A new diamond chainsaw, hired from Kennards Concrete Care , enabled a demolition contractor to cut five door openings through double brick in additional quick time during a major refurbishment project.

The chainsaw, which can also be used on reinforced concrete, masonry and rock, plunge cuts to a depth of 350mm.

Apart from swift penetration, it has the added advantages of being able to flush cut and to cut square corners, thereby avoiding over-cutting.

Petrol-powered and hydraulic-powered versions of the chainsaw are available from Kennards Concrete Care.

Demcorp Australia was supplied with a three-phase, 415V hydraulic power pack for the door openings job at the University of Sydney, allowing fume-free operation inside the building.

The doorways had to be cut before a large section of the building was sealed off to allow refurbishment. Simon Deeb, of Demcorp Australia, said the chainsaw, coupled with the power pack, proved a fantastic solution.

“The chainsaw cuts very quickly and it is also light to carry and easy to handle. We were working in a confined area, so we couldn’t have any fumes, and so the power pack was perfect," he said.

Alf Nati, who cut the doorways, was equally as impressed. “It’s brilliant the way it cuts so quickly,” he said.

It easily tackles double brick and Besser block walls and its ability to make square corners with no over-cuts make it ideal for window and door openings.

Other uses include cutting kerbs and guttering, penetrations in pits, large concrete pipes and rock. The chainsaw is more flexible and has less moving parts than a ring saw, and there is no need for pre-cutting.

The hydraulic version of the chainsaw weighs 12.4kg, operates with 15hp at 5500rpm and requires hydraulic supply of 40lpm. The petrol option weighs 12.5kg and has a two stroke, 6.5hp engine, which runs at 8700rpm.

Kennards Concrete Care hires a wide range of specialist tools and equipment for concrete surface preparation and renovation.

A new Kennards Concrete Care hire centre opened in Brisbane in July, adding to outlets in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. The new Queensland operation is based on the Kennards Hire site, Springwood.