How to mark and cut an external curve in paving Avon

So, how exactly do I cut an external curve in any paving slab / flag with a twelve inch 2 stroke petrol mix Stihl saw using the generously issued belle universal twelve inch 20mm bore diamond tipped blade, that is designed to travel in a straight line?

My answer to you and all who have asked the same question, well the question isn't really as long as the above perhaps I'm jazzing the situation up slightly, over the years is quite simply:"With great care", you see, you only have one chance with a cut, after all its your clients money your playing with, how the hell are you going to explain to your clients (after your winning pitch) that you require another £80 - £260,(you know what I mean, the worse your cuts are, the more out of pocket you will be, after all a quote is a quote), as you've ballsed up a shed load of slabs.If your client has a particularly awkward shape to the perimeter of a paved area then I would suggest that you lay the paving on top of a piece of cardboard (NOT corrugated, not enough flexibility), recycled form any fruit and veg shop, market or Tesco's any where within the UK, mark with a pencil and cut to the exact size, or in layman terms, cut out a template, put all waste in a bucket it'll save you time if its a windy day!

Fill the void with a 4:1 (4:1 = 4 shovels or buckets, buckets if gauging a mix, of sharp sand, 1 cement or opc, Ordinary Portland Cement) bedding mix remembering the depth of your selected unit. What ever you do, DO NOT 5 spot any paving, this is a sure way to become a joke very quickly within the eyes of the current landscaping world and even worse its a guaranteed route to revisiting your client time and time again, its unprofessional and is usually a way for any landscaper who takes the piss out of their clients to earn a quick buck or two, utterly disgraceful.Its agreed that a full 4:1 mortar bed is required about around 50 mm / 2 inches, to lay your paving on, make sure the bed is slightly fluffy and place the cardboard template on the bed, taking care to look at all joints, as a rule of thumb I stick to 10mm, as a designer and hands on landscaper I like to keep things simple as there's so much to remember, 10 mm for all paving it is.I also mark all road pins with a pencil and wrap insulating tape around the pin using the pencil mark as top of tape, another rule of thumb, "Top of tape". I do this in case any clumsy footed labour (Jeff), another skilled landscaper (Dean) or tried and tested contractors (Too many to mention) who forget my words and walks through the finished level string line snapping it in half. OK I'll admit it , I too , still to this day walk through my own lines Very , Very rarely though,!!Good job I don't forget Fridays!! Might try that one day if they keep breaking my line!!

Mark the template with a sharp pencil to the required curve with a slight over hang and cut with sharp scissors, replace the template and lightly mark the template cut and recheck the template, move the template to the paving slab and position correctly and mark the paving with one slow continuous crayon line. The crayon mark will not blow off the paving from the wind created by the rotating blade.Great stuff, make sure the cutter is full of 2 stroke mixed petrol and put all your PPE ( Personal Protective Equipment) on.In the mean time check this out for your self and I'll be back to explain the finer points of this practice.If I'm not boring you too much I'll explain to you what might be a very useful money saving method of the angles and exactly how to cut any paving.Hey by the way, Happy Easter to you and your family from me and mine.

"Plus it doesn't matter if we all know plants are better value. I'd make the point of this to the customer but if they want trough grown at the extra cost that's their choice I'd just do it"

"I've done 5ft Thorne troughs. Very easy to plant just got a mini digger dug the trench then drop them in couldn't be easier however £250 per m does seem expensive. "

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Comments

Kieran Ray April 5, 2010 at 9:48am

Great little blog kerry,much simpler than the way I do it, I mesure the distance every 100 or less if a tight curve from the slab behind.
Jackson's Landscape Design April 5, 2010 at 10:07am

By templating the void you'll save time, fuel, 2 stroke, wear on the blade, wear on the cutter, embarrassment, money, heads aches and more importantly the paving units.
neil gurner April 6, 2010 at 9:46pm

hey
just finished a job a couple of weeks ago which involved 3 clam shell shaped areas of indian sandstone paving, 2 curved walls (caped in sandstone slabs) and a square brick / block built pond also caped in slabs. long story short done way too many internal / external curved cuts with 230mm grinder and now made a promise to myself to at least have some consideration for ease of construction over asthetic appeal. must stop over engineering things. if in doubt blind faith and ignorance gets you through it, too stupid to realise it cant / shouldn't be done :)
Jackson's Landscape Design April 6, 2010 at 10:26pm

Each to their own Neil.

Me, cant stand bland, boring, simple projects, Any way I enjoy intricate work the more complex the more I enjoy.

What do you mean with this ? " if in doubt blind faith and ignorance gets you through it, too stupid to realise it cant / shouldn't be done :)"

Surely it should be along the lines of, If in doubt don't even try any task.
neil gurner April 6, 2010 at 10:58pm

sorry,
trying and apparently failing to be slightly humerous, i too prefer more challenging jobs, look good on paper, look great once completed, but can be frustrating in the mid term. i guess i tend to find my own path, just coz experienced knowlege may sugest that something should not be done, i approach things with a suck it and see attitude, bites me on the arse on occation but makes life more interesting. did not intend to cause any offence or belittle your instructions.