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Post by Mel on Nov 8, 2023 8:55:06 GMT -5
Has anyone used one of these for cutting curves and wave shapes in rocks? Positives, negatives? Looking at the Taurus 3 from Kingsley North unless there’s another <$750 one out there. Rockoonz, do you have any experience with these? I want to make a few large flat intarsia style pieces for hanging in frames and cutting notches over and over to do curves is not going to cut it (no pun intended). Blades aren’t cheap but I wouldn’t be doing a ton of daily cutting on it either; feel like that would end up saving me money by making more precise cuts in more expensive material too. |
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rockbrain
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2022
Posts: 3,172
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Post by rockbrain on Nov 8, 2023 10:14:41 GMT -5
I have a Taurus ring saw. It will cut stone but just seems very light duty for the job and I felt like I had to go really slow and baby the blade. I followed liveoak lead from this post and went with a wood saw. I bought a cheap 10" benchtop saw which can be had for sub $200 then purchased a diamond blade for it. These can be had fairly cheaply on ebay especially if you're willing to wait on shipping from China. I did have issues with the first seller, but got refunded and the second one went smooth. Patty fixed up a fancy water feed on hers and I'll probably do something eventually. I set mine on 2x4's in a plastic tub. Dropped a pump in the plastic tub, opened a little door that covers the front of the blade and stuffed the hose in there. I had a bit too much water and couldn't see where I was cutting so I put a clamp on the hose and squeezed it down a tad. I need to get a decent light on mine the roller guides above the blade block the light and a small gooseneck would definitely be better. Of course, just about anything would be better than the old recessed light hanging from a bungee that I'm using! Get an 1/8" wide blade and it's surprising how sharp of a curve you can cut. You can lay out a cab in the middle of the slab, cut into and around it and have very little waste. I'm working on a 2 piece heart that fits together like a jigsaw puzzle pieces. I just need the right grinder heads to clean it up a bit. |
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Post by liveoak on Nov 8, 2023 11:03:11 GMT -5
I'm glad your bandsaw worked out rockbrain , I LOVE mine. 
Once you realize how much rock you waste with a trim saw, and the more creative shapes you can cut, there's NO going back !
Here's a tip - so I purchased the cheap China blade off e-bay - but one of the sellers offered a "Allstate Protection" 2 year warranty for 2.99 . I thought to myself, how could they offer a 2 year warranty on a band saw blade - but hell for $3 I went for it . Well after using it for 3 months, the blade has noticeable wear (less diamond) and is making hard stones harder to cut- so I contacted Allstate & they refunded my money & I just ordered another blade (with the $3 warranty again) from a different seller.
I really need to order a second one right away so I have it on the shelf when needed.
I encourage you Mel Mel , even with buying a new cheap band saw, the cost is way lower, with very little modifications.
