sford13
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since September 2009
Posts: 119
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Post by sford13 on Nov 3, 2009 8:30:38 GMT -5
Ok when I first joined as a newbie (which I still very much am) Rockmanken said I should get a WF saw. Cheap and would allow me to cut rock. Well so far what little rock I have done anything with has been with a hammer. But am starting to think about the possibility of getting a WF. So what I would like you all to do is sell me on the idea. Try and convince me to buy one.
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Post by Toad on Nov 3, 2009 8:35:48 GMT -5
Can't get a cheaper saw to start out with - I think. There are plenty of threads about the workforce. Be plenty of good info there.
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brent
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2008
Posts: 1,316
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Post by brent on Nov 3, 2009 8:37:28 GMT -5
Just do it.
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Post by superioragates on Nov 3, 2009 8:41:22 GMT -5
OMG! Yes buy 1! It is well worth the money you spend on it...trust me. I had to wait awhile financially, but when I DID get one...man o man! You can do a lot with that little saw, and it makes a world of differance in tumbling time....not to mention the experience you have (mentally) when cutting open that "interesting" or pretty rcok you have found...and seeing what's inside it for the first time. By all means, buy one, you will not be dissapointed in the least little bit!! Marie
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lparker
fully equipped rock polisher
Still doing too much for being retired!
Member since March 2008
Posts: 1,202
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Post by lparker on Nov 3, 2009 9:22:41 GMT -5
You can do a fast job on flat cabs like for keychains with the WF....cut the slabs, shape the preforms, round the edges, then tumble. and there's nothing like the "Holy Sh*t" moment you can get when you cut a slab of something ugly on the outside and on the inside...WOW!
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Post by catmandewe on Nov 3, 2009 10:10:04 GMT -5
Don't buy one! Just keep buying rough and slabs from vendors.
(my reverse psychology approach).............Tony
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bushmanbilly
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2008
Posts: 4,719
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Post by bushmanbilly on Nov 3, 2009 10:27:55 GMT -5
Lmao, thanks Tony. Look if you don't buy the WF, we all are going to find out where you live and steal your hammer!
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Post by 150FromFundy on Nov 3, 2009 10:55:03 GMT -5
I've gone through about $300 worth of blades on a $150 tile saw. The saw is virtually indestructible considering that it was intended to cut 1/4" ceramic tile rather than a 2-1/2" of agate.
Your decision is a simple busniess case ...
If you pay for rock, the saw will soon pay for itself by not destroying the rock that you have just invested in. If you hit a rock with a hammer, chances are you have lost 50% to irrregular fragments and fractures.
If you use a saw, there will still be some loss due to trimming, but each cut is planned, so there are no irregular fragments and you do not create fractures.
As one other member indiacted, you are missing out on the THRILL. I have cut so many ugly butch rocks that have proved to be treasures inside. This is a thrill if you are the kind of person that throws away the Cracker Jacks to get to the toy surprise in the bottom of the box. I equate ot to the rush that a treasure hunter gets when they disolve a blob of coral to uncover a gold coin.
Get a saw. Get the THRILL.
Darryl.
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Post by deb193redux on Nov 3, 2009 11:52:18 GMT -5
I won't sell you. You either want to cut rock or you don't. You either will be satisfied with the limitations of a 7" tile saw, or you would be better off with a larger saw, proper vise, and maybe an autofeed. I have several saws for different purposes, and love the quick-n-dirty expedience of my tile saw.
Just realize the WF everyone fell in love with is not sold anymore. It was metal, had 3/4hp motor, and came with a better than average diamond blade (for a tile saw).
I still think a tile saw, with a reasonable blade, is a great idea. They spin fast, and cut fast, and the thicker blades allow for more heavy-handed treatment. You might budget for the cost of the tile saw, and then add $20 to $40 for the 1st blade replacement.
The current HomeDepot offering is still $88, but it is now made by QEP, is the same as Lowes sells, and is plastic body. Also, the open tray where you could stick a hose and keep plenty of clean water coming (albeit you get very wet) is now a closed sump compartment. You may need to open and replace water a lot with some rocks. But, it will be less messy and the opening around the blade may be a closer fit (good thing).
