLE. But today's new tools also add the benefits of better pricing, increased production, and tackling one of the most pressing issues facing masonry contractors: dust control.
"I look at it from the regulations side, which say that you have to provide dust suppression," says Brian Delahaut, VP and general manager for Torrance, Calif.-based MK Diamond Products Inc. The company has a new dust shroud for grinders.
"The shroud is opening up a lot of new doors," says Delahaut. "Grinders create a lot of dust."
Grinding and drilling tools containing dust
THIS MONTH, new regulations from the California division of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, better known as Cal/OSHA, are slated to take effect in California that will require workers cutting masonry materials to contain the dust. In anticipation of the new requirement, MK Diamond developed its $96 vacuum dust shroud, the MK-IXL, which fits seven- and nine-inch grinders.
"It uses advanced technology that creates a negative pressure inside the shroud to create a vacuum," Delahaut says. That technology, called cyclone dust extraction, uses the spinning, grinding wheel to generate "air velocity" in the snail-shaped shroud that channels the dust particles to the vacuum port.
"It captures about 95 percent of the dust," he says, adding that collecting dust also reduces clean-up time at the end of the day, increases grinder efficiency, and increases worker productivity.