Hi, I wish to cut Hardi board on the table saw. Does anyone know if we have a carbide tipped blade? It will be the first time for me to cut Hardie board and that is the type of blade I found recommended on the internet. Thanks!
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You can always bring one.
Is Cement Fiber board allowed in the wood shop? Is the contractor saw still around that it can be cut outside on?
@Team_Woodshop might want to weigh in on if hardiboard is a permitted material in the woodshop? The chips of cement encrusted fiber may be fairly abrasive, and we don’t have the best dust control at the moment.
And the current blades in the table saws are carbide tipped, but I’m pretty confident that team woodshop considers the existing blades as wood only.
I think cutting Hardi board in the wood shop is a bad idea. I believe it would be hard on the saws, blades and dust collection. I recommend cutting it outside with a contractor saw using your @amo blades.
I wouldn’t want to cut any nice hardwood on the saw after someone had cut Hardi board. The residual dust particles would be very abrasive on the wood.
Honestly, even if there is a portable contractor saw, and it is used outside, I would want it cleaned pretty much as completely as machine shop demands wood chips be cleaned before it was brought back into the woodshop for several reasons. Just looking for someone who unequivocally has the rights to say no to step in.
When I think of hardie board, I think tile. Will the Taurus Ring saw (glass works) do this?
Most likely looking for cuts larger than the few inches the ring saw supports. And the fiber in the material could clog up the ring and its guides.
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No fiber cement in the woodshop please. Outside is fine, but clean up all the mess.
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Hardi board is essentially used for siding. It is a great substitute for wood in this context since it will not rot, but then it is heavy and requires pretty much a dedicated saw for it (IMHO) It is too big for a glass saw, I think.
They make a blade specifically for hardiboard for a circular saw. I have one on mine.
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Highly recommend the circular saw method. Easy peasy lemon squeezy
I stand by my recommendation to use the score and snap method to provide good cuts with less work and less cleanup/debris (especially airborne) than any power method.
https://talk.dallasmakerspace.org/t/fired-arts-l-w-to-deliver-4x8x3-4-reinforced-concrete-slab-today/34239/7?u=jast
Tool recommended in that post:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/QEP-Cement-and-Backerboard-Scoring-Knife-with-3-Carbide-Tip-Design-10015/100046621
Other pertinent “wisdom” I’ve gained over the years, also repeated from that post:
the score need not be deep. Much like scoring and snapping tile or glass, just a streak provides the necessary concentration of forces.
I’ve done this any number of ways, and the score & snap has become my fav for being quiet, cheap, easy, highly portable, and, above all, free from airborne glass and concrete particles.
The Hardi Board siding is very heavy. My neighbor had a contractor installing it on his house. If you try to pick up a long piece of siding, make sure you have several people lifting it. If only one person in the middle tries to lift it, it will snap in half due to the weight. My neighbor made sure that the contractor replaced several boards that had snapped in half.
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I believe you aren’t even supposed to lift without standing on edge first, as you can create surface damage short of where it breaks.
Thanks everyone for your quick replies. I didn’t buy the fiber cement in the end and, having seen some videos cutting it and the dust it creates, I agree with what you said about doing it outside. However, while I was thinking of buying 4’x8’ board there are 12"x8’ boards that can be “cut” with a box cutter and some pressure that doesn’t create dust. See this video if interested in learning how: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D194cbqenUg
Thanks for everyone’s quick feedback and ideas.
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