Diamond Products
Husqvarna Disc
Disc cutters are incredibly useful machines, particularly the big ones that are used on road building projects and building sites. I have used a few of the petrol powered ones to great effect and I have always been impressed by how they can effortlessly and accurately cut through concrete and other hard stuff. But, the petrol-powered machines do have a few downsides. They are usually quite bulky because of the motor, they have to be used in well-ventilated areas because of the fumes and unfortunately they are incredibly noisy. So when I received the Husqvarna K 3000 VAC to try out I had to do a bit of a double take – it was an electric machine! The first thing I unpacked from the box was the big and heavy 350mm diameter diamond blade – so clearly this was not some mickey mouse machine – it promised real capacity.
Secondly, when I first held the body of the cutter in both hands to weigh it up, I was surprised at just how compact it was and how it seemed to me to weigh a bit less in the hand than a petrol powered equivalent. With the blade and the vac attachment it weighs about 8.4 Kgs and feels manageable, but by no means a second best choice for doing a job. It has enough weight and inertia to feel like it won’t bounce out of the cut. Any doubts I might have had about the quality and capabilities of an electric disc cutter were dispelled simply by giving the machine a good look over. The quality of the ABS plastic body is excellent. It is well screwed together with no gaps and the mouldings are perfectly accurate. The body is amazingly slimline and feels light and easy to handle. The front gearbox casting is a robust alloy with a grey coating and it incorporates a cutter lock to enable easy cutter changing. There is a sinuous front handle with very strong no-nonsense mountings and the handle itself has a ribbed plastic grip. A very important safety factor has to be a the cutter guard because not only does the cutter whirl around at high speed but the operator needs to be protected from any debris and dust that may be thrown up while cutting. Accordingly the cutter guard is made from a single alloy casting. This is seamless and beautifully machined and finished, with an adjusting handle on the front and a clever system for attaching the vacuum extraction system at the back.
Back to the personal for a moment. While I enjoy using disc cutters for their power, I don’t enjoy the fact that you do have to wear all the safety kit – gloves, goggles, ear defenders, helmet and dust mask. But for my own health I always endure the discomfort. Still, you may end up covered in a layer of fine dust, and dust, as we all know, has its dangers. Look at the roadworkers using disc cutters the next time you pass some roadworks – sometimes they look like ghosts and often this is because the dust control on the machine is not good enough. Petrol powered cutters often have a water hose attached to them to quell the dust, but clearly this is not an option on an electric machine.
Husqvarna has therefore designed a vacuum extraction system that fits over the blade and is attached to the guard. This is another piece of excellent engineering that goes well with the machine.
The vac unit is made from an alloy casting with a bright alloy base. It has a unique catch design that clips it to the back of the guard and it fits closely to the blade to enable good dust collection. It should be emphasized that this vacuum collection device is not an afterthought, it is, like the whole concept, well-designed and well-made for maximum efficiency and safety.
The vacuum outlet is a standard 35mm so it can be connected to commonly available industrial vac extractors. My guess is that you should choose a good extractor with very efficient filters because a huge amount of dust is generated, and it could clog lesser vacuum machines.
(Note that vac extraction can only be used with diamond blades – it should not be used with abrasive blades) Looking at the diamond blade, it is clear that this too is not some cheap option. It has large gullets between the teeth to clear waste very efficiently and the diamond cutting edges are arranged in three layers with secondary teeth in them that come into play as the disc wears down.
Before I could use the Husqvarna I had to make a trip to the hire shop to hire a 32 amp rated transformer. This should prove to any doubters that although the cutter is electric, it draws a lot of current (20 Amps) so it is not short of power.
6 ToolBUSINESS+HIRE
www.toolbusiness.co.uk
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