Mortar Rake For Grinder
How to Speed Up Mortar Raking & Wall Repairs With a Mortar Raking Tool
Tired of brickwork jobs dragging on for hours, creating clouds of dust and damaging surrounding bricks? If you're in the construction or renovation business, there's a faster, cleaner, and more cost-efficient way to work - and it's all thanks to the mortar rake for grinder.
In this post we'll show you how the mortar raking system transforms everyday masonry tasks like mortar raking, air brick fitting, lead flashing, and more. Whether you're a builder, contractor, or heritage restoration expert, these tools are engineered to save you time, reduce costs, and keep your work precise.
What are Mortar Rake Bits (and Why Should You Care)?
Mortar rake bits use a grinder-fitted system to precisely remove mortar or create slots in brickwork. Compared to conventional tools like chisels or Arbortech saws, they are faster, produce far less dust when used with extraction, and avoid collateral damage.
Instead of struggling with slow, outdated methods, rake pins cut vertically and horizontally at controlled depths with near-zero vibration. That means safer work, cleaner results, and faster project turnaround.
Construction Jobs Made Easy with Mortar Raking Bits
1. Mortar Raking / Raking Out Mortar
Remove old mortar from brickwork quickly and cleanly. The bits cut both vertical and horizontal joints at up to 1.5 metres per minute, without damaging the surrounding brick.
Cost: around 48p per metre
Key benefits: fast, low-vibration, and universally compatible with 4½" and 5" grinders
2. Air Brick Installation
Skip the hammer and chisel. A 100mm mortar rake simplifies brick removal and reinstatement for air vent fitting:
- Rake out mortar around the brick
- Remove the brick
- Fit and grout the new air brick
Time saved: around 4 minutes per brick. Cost: around 34p per brick.
3. Concealing External Cables
Create tidy, invisible routes for security and aerial cables. Rout an 8-10 mm groove, insert the cable, and cover with mortar.
Speed: up to 1.5 metres per minute
Applications: cable trunking, external wiring, CCTV systems
4. Lead Flashings & Roof Work
Installing step flashings or tying in lead flashing? Use a diamond mortar rake to rout 6mm or 8mm joints at precise depth, ready for quick installation.
- Speed: up to 2 metres per minute
- No mess: minimal dust with extraction, and no structural damage
5. Crack Repair / Stitching
Perfect for structural repairs, M14 mortar rake kits make clean horizontal or vertical cuts for inserting crack stitching rods or helix bars:
- Rake out the slot
- Insert tie bar
- Grout and finish
- Fast: up to 1.5 metres per minute
- Non-invasive: maintains brick integrity
6. Damp Proof Courses
Whether routing by grinder or sabre saw, mortar rake bits allow clean, 103mm-deep horizontal cuts for inserting DPM membranes.
- Cost-effective: around 54p to 85p per metre
- Precise: selectable depth and width
7. Brick Wall Repairs & Restoration
When working on heritage buildings, routing allows the safe removal of individual bricks or stones. You can even flip and reuse the original material for perfect colour matching.
- Preservation-ready: precise and low-damage
- Restoration focus: ideal for conservation work
One safety point that is not optional
All of the above involve cutting mortar and brick, which releases respirable crystalline silica. On-tool extraction connected to an M-class vacuum is a legal duty on site, not best practice - fit a dust extraction guard before you start.
Key Takeaway
If you're in construction, masonry, or property restoration, mortar raking pins give you control, speed, and cost-efficiency. From damp coursing to air bricks, this tool set replaces slower, messier methods.
Read next
- How to repoint brickwork: tools, method and costs - the full method, raking depths, mortar mixes and what the job costs.
- House repointing becomes easier - what is in a starter raking kit and why it saves sourcing parts separately.
- Setting up a blade dust guard - getting extraction right before the first cut.
Browse the full mortar raking and repointing range, or the brick worker tool collection.