| Dealing with dust
Dust collection products were
once considered luxury items, but are increasingly being mandated
by the EPA, OSHA and unions to protect workers from the health
hazards of breathing fine silica dust into their lungs.
John Buser, owner of San Diegobased
Shave Away, Europe, says the primary reason to use dust control
products is to protect workers' health. But there are other
reasons: Dust can also shorten the life of power tools, prevent
contractors from seeing what they're doing, and make a mess
that property owners and sub-contractors hate. "I can
tell you that every day a high percentage of our orders are
expedited because our customers have been run off the job,
or OSHA or EPA has come down and says you have to control
the dust."
Shave Away's Dust Muzzle, which retrofits
more than 1,200 grinders and sanders, can remove up to 99
percent of pollutants at the point of origin when connected
to a high-quality industrial vacuum. The Dust Muzzle transparent,
lightweight and flexible is typically used for flat grinding
or crack chasing, Buser says, and the Saw Muzzle, used with
hand-held circular saws, is often used to control dust when
contractors are scoring lines in decorative concrete work.
The company also offers a Saw Muzzle for gas-powered saws.
A learning process
Creative contractors like Ralston find
that they can always learn something new by experimenting,
even if the results aren't what they expected. What was merely
a fix for a mistake on one job can be an effective technique
to use on the next project.
"If necessity is the mother of
invention, then desperation is the father," he says.
Ralston has a passion for his work and
is always looking to improve his craft. "'Forge forward,
don't look back and keep you thoughts fertile,' that's our
saying here."
The right blade, and the right
craftsman behind it, can certainly create some stunning decorative
effects. As contractors gain experience in using the tools
and methods that will achieve the look they want, diamond
blades will no doubt become even more common on decorative
concrete job sites.
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