How to Cut Cement Fiber Siding
Cement fiber siding is growing in popularity due to its weather resistance and longevity. Special tools and blades are required to cut fiber-cement siding, as the cement base will quickly dull standard blades used for cutting wood siding. When deciding on a cutting method, you need to consider that fiber-cement siding contains crystalline silica which when cut turns into dust and can cause silicosis a harmful lung disease. Using a cutting method that does not create vast amounts of silica dust will reduce the amount of silica dust that you inhale, thus decreasing the potential risk of silicosis. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Safety glasses
- Particulate respirator
- Work gloves
- Tape measure
- Carpenter's pencil
- Carpenter's square
- Variable speed reversible drill
- Fiber-cement shear attachment for power drill
Instructions
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1
Place a length of fiber-cement siding on a stable surface that is at a comfortable working height and put on your safety glasses, particulate respirator and work gloves.
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2
Measure the length that you need to cut the piece of fiber-cement siding with the tape measure and mark the length on the backside of the fiber-cement siding with the carpenter's pencil.
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3
Extend the pencil mark by setting the carpenter's square against the edge of the siding, lining the side of the square with the pencil mark and draw a line along the edge of the carpenter's square lined-up with the carpenter's pencil.
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4
Fully open the chuck of the variable speed reversible drill, place the shaft of the fiber-cement shear into the chuck and tighten the chuck of the drill to secure the shear to the drill motor.
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5
Adjust the cutting head of the fiber-cement shear as specified in the shear's operating manual.
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6
Align one side of the shear blade with the pencil line up marked on the backside of the length of fiber-cement siding and depress the trigger of the drill motor to cut along the pencil line. If the shear does not cut efficiently, tilt the drill toward you to change the pressure applied to the shear head.
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7
Support the end of the fiber-cement siding as you continue cutting to avoid the area ahead of the cut from snapping.
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8
Run your gloved hand over the cut to remove loose particles from the end of the fiber-cement siding.
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