Patty
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Post by chris1956 on Nov 8, 2023 14:34:37 GMT -5
I have a Taurus ring saw. It will cut stone but just seems very light duty for the job and I felt like I had to go really slow and baby the blade. I followed liveoak lead from this post and went with a wood saw. I bought a cheap 10" benchtop saw which can be had for sub $200 then purchased a diamond blade for it. These can be had fairly cheaply on ebay especially if you're willing to wait on shipping from China. I did have issues with the first seller, but got refunded and the second one went smooth. Patty fixed up a fancy water feed on hers and I'll probably do something eventually. I set mine on 2x4's in a plastic tub. Dropped a pump in the plastic tub, opened a little door that covers the front of the blade and stuffed the hose in there. I had a bit too much water and couldn't see where I was cutting so I put a clamp on the hose and squeezed it down a tad. I need to get a decent light on mine the roller guides above the blade block the light and a small gooseneck would definitely be better. Of course, just about anything would be better than the old recessed light hanging from a bungee that I'm using! Get an 1/8" wide blade and it's surprising how sharp of a curve you can cut. You can lay out a cab in the middle of the slab, cut into and around it and have very little waste. I'm working on a 2 piece heart that fits together like a jigsaw puzzle pieces. I just need the right grinder heads to clean it up a bit. I keep wondering how safe these type of saws are. Do you have any information about them or from your experience how safe they are? |
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Post by chris1956 on Nov 8, 2023 14:37:10 GMT -5
I have a Taurus ring saw. It will cut stone but just seems very light duty for the job and I felt like I had to go really slow and baby the blade. I followed liveoak lead from this post and went with a wood saw. I bought a cheap 10" benchtop saw which can be had for sub $200 then purchased a diamond blade for it. These can be had fairly cheaply on ebay especially if you're willing to wait on shipping from China. I did have issues with the first seller, but got refunded and the second one went smooth. Patty fixed up a fancy water feed on hers and I'll probably do something eventually. I set mine on 2x4's in a plastic tub. Dropped a pump in the plastic tub, opened a little door that covers the front of the blade and stuffed the hose in there. I had a bit too much water and couldn't see where I was cutting so I put a clamp on the hose and squeezed it down a tad. I need to get a decent light on mine the roller guides above the blade block the light and a small gooseneck would definitely be better. Of course, just about anything would be better than the old recessed light hanging from a bungee that I'm using! Get an 1/8" wide blade and it's surprising how sharp of a curve you can cut. You can lay out a cab in the middle of the slab, cut into and around it and have very little waste. I'm working on a 2 piece heart that fits together like a jigsaw puzzle pieces. I just need the right grinder heads to clean it up a bit. Also, do you find the Taurus saw less stress on your fingers and hands than a blade trim saw? Thanks. |
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rockbrain
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2022
Posts: 3,172
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Post by rockbrain on Nov 8, 2023 18:33:53 GMT -5
chris1956 I haven't been concerned with the safety. I'm assuming you're concerned about using an electrical appliance that's not designed to be water cooled. The motor is far enough back that I haven't had water get close to it. I thought I'd make a splash shield to protect it but it's really not necessary. These don't throw water like a high speed saw. The water mostly runs out of the table grooves that are made for the fence and into the tub. I'm sure water runs through to the inside of the saw but there's no electrical in there. As far as stress on the hands and fingers I suppose the ring saw is a lot less stress than my vibrating tile saw. I've used a 7" tile saw up until purchasing the band saw. But, the cut on the ring saw takes many times longer than the tile saw so I don't know how that pans out in the long run.
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Post by chris1956 on Nov 8, 2023 20:38:42 GMT -5
chris1956 I haven't been concerned with the safety. I'm assuming you're concerned about using an electrical appliance that's not designed to be water cooled. The motor is far enough back that I haven't had water get close to it. I thought I'd make a splash shield to protect it but it's really not necessary. These don't throw water like a high speed saw. The water mostly runs out of the table grooves that are made for the fence and into the tub. I'm sure water runs through to the inside of the saw but there's no electrical in there. As far as stress on the hands and fingers I suppose the ring saw is a lot less stress than my vibrating tile saw. I've used a 7" tile saw up until purchasing the band saw. But, the cut on the ring saw takes many times longer than the tile saw so I don't know how that pans out in the long run. I was thinking more of the "blade" breaking. But what is more dangerous, a round blade or a 10 inch steel blade rotating at oh, I don't know, 20 or 30 revolutions per second?  Thanks for the information. Good to know that about the additional time required witht the ring saw. |
