Cutting Some Fiber Cement Siding? Here's What You'll Need
Posted on: 12 July 2017
If you are looking to do some at-home repairs on some fiber cement siding, you need to make sure that you have the proper tools for this type of job. Here is what you are going to need to get this job done.
#1 Carbide Tipped Scoring Knife
If you want to make some really quick cuts, and are not worried about making clean cuts, you may want to invest in a carbide tipped scoring knife. It is strong enough to cut through and score fiber cement siding. By scoring the siding, you should be able to then break it by hand, although this will take some degree of strength on your part.
#2 Fiber Cement Shears
If you know that you need to make both curved and straight cuts on the fiber cement siding with one tool, you are going to want to use fiber cement shears. This tool is made specifically for dealing with fiber cement siding. There are some attachments that you can purchase that can turn an electric drill into a fiber cement shear.
You want to make sure that the siding is positioned so that the back side is facing up towards the sky when you cut with your fiber cement shears.
#3 Circular Saw
A circular saw is one of the most common types of tools used to cut fiber cement siding with. To cut fiber cement siding with a circular saw, you need to invest in a polycrystalline diamond toothed blade. This is a stronger type of blade that is able to cut through the tough surface of fiber cement siding.
A circular saw with the right blade is really strong. It can actually cut through multiple pieces of fiber cement siding at once, allowing you to save yourself some time when you are doing a repair project. Just make sure that you cut the siding from the backside, not the front side, for a smoother cut.
The biggest downside to using a jigsaw is that it creates a lot of dust, so you'll want to make sure that you wear a mask and clean the area up well when you are done cutting.
#4 Jigsaw
If you have any siding that you need to make curved cuts with, you are going to need to use a jigsaw. A jigsaw will allow you to cut any holes that you need to into the fiber cement siding and it will allow you to make curved cuts as well. However, you need to make sure that you have the right type of blade on your jigsaw. You need a carbide coated blade for your jigsaw in order for it to cut through fiber cement siding.
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