The latest version of the MetalQuattro Tiger sold in the UK and Ireland by Combined Masonry Supplies in Bradford, Yorkshire, is a good example of feedback from the marketplace resulting in an improved product.

Combined Masonry Supplies Director Richard Chandler explains. “I was out on my van run and was told by two monumental masons that they were having to rectifying damage caused when prizing memorials apart more frequently because of the stronger dowelling being used to fix headstones these days.”

This meant the memorial had to be sent away for the bottom edge to be sawn off to remove the damaged section, which was time consuming, expensive and risked further damage.

The obvious answer was for the masons to cut the stone themselves, but you can’t do that with a typical small bench saw because to cut a stone 150mm thick requires a 500mm blade. Most small bench saws do not have the power to make deep cuts with a 500mm blade and do not have the rise and fall to be able to make small step cutting possible.

The other solution is to go for a bigger saw, but that is more expensive and takes up more room – especially galling when you probably only need the extra capacity every few weeks.

Richard suggested a solution to MetalQuattro, whose Tiger saws he has been successfully selling since the late 1990s. The beam design with the head running on 16 roller wheels on the beam was easily capable of taking a larger, 7.5kW motor and the beam could be raised to increase the rise-and-fall. MetalQuattro made the modifications.

The new specification is available on the 200NM, which can cut stone up to 2m long, and the 150NM, which cuts lengths up to 1.5m. At £3,995, the 2m version is only £245 more than the 150NM.

The benefits of quick turnaround, minimal handling and no misunderstandings about what is required justify the investment in the saw rather than sending stones off to be rectified, says Richard. And just having the extra sawing capacity often means more work comes your way.

“With the slowdown affecting the worktop and fireplace markets more than monumental masons, it’s nice to have something new to offer to a market that I strongly consider to be the bedrock of CMS’s business.”