rockrockrock
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since August 2016
Posts: 91 
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Post by rockrockrock on Sept 2, 2023 13:53:39 GMT -5
Hello, Everyone.
I have need for a small slab saw that is very slow speed and ideally also have variable speed.
I am cutting plastics, not rocks. I need a variable speed range of 0-500 RPM.
There are saws made by companies like Leco and Buehler that run $5000-10,000, so I'm looking to knock it off and create my own Franken-Saw.
Thanks,
RockRockRock
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Post by stardiamond on Sept 2, 2023 14:22:56 GMT -5
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rockrockrock
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since August 2016
Posts: 91
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Post by rockrockrock on Sept 2, 2023 16:00:06 GMT -5
Star, hello, I appreciate you taking the time to post, but this saw won't work for my needs. As I stated in my OP, I need a machine that runs 0-500 RPM. According to the listing in Amazon, the Hi-Tech trimmer "delivers a variable speed range of 800 - 3,400 RPM." If you do think of another machine with lower RPM, I'd be very interested. Thanks Again for Your Post, RRR |
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Post by stardiamond on Sept 2, 2023 16:28:04 GMT -5
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Post by Rockoonz on Sept 2, 2023 21:39:00 GMT -5
Any belt drive saw can be whatever speed you want. Just change the pulleys. Unless the material you're cutting is something exotic and really sticky or super low melt point, why not just use a table saw with a fine tooth blade?
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rockrockrock
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since August 2016
Posts: 91
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Post by rockrockrock on Sept 3, 2023 12:15:04 GMT -5
Yes, I've been looking at these kinds of bandsaws. I'm already using a small Harbor Freight 9" bandsaw that works pretty well. One issue is the plastic we're using will start to warp with too much heat, to a saw with water or oil might do the trick. Thanks. Yeah, the other one just looks too cheap. rrr |
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rockrockrock
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since August 2016
Posts: 91
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Post by rockrockrock on Sept 3, 2023 12:18:00 GMT -5
Any belt drive saw can be whatever speed you want. Just change the pulleys. Unless the material you're cutting is something exotic and really sticky or super low melt point, why not just use a table saw with a fine tooth blade? Hi, thanks for your post. Unfortunately, it's not that easy. One of the materials we use is called DuPont Vespel. It is literally the most expensive plastic on earth. To give you an idea, a square measuring 10" x 10" x 1/4" is $1300. So the other issue is kerf loss. A standard table saw is both too high and RPM and the blade is far too thick. Thank You, rrr |
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Post by Rockoonz on Sept 3, 2023 12:57:24 GMT -5
rockrockrock thank you for the clarification. Looking at lapidary blades for your application is probably barking up the wrong tree then, thin kerf blades are generally pretty flimsy and depend on centrifugal force from a high RPM for stiffness when cutting, plus I think diamond may load up when cutting. If laser or water jet (not sure on kerf here) won't work for the material, there are some pretty thin circular fine toothed blades used in some custom machining that are quite thin, but from some tough alloys likely to remain flat while cutting. The trick with manually cutting for minimal waste will be some kind of very accurate fence and exact alignment, both not available in any trim saw I know of. Well, maybe a sled style trim saw like a Texas Rocks would work, but they are out of production and hard to find. I have one but NFS. Sounds like you are proyotyping, can't blame you if you prefer to keep details off the interwebs, but I am curious.
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Post by Rockoonz on Sept 3, 2023 13:02:26 GMT -5
Belt drive, so any blade speed is possible. Would not be impossible to build either.  |
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Post by Rockoonz on Sept 3, 2023 13:03:20 GMT -5
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Post by Starguy on Sept 3, 2023 13:27:13 GMT -5
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rockrockrock
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since August 2016
Posts: 91
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Post by rockrockrock on Sept 3, 2023 15:54:01 GMT -5
rockrockrock thank you for the clarification. Looking at lapidary blades for your application is probably barking up the wrong tree then, thin kerf blades are generally pretty flimsy and depend on centrifugal force from a high RPM for stiffness when cutting, plus I think diamond may load up when cutting. If laser or water jet (not sure on kerf here) won't work for the material, there are some pretty thin circular fine toothed blades used in some custom machining that are quite thin, but from some tough alloys likely to remain flat while cutting. The trick with manually cutting for minimal waste will be some kind of very accurate fence and exact alignment, both not available in any trim saw I know of. Well, maybe a sled style trim saw like a Texas Rocks would work, but they are out of production and hard to find. I have one but NFS. Sounds like you are proyotyping, can't blame you if you prefer to keep details off the interwebs, but I am curious. I used to be paranoid about divulging info, but I'm no longer that way. I do appreciate your understanding of that. Actually, I probably should have posted the info below at the beginning. There are a number of companies who make saws that will probably work. The problem? They are 7K and up. If you wait, you can get a pretty good deal on a used one on eBay, but they don't come up that often. The two leaders are the Buehler Isomet line: www.buehler.com/products/sectioning/precision-cutters/isomet-low-speed-precision-cutter/And the Leco VC-50. www.leco.com/product/vc50-diamond-sawBuehler is considered the gold standard in this category and has several models. Even if you afford one, the blade is $800, so there's that too. I had a Buehler shop cut some samples of this material and it worked fine, but their price per cut would have cost more than $10 per unit, which prices us out of the market. Also, this DuPont material is known for eating saw blades for breakfast, so there's no telling how long the blade would last. The blade for the Leco machine only costs about $100. It's possible this machine would work, but it's a big roll of the dice just to explore, so I have to wait till a good one comes up used. There are two on eBay as I write this, but one is missing parts, and the other is $2700, plus tax and shipping. Thanks Again. RRR |
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rockrockrock
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since August 2016
Posts: 91
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Post by rockrockrock on Sept 3, 2023 15:55:43 GMT -5
Starguy, thanks. I'm aware of these machines. As I stated above, the RPM range I need is 0-500. The Hi-Techs start at 800 RPM. Thank You. |
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rockrockrock
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since August 2016
Posts: 91
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Post by rockrockrock on Sept 3, 2023 15:57:32 GMT -5
rockrockrock thank you for the clarification. Looking at lapidary blades for your application is probably barking up the wrong tree then, thin kerf blades are generally pretty flimsy and depend on centrifugal force from a high RPM for stiffness when cutting, plus I think diamond may load up when cutting. If laser or water jet (not sure on kerf here) won't work for the material, there are some pretty thin circular fine toothed blades used in some custom machining that are quite thin, but from some tough alloys likely to remain flat while cutting. The trick with manually cutting for minimal waste will be some kind of very accurate fence and exact alignment, both not available in any trim saw I know of. Well, maybe a sled style trim saw like a Texas Rocks would work, but they are out of production and hard to find. I have one but NFS. Sounds like you are proyotyping, can't blame you if you prefer to keep details off the interwebs, but I am curious. I should add that the test cutter did load up the blade, but he was able to clear it out. That appears to be a non-issue. The main concern is how long the blade will last in cutting this material. rrr |
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Post by southernlakehuronguy on Sept 8, 2023 10:39:35 GMT -5
Hello, Everyone. I have need for a small slab saw that is very slow speed and ideally also have variable speed. I am cutting plastics, not rocks. I need a variable speed range of 0-500 RPM. There are saws made by companies like Leco and Buehler that run $5000-10,000, so I'm looking to knock it off and create my own Franken-Saw. Thanks, RockRockRock Have you considered a scroll saw? |
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