Thicker marble stock and deeper cuts are where an 18-inch blade earns its place. This is the MK Diamond MK-62M premium-grade segmented-rim wet-cutting blade for marble in the 18-inch size, with a .125 kerf and a 1-inch arbor.
Built for stone fabricators, monument shops and architectural stone contractors cutting thicker marble
Use cases
- Cutting thick marble and travertine stock. The larger diameter reaches through material that a 14 or 16-inch blade cannot finish in one pass.
- Monument and memorial fabrication. Heavier stone sections are routine in monument work and want the depth an 18-inch plate gives.
- Architectural stone: treads, sills and thresholds. Deeper, square cuts through dimensional stone rather than thin slab.
- Slab breakdown on a large bridge saw. Sizing full slabs down to blanks without turning or re-cutting the piece.
Choosing between the MK-62M sizes
The 18-inch shares its .125 plate thickness with the 16 and 20-inch MK-62M blades, so the only thing changing across those three is reach. Step up from 16 inches when stock thickness is forcing a second pass; step up to 20 inches only if your saw is rated for it, because a larger plate asks more of the machine.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: MK Diamond Products
- Model: MK-62M
- MK part number: 135681
- Diameter: 18" (457mm)
- Width (kerf): .125
- Arbor: 1"
- Application: Marble and other soft stone
- Grade: Premium
- Blade type: Segmented rim
- Cutting method: Wet cutting
- Segment height: 8mm
Getting a full life out of the blade
In a stone shop the two things that end a blade early are the wrong bond and not enough water. Bond first: stone blades are formulated to the material, and the segments only stay sharp when the stone abrades them at the rate the bond was designed around. Put a soft-stone blade in dense, high-quartz granite and the wear turns rapid and uneven; put a granite blade in polished marble and the edge quality suffers. Ordering by part number rather than by diameter is what keeps this from happening in a shop that runs both.
Water second. A segmented-rim wet blade needs a steady feed on both sides of the plate. Water controls the core temperature, holds the segment bond together, flushes slurry out of the kerf and knocks down the respirable silica that cutting stone releases. Beyond that, the habits that protect a finished edge are the ordinary ones: check that the saw's flanges are clean and undamaged, let the blade feed at its own rate instead of forcing it, and on polished stock take a shallow scoring pass before committing to the full-depth cut. None of that is specific to MK blades, but all of it shows up in the difference between a blade that lasts a season and one that does not.
Fitment and ordering notes
This blade is supplied with a 1-inch arbor, which is standard on the bridge and rail saws it is built for. MK states that stock arbors can be bushed down to smaller sizes, but that has to be specified at the time the blade is ordered rather than fixed afterwards. MK also lists additional diameters and special arbors as available on request. Confirm your saw's rated maximum blade diameter and its guarding before stepping up a size.
Frequently asked questions
When should I move from a 16-inch to an 18-inch blade?
When the stock is thick enough that a 16-inch blade cannot complete the cut in one pass, and the saw is rated to take the larger diameter.
Is the MK-62M safe to use on granite?
It is bonded for marble. Using it on dense high-quartz granite typically produces rapid, uneven wear. MK publishes the MK-62G for granite.
Wet or dry cutting?
Wet. Water is required to control heat, protect the segments and suppress silica dust.
What is the segment height?
8mm, which is what MK publishes for the MK-62M line.
Does MK make other diameters?
Yes. MK lists the MK-62M from 8 inches up to 20 inches, and states that additional diameters and special arbors are available on request.
Discount Cleaning Products is an authorized MK Diamond dealer. We stock the MK Diamond blade line for concrete, masonry and stone professionals, and our US-based team can help you match a diameter, kerf and bond to the saw you actually own before you order. If you are not certain which part number fits your machine, call us with the saw make and model and we will check it against MK's published range rather than guess.
