Spring loaded skid plate for a concrete saw

A skid plate for use with a concrete saw having a rotating cutting blade with a leading cutting edge, comprising:

• a first mounting portion for connection to the saw;
• a support portion having a slot through which the cutting blade extends during cutting, the support portion depending from the first mounting portion a sufficient distance that during cutting the support portion supports the surface being cut adjacent at least the leading cutting edge of the blade extending through the slot to cut a groove in the concrete surface;
• and
• resilient means communicating with said support portion for applying a bending force on opposing ends of said skid plate to maintain a substantially flat position adjacent a sufficient portion of the cutting blade to reduce raveling of the edges of the groove cut by the blade as the support portion traverses local variations in the flatness of the concrete surface during cutting.

A skid plate assembly for a concrete saw having a rotating cutting blade with a leading cutting edge, comprising:

• a first mounting portion;
• a support portion having a slot through which the cutting blade extends during cutting, the support portion depending from the first mounting portion a sufficient distance so that during cutting the support portion supports the surface being cut adjacent at least the leading cutting edge of the blade extending through the slot to cut a groove in the concrete surface in order to reduce raveling of the surface;
• and
• resilient means for communicating with opposing ends of said support portion to exert a bending force on said support portion of sufficient magnitude so the support portion maintains a substantially flat position adjacent a sufficient portion of the cutting blade to reduce raveling of the edges of the groove cut by the blade as the support portion cuts a flat concrete surface, yet allow bending of the support portion to reduce raveling when the support portion traverses local variations in the flatness of the concrete surface of less than about 0.125 inches per foot during cutting.

A method of cutting concrete with a saw having a rotating cutting blade with a leading cutting edge that extends through a slot in a support portion to cut the concrete, comprising:

• depending a support portion from the saw so that during cutting the support portion supports the surface being cut adjacent at least the leading cutting edge of the cutting blade as it exits from the concrete surface and passes through a slot in the support portion to cut a groove in the concrete surface;
• resiliently urging the support portion into a predetermined bowed configuration when the support portion is not in contact with the concrete, while allowing the support portion to flex predetermined amounts when it is in contact with the concrete;
• and
• selecting the support portion with sufficiently low stiffness and selecting the resilient urging force to be sufficiently low so as to allow the support portion to flex and accommodate local variations in the flatness of the concrete surface of less than 1/8 inches per foot while maintaining the support portion substantially flat adjacent a sufficient portion of the cutting blade to reduce raveling of the edges of the groove cut by the blade as the support portion traverses local variations in the flatness of the concrete surface during cutting.

A method of cutting concrete with a concrete saw that cuts grooves in a concrete surface with a rotating cutting blade that rotates about a first axis as the saw traverses a portion of the concrete surface to cut the groove, comprising the steps of:

• rotating a cutting blade in the surface of the concrete to cut a groove when the concrete has a hardness of less than about 1700 psi;
• movably supporting the saw on the surface of the concrete during cutting by at least one wheel;
• depending a slotted skid plate from the saw to support the concrete surface adjacent the cutting blade during cutting, the rotating cutting blade extending through the slot to cut the concrete, the slot being configured relative to the cutting blade to reduce raveling of the concrete surface during cutting;
• making the skid plate sufficiently flexible so that it can flex to maintain the support of the concrete surface during cutting adjacent at least the portion of the cutting blade exiting from the concrete;
• resiliently urging the ends of the skid plate toward one another with a spring rate of less than 100 lb/in.

A method of cutting concrete with a saw, comprising the steps of:

• rotating a cutting blade in the surface of the concrete to cut a groove when the concrete has a hardness of less than about 1700 psi;
• movably supporting the saw on the surface of the concrete during cutting by at least one wheel;
• connecting a support portion to the saw so that it depends a predetermined distance from the saw to support the concrete surface adjacent the cutting blade during cutting;
• forming a slot in the support portion so that at least the cutting segments of the concrete cutting blade that extend through the slot to cut the concrete are close enough to the sides of the slot to reduce raveling of the concrete when the concrete is cut below 1200 psi hardness;
• configuring the support portion so that it can flex during cutting to maintain the support of the concrete surface adjacent at least the portion of the cutting blade exiting from the concrete, when the concrete surface varies in flatness as much as 1/8 of an inch per foot;
• resiliently bending the support portion to counteract deformation of the support portion as it is placed against the concrete, and to allow further bending of the support portion to accommodate variations in the flatness of the concrete surface during cutting so that the support portion remains in sufficient contact with enough of the surface of the concrete adjacent the cutting blade to prevent raveling.

A method of manufacturing a skid plate for a concrete cutting saw, comprising the steps of:

• forming a skid plate to have a support portion depending from at least one mounting portion, the mounting portion being configured to be fastened to a concrete cutting saw and to depend a distance sufficient to allow the support portion to contact the concrete surface;
• forming a slot in the support portion of sufficient width to allow a concrete cutting blade to extend through the slot, but small enough so that the sides of the slot are within 0.25 inches of at least the cutting segments of the cutting blade at a leading end of the slot;
• configuring the support portion so that it can flex during cutting to maintain the support of the concrete surface adjacent at least the portion of the cutting blade exiting from the concrete, when the concrete surface varies in flatness as much as 1/8 of an inch per foot in the surface upon which the support portion rests;
• and
• connecting resilient members to the first mounting portion and a trailing end of the support portion in order to resiliently bend the support portion;
• and
• pre-loading the resilient members so they exert a predetermined bending force on the support portion to counteract deformation of the support portion that occurs during use in cutting concrete.