Fiber-cement cutting tools and methods for cutting fiber-cement materials, such as siding

Abstract

Devices and methods for cutting fiber-cement materials, such as planks, panels, boards, backing substrates and other materials. A fiber-cement siding cutting tool in accordance with one embodiment of the invention can have an actuator including a driver that moves along a stroke path between a release position and a cutting position. The fiber-cement siding cutting tool can also have a pair of cutting blades including a first cutting blade having a first cutting edge and a second cutting blade having a second edge. The first cutting blade is coupled to the driver to move along the stroke path between the release position and the cutting position. The second cutting blade can be positioned along the stroke path such that the first cutting edge faces the second cutting edge. The fiber-cement siding cutting machine can also include a workpiece support assembly having a first support member on a first side of the stroke path and a second support member on a second side of the stroke path. The first and second support members are spaced apart from one another by a support distance, and the first and second support members each have a support region to support a fiber-cement siding workpiece in a support plane that is spaced apart from the second cutting edge toward the first cutting edge in the direction of the stroke path. The support regions, for example, can be spaced apart from the second cutting edge toward the first cutting edge in the direction of the stroke path by a bending distance to space a tensile side of the workpiece apart from the second cutting edge when the driver is in the release position.