Masonry Magazine April 2009 Page. 22
SAWS
MK Diamond Products Inc. — MK-1280
Heavy Duty Drilling
Two new drills from Diamond Vantage Inc. in Grandview, Mo., are "far more substantial machines" for heavy-duty drilling, says Graeme Gilmour, president and CEO.
In the past, contractors have had problems with motors failing while drilling in hard materials, he says, adding that his drills won't have that problem.
"Motors will burn up when you're asking them to do more than they're designed to do. That's not going to happen to ours," Gilmour says. "This is the last machine they will have to buy."
The drills also have a stable platform for drilling, he says. "For the professional, these are far sturdier than any machine he will buy." IMAS
"The thing we started to notice from the user side is that in the paver market, we're seeing larger pavers," Delahaut says, noting that masonry contractors were having trouble cutting the pavers on traditional saws. "Our saw is designed for cutting larger pavers, brick, and other popular masonry materials."
The saw cuts a length of up to 28 inches and can cut masonry materials either wet or dry, he says. A nine-horsepower Honda gas engine powers the saw, although a two-horsepower Baldor electric motor is also available.
"The engine has a lot of power for the customer to cut pavers," Delahaut says.
Design changes allowed MK Diamond to produce the saw less expensively than other masonry saws, he says. The cutting head is stationary, which eliminates the need for the user to pull down the blade to the material. Repeatedly pulling down the blade can cause carpal tunnel, in some cases.
"One thing we heard from users is they were tired of pulling the head down," Delahaut says. "This has a fixed head, so you push the material with both hands, which makes it much safer."
New engine technology improves performance
CUT-OFF MACHINES from STIHL Inc., in Virginia Beach, Va., offer the company's X2 air filtration system that delivers 99.96 percent pure air to the carburetor, says Adam Hanks, product manager, industrial products. Originally developed for larger cut-off machines, the X2 system is now available on the new TS 410 and TS 420, which are equipped with a piston-controlled, stratified-charge engine that reduces emissions by 44 percent, compared to the TS 400.
"This engine technology, coupled with a larger fuel tank, also increases the run-time by 20 percent compared to the TS 400," he says. "A four spring anti-vibration system reduces vibration by 43 percent. This reduction in vibration makes these units more comfortable to use and also reduces operator fatigue."
With the X2 system, masonry contractors don't have to worry about cleaning the filter everyday, Hanks points out.
"The filters on these units shouldn't be cleaned at all but replaced when the operator notices a loss in power," he says. "The filter can go up to a year before being replaced, depending on hours and type of use. Because of the abrasive nature of concrete dust, cleaning the filters can actually damage the units by allowing this abrasive dust into the cylinder."
Matching the saw speed to the material
EARLIER THIS YEAR, MK Diamond updated one of its popular block cutting