InspectAPedia®   -   Search InspectApedia

New and old fiber cement and asbestos cement shingles side by side (C) Daniel FriedmanFiber Cement Siding & Roof Shingle Cutters & Tools

Where to buy tools used for cutting or removing asbestos cement or fiber cement shingles, siding, or roofing.

InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.

Sources of Tools for Cutting Fiber Cement Shingles: Roofing Shingles or Wall Siding Shingles

Bullet Tools 920 Pro Magnum Shear 9-20 electricity free fiber cement shingle cutter

Watch out: However very old, weathered and worn asbestos cement shingles, such as on a roof or sometimes on a wall that has been painted and is peeling, or roofing or wall cement asbestos shingles that are mishandled during demolition (breaking into many small pieces, running hand or power saws to cut the material) risks creating airborne asbestos-contaminated dust which could be a health and environmental hazard.

When we installed asbestos cement shingle siding we rented a guillotine chopper that cut the material while producing a minimum of dust.

A modern version of this fiber cement cutter that is hand-lever operated and does not require electricity is the Bullet Tools 920 Pro Magnum Shear I-20 Electricity Free 20 Inch Flooring and Siding Dust Free Cutter (photo at left) - this is a great tool, but a bit steep for a homeowner or do-it-yourselfer at around $900.

Malco fiber cement shear cutting tool TSFC

A modern fiber cement shingle cutting tool used for the same purpose is the Malco® TSFC Tubo Shear fiber cement cutting tool also used to cut cement backerboard and similar products.

The Malco fiber cement and backerboard shear is powered by a separate cordless or wall-power connected electric drill.

Malco also produces the TSF2A, a heavy-duty pneumatic shear cutting tool for the same purpose.

Similar shear tools are produced by quite a few other manufacturers including the tools listed below.

At REVIEWERS & SOURCES (scroll down past the links) we list sources to purchase these tools.

Added demolition and disposal cost of cement-asbestos products

Also in some communities special measures and added costs are involved because of a requirement for air-testing during removal and possibly costs to dispose of the material in an appropriate landfill. (After all, originally this material came from the land.)

Thanks to reader Van Moore for technical editing and requesting clarification.

End-Cutting Pliers Help Remove Asbestos Cement Siding Nails & Shingles

Channelock end cutting pliers worked for pulling nails in asbestos cement shingle siding

What we found worked best for removing asbestos cement or fiber cement shingles was to carefully pull the securing nails using a pair of end-cutting pliers, called by some folks nippers or a "nail biter" - sold at hardware stores in various sizes.

Buy a tool whose handle and cutting face will be at right angles to the work surface and whose cutting face is flush (with the cutting angle filed just on the inside of the cutting edges. Working CAREFULLY we found we could usually grab the nail head protruding just proud of the fiber cement shingle and pull the nail straight out.

We use two sizes of end-cutting pliers made by Channellock, like the Channelock 358 8-inch End Cutting Plier tool shown in our photo just above.

"Grab the nail head and yank" straight out seemed to work best.

Details about procedures to remove damaged fiber cement or asbestos cement siding or shingles are found

at ASBESTOS CEMENT SIDING REPLACEMENT.


...

Continue reading at FIBER CEMENT SHINGLE REPAIRS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

Suggested citation for this web page

FIBER CEMENT SHINGLE CUTTING TOOLS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.


Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to BUILDING SIDING

Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Try the search box just below, or if you prefer, post a question or comment in the Comments box below and we will respond promptly.

Search the InspectApedia website

Note: appearance of your Comment below may be delayed: if your comment contains an image, photograph, web link, or text that looks to the software as if it might be a web link, your posting will appear after it has been approved by a moderator. Apologies for the delay.

Only one image can be added per comment but you can post as many comments, and therefore images, as you like.
You will not receive a notification
when a response to your question has been posted.
Please bookmark this page to make it easy for you to check back for our response.
Our Comment Box is provided by Countable Web Productions countable.ca

Comment Form is loading comments...

Citations & References

In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.



ADVERTISEMENT