Replies

1. 
   slightner | May 23, 2010 09:32am | #1

   hardie board trim

   I believe they now make blades just for hardie board. I've used regular carbide tip blades in the past, but I think they were in backwards.  Just remember that the dust from cement board shortens the life of any power tool, so you might not want to use your best tools to work with it.

1. 
   fingers | May 23, 2010 01:14pm | #3

   Most here prefer shears for cutting fiber cement siding I think.  Kett, PC and others make them.  Malco makes a version which attaches to any/most cordless drills.  Malco also makes nippers/notchers to make little cutouts.  I've tried the shears but I actually prefer a saw cut.  I have a Makita fiber cement circular saw 71/4" but found it slow.

   Here's what I think now.  Since I usually work with one person cutting and one or two nailing it up, I built a nice cut station with 8' extension wings on both sides.  I even added adjustable tape measures on the extension wings with stops (ala the A.D. & E. cut station) so that when the installer calls out 87 and 3/8s the cutter just sets the stop . . . no need to get out a tape.  I bought a cheapo Ryobi 10" mitre saw on sale at HD  outfitted with a !0" Hitachi (I believe) Hardi blade so that I didn't ruin a good mitre saw.  The cuts come out clean and sharp.  I've got the saw hooked up to one of those sears switches that turns on a vacuum automatically.  I blow out the saw motor with compressed air a couple of times a day and so far the saw is still working fine.  With this setup, we can really move very quickly.  The largest amount of time is in handing the cut pieces up to the installer(s) depending on the height and layout of the building.

   Since I already had the Makita fiber cement saw but wasn't thrilled using it to crosscut the clapboards, I mounted it upside down in a piece of MDO and rigged a fence to it.  We use it for ripping if we need a long narrow piece.

   Before I hooked the mitre saw to the auto vacuum switch, I just set a box fan next to the saw blowing the dust down wind.

   I use a Max siding nailer but hitachi and bostich are used by many.

   If I was going to work alone I might just use the shears but it's not really a job I'd do alone because it would be so much less efficient.

2. 
   MarkH | May 23, 2010 10:58am | #2

   I use Hitachi fibercement blades for cutting in a circular saw.  I have only used Hitachi, but I hear they are much better than the competition.   I don't use a tablesaw or miter saw, but I think blades are available in those sizes.   I use grit edged jig saw blades and hole saws, there are carbide edged blades that will hold up. 

   I use a regular skilsaw.  The dust is horrible though, so If you are considering professional use, the fibercement saw would be a plus.  I suppose you could work without a mask with one of those.

   The big box stores are not likely to have these tools, I bought a new hitachi blade off the clearance table for $25 when they discontinued them.  I have seen a Rigid fibercement saw at Home Depot though.  I believe it uses a smaller blade.

   Also I use the shears for cutting, but I like the sawn cuts better.  You should cut backside up with the shears because the sheared side facing you will be rougher than the other side.  The shears are quiet and clean though, very pleasant cuts, but also more time consuming.

   I have a Hitachi NV65AH siding nailer.  It does the job.   I would use galvanized siding nails except for exposed nails which I use stainless steel.  I don't really like hardi trim too much, but it really needs predrilled before nailing in my opinion.  You can blast a gun nail through it, but my siding gun had problems and I thought it wasn't worth the risk. 

   All of these tools are best ordered online.

1. 
   Scott | Jun 08, 2010 02:32pm | #6

   What Mark said; the Hitachi blades are expensive, but good. Just don't do what my contractor did.... run it into a nail on the first day. Doh!!!!

   As for Jigsaw blades, Hitachi also makes some carbide-toothed blades which are fantastic. They last a long time and cut nicely. I'd recomend getting a cheap or used jigsaw though because FC dust is really hard on the drive mechanism. It's a shame to ruin a nice saw cutting FC.

3. 
   strils16 | Jun 07, 2010 08:28pm | #4

   A fiber cement saw!

   My company does Hardie board on 90% of all renovated homes we build. So we have used everything that the other's have advised. Shears aren't fast enough or leave a crisp edge the way a saw does. The problem with the saws is the dust. Well the innovative guys and girls over at Rigid realized that this is too simple of a problem! A saw with a vacuum build right in was their answer. And it works excellent! Can't recall the model number but just go to the web site or to HD store. It comes with fiber cement blades and you can buy extra at the store. Always have a few on hand. You can tell the blade is shot when excess dust is going everywhere. It comes with a 10' vacuum hose that's attached to a filter, the filter attaches to a spackle bucket. This truly is very innovative and a time saver!  -Eric Rodabaugh, A&E Builders Corp., Long Island, NY.

4. 
   gfretwell | Jun 08, 2010 10:56am | #5

   The real Hardie blade only has 4 teeth. That is to hold the dust down. The dust is particularly hazardous to your health from what I hear..