Fiber cement boards make a great finished product for several reasons but turning them into the finished product is a little tricky. You can imagine the damage that a cement-based plank can inflict on a blade’s cutting edge and the dust cloud created is hazardous to your health. So what do you do? Well besides protecting yourself from respirable particles, you turn to the the name synonymous with outstanding circular blades – Diablo. The Diablo 10-Inch HardieBlade is the only blade approved by James Hardie for cutting Hardieboard, so I had high hopes for it.

I took the blade to a construction job in Lakeland, Florida for testing. We decided to use Hardieboard for the exterior trim on a new church building I was contracted to help with. The obvious benefit is weather resistance in this humid sub-tropical environment. It should alleviate the headaches that come when wood trim begins to rot down the road. The 10-inch diameter is made for table saws, but works well on a 10-inch miter saw. It also comes in 7-1/4-inch and 12-inch models for circular saws and chop/miter saws.

Cutting Edge

Some fiber cement blades look very similar to any other blade you’ve ever used, but many of them – like the Diablo – look odd with very few teeth and fairly large gullets.

Each of the blade’s teeth are tipped with polycrystalline diamond and then spark-eroded to make what must be the most remarkably durable blade I’ve ever used. In fact, Diablo claims to get up to 60 times the life compared to standard carbide tipped blades in fiber cement applications.

Dust generation is down by up to 5% with the Diablo 10-Inch HardieBlade. That may not sound like much, but every little bit helps. You’ll still want to be sure and take advantage of a dust extractor while using it and be sure you have proper personal protection equipment (PPE) on. In addition to your health, you never know when OSHA might make an unannounced site visit.

The kerf is pretty thin and makes a sharp, clean cut in the board. It can even cut stacked boards. I was able to get accurate bevel cuts within the tolerances I needed for the trim work. The blade benefits from Diablo’s non-stick coating. While you will see it rub off, it won’t get gummy and bind things up from the heat generated by cutting. The Diablo 10-Inch HardieBlade really made my job easy.

The Bottom Line

Circular blades can get pricey, but at less than $90, this blade might be the most affordable per linear foot that you can buy. That’s Diablo’s whole point. You’re not paying a premium to get just a little more cutting life out of the blade – you get tremendous life compared to competing blades. Over the long term, it’s much cheaper per linear foot of cutting to go with Diablo. It cuts quickly, cleanly, and easily and I highly recommend it.

Diablo 10-Inch HardieBlade Key Features

• The only approved James Hardie polycrystalline diamond (PCD) tipped fiber cement saw blade
• The PCD triple chip design offers up to 60 times longer cutting life than standard carbide blades
• Spark-eroded Triple Chip grind for long life – up to 60 times the life in fiber cement of conventional carbide blades

Diablo 10-Inch HardieBlade Specifications

• Model: Diablo D1006DH
• Diameter: 10 inches
• Tooth Count: 6
• Tooth Material: Carbide
• Tooth Grind: Polycrystalline Diamond Tipped
• Tooth Configuration: Alternate Top Bevel (ATB)
• Rated Material: Fiber cement board
• Maximum Rated Speed: 7000 RPM
• Price: $80.99

The post Diablo 10-Inch HardieBlade Review appeared first on Pro Tool Reviews.

I retired early from a large mining company, having spent many years there as a welder and and almost a decade in the carpentry shop. I still wanted to be productive so I started helping my neighbor flip houses. When he couldn’t work any more due to an injury, I bought his van and I’ve been doing remodeling work ever since. There are light years of difference between the tools I first used and today’s tools. I started with screwdrivers and now I have cordless or pneumatic power tools. This has made things faster, more efficient, and the final builds have more structural integrity. The technology is really great. I had high hopes for the Senco SCN65XP as I needed to fasten Hardie Board to columns and stucco finishes and trim around windows and doors.

It’s no easy task, but the Senco SCN65XP was designed to drive case-hardened fasteners. It has the capacity I needed with a range of 2-inch to 3-1/2-inch nails. For this project, I’d be using fasteners on the smaller side to push through multiple layers of tough material. Like you’d expect, the Senco SCN65XP takes a variety of 15-degree wire collated nails.

