sheltie
freely admits to licking rocks
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Member since January 2012
Posts: 982
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Post by sheltie on Feb 11, 2013 10:58:20 GMT -5
I should know the answer to my question, but I'm unsure.
I occasionally use a piece of obsidian to sharpen my blade. I've read that a better way is to buy a grinding wheel and cut through that. Ok, I've bought one. Do people literally mean to lay it on the side in the vise and saw through a piece of it to sharpen the blade?
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blackout5783
starting to spend too much on rocks
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Member since November 2011
Posts: 248
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Post by blackout5783 on Feb 11, 2013 11:23:54 GMT -5
That's what I do except it doesn't fit in the vise. I have to hand feed it. It takes about 6 to 8 cuts for me to have a good cutting blade again, but i don't go all the way through the wheel, just an inch or so into it then back out. Don't be surprised that the SiC wheel offers no resistance to the blade. It feels like cutting butter with a chainsaw.
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Post by phil on Feb 11, 2013 12:14:29 GMT -5
I should know the answer to my question, but I'm unsure. I occasionally use a piece of obsidian to sharpen my blade. I've read that a better way is to buy a grinding wheel and cut through that. Ok, I've bought one. Do people literally mean to lay it on the side in the vise and saw through a piece of it to sharpen the blade? Yep. Cut all the way thru it 2 or 3 times. Best to use an old broken one from your grinder if you have any, but even those cheap "sharpening stones" from harbor freight will do the trick. Then save the slices you cut and use them for mini-sharpening stones. Obsidian won't "sharpen" the blade, just clean out the glazed material. SC wheels actually expose new diamond and get rid of the metal that has mushroomed, etc.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
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Member since May 2008
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Post by QuailRiver on Feb 11, 2013 14:58:48 GMT -5
It's important to keep a diamond blade properly dressed in order to prevent damage to the powerfeed system and blade, and to minimize wear of the bearings and arbor. I use an old 220 grit SC lapidary wheel. I break it in half with a rock hammer and then position it in the vise where it will cut a cross section of about 1.5 square inches for my 14" and 18" saws, less for my 10" and 12" saws. Then I just let it feed thru at the normal speed of the power feed. When I've been keeping my blade dressed properly I find one pass with the SC stone to be sufficient.
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