You can also find metal tile saws that look like the old HomeDepot WF. Be a little careful that the motor is 3/4hp, and that the arbor is 1/2 or 5/8. I once got a bargain on one from Northern Tools but the damm arbor was 14mm and I could never get blades. Also HarborFreight sells an inexpensive saw (with frequent sales and discount coupons), but the arbor is 1" and you have to keep buying their blades.
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Post by rockmanken on Nov 3, 2009 12:05:35 GMT -5
DON'T BUY A WF. Keep beating with a hammer. ;D Will save you about $100.
BUT, if you insist on getting one, also get a plastic mortar pan to put it in to minimize the mess the water makes.
I personally have the Qep from Lowe's. Like it better than the one from Home Depot.
The tile saw from Harbor Freight is about $20 cheaper.
My :2cents:
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Post by stonesthatrock on Nov 3, 2009 14:32:46 GMT -5
you don't have to buy a saw........ tony and i have lots cut up for you already. lol
You can't beat the price and you can beat it up and still keeps on going
mary ann
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sford13
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since September 2009
Posts: 119
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Post by sford13 on Nov 3, 2009 16:07:29 GMT -5
Mary Ann my thoughts exactly. I can buy alot of rough for the price of a saw. And really all I am doing right now is tumbling and polishing. Not into the whole cab and jewelry thing. So not sure that a saw would benefit me all that much.
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Post by Bikerrandy on Nov 3, 2009 17:19:48 GMT -5
You probably wouldn't benefit at all until you're ready to take your hobby in another direction.
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Post by akansan on Nov 3, 2009 17:32:21 GMT -5
One thing people haven't mentioned here is what kind of results you want from your tumbles. If you are wanting shaped results - tumbled pendants, for example - then you really need a saw. If you don't want flat sides or faces...you don't really want a saw. It could help you do more controlled breaking by scoring the rock first (a place for your chisel), but you cannot get the random shapes that broken rock provides using a saw. It takes a lot of tumbling to round out the straights. A cube thrown in the tumbler still basically looks like a cube when it comes out.
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drjo
fully equipped rock polisher
Honduran Opal & DIY Nut
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,581
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Post by drjo on Nov 4, 2009 19:45:41 GMT -5
If you want it...buy it!! You can tell yourself it's a birthday present! ;D
If $70 is all the money you have in the world, then don't.
If you smoke and quit smoking, you could pay for it in two cartons (if you don't, you could pretend you do and then quit, to save money for the saw).
Whatever you have to tell yourself, I'm personally way past this stage, I just tell myself I deserve it! (I just make sure I don't say it out loud so my DW can hear and throw mud on it as soon as I get it so it looks old ;D).
It really doesn't fool her, but if I'm willing to go to all that trouble, she's willing to let me keep it.
God, I love marriage!!!
Dr Joe
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truesprocket
off to a rocking start
Member since November 2009
Posts: 2
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Post by truesprocket on Nov 5, 2009 13:08:19 GMT -5
I have a cheap tile saw works great, also have a tile blade on my grinder cuts good to but not a mirror finish also have a large gas wetsaw like a chain saw, this I have only used for construction. so I can cut & shape but how do I get the mirror finish, the table top Ijust used th dirty resivuar whater, bad ?
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truesprocket
off to a rocking start
Member since November 2009
Posts: 2
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Post by truesprocket on Nov 5, 2009 13:09:31 GMT -5
cutting & polishing
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Post by Donnie's Rocky Treasures on Nov 6, 2009 18:32:25 GMT -5
What is an RF saw???
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Post by Bikerrandy on Nov 6, 2009 21:17:07 GMT -5
Did I miss something or do you mean what is a WF saw? WF is Workforce, Home Depot sells them for about $90. They have a 7 inch diamond blade and will cut through the hardest agates.
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Post by MyNewHobby on Nov 15, 2009 16:26:41 GMT -5
It's idiot proof!!! (now once everyone stops laughing at me) ...
I got it and realized it was not possessed, nor did it have a mind of it own.
I then got the Hotdog blade and have had some fun!!!
It's small, compact, and does cut a mean rock.
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