Stay informed! Subscribe to the
Traditional Masonry
Newsletter
Left: The AS160 with plunge blades. Right:
The AS160 with plunge blades, plus the depth control and heel.
Arbortech AS160 Brick and Mortar Saw
When Arbortech Pty. Ltd. calls its Arbortech AS160 brick and mortar saw a "revolution in cutting technology," they're not kidding. by John Strieder
The handheld saw features two forward-facing blades that move simultaneously in an elliptical motion, instead of the spinning circular blade that is at the business end of a traditional saw. The orbital motion looks a bit like “a silly bike at a workout gym,” says Bruce Petersen, responsible for Arbortech’s North American sales and marketing. But the implications for restoration work couldn’t be more serious.
This series of images shows the AS160 in action, allowing the user to remove a single brick from a wall.
The AS160 offers levels of accuracy and control that are unique for a masonry power tool. In fact, it’s the only power tool that can precisely cut deep, square corners, allowing contractors to remove single bricks with surgical precision without damaging the surrounding wall.
The All Saw (AS) cutting action is so innovative, Arbortech had it patented. “It’s a whole new technology,” Petersen says. “It has solved multiple applications for which there is no technology available besides a chisel and hammer.”
A traditional grinder saw can damage surrounding brick, Petersen says. “There are a lot of problems with anything that’s circular.”
In contrast, the AS160 performs a hammering and cutting action that lets it glide into brick or mortar cleanly and deeply, with precise stops and starts that make square cuts possible.
The saw can cut directly into flush walls without stitch drilling, and it is the only small handheld saw that goes as deep as 120 mm when outfitted with the right blade. “You can literally take the blade and plunge it in without touching the brick,” Petersen says.
The AS160 saw boasts other advantages as well. It kicks out chunks that are much larger than the flecks of ground-down grit thrown off by a circular saw, so there is less respirable dust. The blade position allows for clear visibility, and a belt drive eliminates kickback. Furthermore, the saw can do its work dry, without any wet mess to clean up afterward, because it doesn’t get as hot as a diamond grinder. “Add a standard vacuum package to it and you can take care of the dust as you go,” Petersen says.
Besides brick and mortar, the saw can take on soft sandstone, natural limestone, timber, plastics and foam.
The cutting technology has garnered all kinds of acclaim for the Australian company, including a West Australian Occupational Health & Safety Award, a Bronze Pyramid at the 20th International Convention for Construction, a Western Australian Engineering Excellence Award for Small Company Projects, and an Australian Technology Award.
The saw retails for about $1,000. On the market for four years in Europe, it was introduced to the United States at the 2006 World of Concrete exposition. Arbortech sells several carbide blades that fit into the AS160, including general, plunge and tuckpointing blades.
With the help of U.S. Heritage Group, Arbortech is developing accessories for the saw that are specifically intended for restoration masonry workers. They include a positioning heel that keeps the saw from bouncing when it cuts into hard mortar, a depth control adaptor that lets the user set depth and guides the cut afterward, and extra-thin blades for tight butter-joint brickwork.
While the saw comes in handy for plumbing and electrical work, its primary market is the traditional masonry crowd. “This is primarily used for restoration,” Petersen says. www.arbort ech.com.au