There was some initial discussion as to what was going to be the best tool for fastening the materials on this project. Our project lead, Robin Young, had been using this model’s predecessor (Senco’s SCN65) for years with no issues for the same kind of work. After talking it through with the folks at Senco, we gave it the thumbs up and brought it in.

First Impressions

The Senco SCN65XP seems a little bulky but I honestly don’t mind it because it feels very balanced. The bulk is due to heavy, hardened nails that this nailer is designed to drive and the internal components required to ensure its reliability. That makes it a bit of a different animal than, say, your standard coil roofing nailer.

The weight is right in line with the Porter-Cable and Bosch nailers I often use, which is about 8 pounds. And it’s a fine looking nailer. You need a tool like this for speed and efficiency. It anchors the material better than hammering case-hardened nails or using Tapcons which is a slow and labor-intensive process. A nailer like this makes the job many times quicker than the old way.

Nailing It

The Senco SCN65XP drives can hold up to 275 nails. Carpenters typically prefer coil nailers if they have the choice because of this large nail capacity. You can do more work before pausing to reload. Of course, carrying more nails makes the nailer heavier at the beginning, but that’s a trade-off we’re usually willing to make. I found myself certainly willing to make it because the Senco is remarkably powerful and by the end of the project was clearly the best all around the best hardened nailer I’ve ever used. It’s well-balance without any compromises.

I found the Senco SCN65XP to be very reliable. I didn’t have any jams or misfires – and that’s saying something given the Hardie Board and concrete we were nailing into. Everything works every time you pull the trigger. The magazine easily accommodates different nail lengths.

I must admit the depth adjust was a bit of a head-scratcher at first. Behind the nose there’s a depth of drive diagram with a small protruding wheel on the plastic casing, but this is not functional. The adjustment mechanism is actually a metal cylinder a little closer to the nose and off-center. You can spin it easily with your fingers but it also has holes to stick a nail into so you can use the nail as leverage if you needed.

Ergonomically, the nailer is designed very well. At first I was concerned about the thin, bendable plastic shield around the tip of the gun, which didn’t instill a lot of confidence. But its function is to protect the user from concrete debris. For that purpose, it makes sense. There’s a large exhaust deflector on the back of the nailer that can be rotated with a hex key. It worked just fine.

Pro Tip

Oil the nailer every day and you won’t have to worry about mechanical failure.

The nailer is easy to use but you always need to operate it safely. Too many guys get careless by trying to go too fast, failing to pay attention, or otherwise being reckless. Nails can ricochet and concrete chips can become missiles. Wear eye protection and be aware of your surroundings even with the shield in place.

The Bottom Line

I have no complaints about the Senco SCN65XP. Perhaps they could make the rotatable exhaust tool-free in the next generation, but there’s no need to hurry on that. It’s the best coil nailer I’ve ever used and is a worthy successor to the SCN65. It powerfully drives a wide range of fasteners into a wide range of materials without a hint of failure so far. At $350, I certainly recommend it to other professionals for any of the tougher tasks this nailer is rated for.

Senco SCN65XP 15-Degree Coil Nailer Key Features

• High Load Capacity
• Full Round Head Fasteners
• E-Z Load Design saves time
• Fast Cycle Time increases productivity
• Light and fast for greater productivity

Senco SCN65XP 15-Degree Coil Nailer Specifications

• Model: Senco SCN65XP
• Capacity: 225 – 275
• Range: 2″ – 3 1/2″
• Power Source: Pneumatic
• Tool Weight: 8 lbs (3.6 kgs)
• Height: 14 1/8″ (359 mm)
• Length: 12 7/8″ (327 mm)
• Width: 5 3/8″ (137 mm)
• Trigger Type: Contact Actuation
• Operating Pressure: 70 – 120 (PSI)
• Operating Pressure: 4.8 – 8.3 (Bar)
• Air Consumption: 9.54 (SCFM)
• Air Inlet NPT: 3/8″
• Warranty: 5 years
• Price: ~$350

Check out all Senco products available at Acme Tools!

The post Senco SCN65XP 15-Degree Coil Nailer appeared first on Pro Tool Reviews.