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Post by jasoninsd on Nov 8, 2023 20:42:29 GMT -5
chris1956 I haven't been concerned with the safety. I'm assuming you're concerned about using an electrical appliance that's not designed to be water cooled. The motor is far enough back that I haven't had water get close to it. I thought I'd make a splash shield to protect it but it's really not necessary. These don't throw water like a high speed saw. The water mostly runs out of the table grooves that are made for the fence and into the tub. I'm sure water runs through to the inside of the saw but there's no electrical in there. As far as stress on the hands and fingers I suppose the ring saw is a lot less stress than my vibrating tile saw. I've used a 7" tile saw up until purchasing the band saw. But, the cut on the ring saw takes many times longer than the tile saw so I don't know how that pans out in the long run. I was thinking more of the "blade" breaking. But what is more dangerous, a round blade or a 10 inch steel blade rotating at oh, I don't know, 20 or 30 revolutions per second?  Thanks for the information. Good to know that about the additional time required witht the ring saw. My friend Four-Finger Freddie told me there's no need to worry about those kinds of things!  |
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Post by Mel on Nov 8, 2023 21:23:11 GMT -5
Interesting; basically just turning a band saw into a ring saw the same way most of us turn a tile saw into a slab saw. Hadn't even crossed my mind such a thing was possible. I'm not too keen on mixing water and electronics but I do like saving money. The struggle is real!! Just to confirm, liveoak - you are using the Taurus saw then? How long would you say it takes you to cut a curved piece about the diameter of a pop can? This saw seems like it has promise and not too high in price, since it says it can cut coral, stone and ceramic. Hmmm. |
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Post by liveoak on Nov 8, 2023 21:41:33 GMT -5
Interesting; basically just turning a band saw into a ring saw the same way most of us turn a tile saw into a slab saw. Hadn't even crossed my mind such a thing was possible. I'm not too keen on mixing water and electronics but I do like saving money. The struggle is real!! Just to confirm, liveoak - you are using the Taurus saw then? How long would you say it takes you to cut a curved piece about the diameter of a pop can? No I've never used a ring saw - just my 9" bandsaw, which is similar to the HF one I gave in the link.
rockbrain has the Taurus, so he could give you the direct comparison.
As far as time cutting, I don't imagine it takes any longer to cut a curve on the band saw than it does to cut a straight line on the trim saw.
It all depends on how fresh the blade is, and how good the diamond coating is. Like any saw, as the blade wears , the cutting efficiency goes down.
Keep in mind these cheap band saws don't have any kind of electronics.
There's a motor behind the saw driving the wheels & if you keep it above the water level, it hasn't proven to be a problem.
I've never even noticed the motor on mine getting wet.
As far as safety goes, a band saw by it's nature does not tend to pull the work into the cut, and so it's not tending to pull your fingers into danger, like a circular blade does. And if the blade breaks, on one of these little saws (hasn't happened to me - they just wear out before they break) the blade would just break & just stop, the wheels don't drive it anymore - it doesn't come flying out or anything, it just goes limp.
I'm sold on it, because it helps me get the most mileage out of my slabs.
Patty
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Post by liveoak on Nov 8, 2023 21:49:29 GMT -5
That Inland saw will indeed do the same thing,but it's much smaller, and much more expensive.
But if you wanted a ready to go plug & play that looks (I've never used one) like it would do a similar job, then that's the one to get.
I am wondering what size motor that little saw has & does it have enough power to cut a thicker slab ?
But as I say I've never used one. I'd want to look at reviews of people that have before committing.
Patty
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Post by Mel on Nov 8, 2023 22:46:19 GMT -5
That Inland saw will indeed do the same thing,but it's much smaller, and much more expensive. But if you wanted a ready to go plug & play that looks (I've never used one) like it would do a similar job, then that's the one to get. I am wondering what size motor that little saw has & does it have enough power to cut a thicker slab ? But as I say I've never used one. I'd want to look at reviews of people that have before committing. Patty DEFINITELY. I almost always ask questions here, do some googling, ask more questions here, forget about it awhile, then repeat a couple times before I spend any money  |
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rockbrain
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2022
Posts: 3,172
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Post by rockbrain on Nov 9, 2023 10:18:25 GMT -5
I would say there is very little if any danger from a broken blade on a band saw or ring saw. Both depend on the integrity of the blade to move it and when it breaks it just stops. My Gryphon has also struck me as being very light duty. I always felt like I had to use a light touch and go very slow to keep from breaking the blade even when cutting thin glass.
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