rocknewb101
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2022
Posts: 1,368
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Post by rocknewb101 on Feb 6, 2024 16:49:39 GMT -5
Hi everyone - Many of you know I recently scored a 14" drop saw and have used it quite successfully over the months that I've had it. However, I think the saw blade is at the end of it's life and I wonder what the best way is to determine what blade I need? The saw is a Lortone 14" drop saw, and I'm not sure if I need to go with a lortone specific blade or can I use any brand? Also, the one on there is what I think is called a notched blade. It's fairly thick, with little notches all around (no gaps, just indents) not a thin lapidary - should all blades for this saw be notched vs. sintered (my trim saw is thin and sintered)? I see a couple of posts from 2015 regarding (i think) this saw, but I'm just not familiar enough to know what to buy. One person mentioned that the blade isn't heavy enough to cut through hard material without adding weights - this is what I experienced this weekend while slabbing my chunk of river jasper...so I'm not 100% sure if the blade truly is shot, or I just need to add weight....but willing to troubleshoot.
When I google 14" lortone drop saw I get all kinds of toothed blades, which I think are more carpentry? Argh! Sorry, I'm a fish out of water and want to be sure I'm not wasting money on blades that won't work. Thanks in advance for your knowledge.
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Post by roy on Feb 6, 2024 18:50:08 GMT -5
its a crimped blade that i think your talking about ! thats a good choice you can use any brand you like i would stay the cheaper route for a while till you get really comfy with the saw that way if you wreak one it dont hurt as bad . All drop saws use weights you also need to sharpen the blade once in a while by using the shape edge of a fine and lightly ping the blade all the way around
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rocknewb101
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2022
Posts: 1,368
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Post by rocknewb101 on Feb 6, 2024 19:28:17 GMT -5
its a crimped blade that i think your talking about ! thats a good choice you can use any brand you like i would stay the cheaper route for a while till you get really comfy with the saw that way if you wreak one it dont hurt as bad . All drop saws use weights you also need to sharpen the blade once in a while by using the shape edge of a fine and lightly ping the blade all the way around Thank you! Crimped makes sense - that's exactly how it looks. Maybe I'll try the file before getting a new blade to see if that works. Thanks! |
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Post by roy on Feb 6, 2024 19:36:20 GMT -5
its a crimped blade that i think your talking about ! thats a good choice you can use any brand you like i would stay the cheaper route for a while till you get really comfy with the saw that way if you wreak one it dont hurt as bad . All drop saws use weights you also need to sharpen the blade once in a while by using the shape edge of a fine and lightly ping the blade all the way around Thank you! Crimped makes sense - that's exactly how it looks. Maybe I'll try the file before getting a new blade to see if that works. Thanks! if you go to highland park lapidarys web page there is a video on it there |
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rocknewb101
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2022
Posts: 1,368
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Post by rocknewb101 on Feb 6, 2024 21:22:29 GMT -5
Thank you! Crimped makes sense - that's exactly how it looks. Maybe I'll try the file before getting a new blade to see if that works. Thanks! if you go to highland park lapidarys web page there is a video on it there I will! Thank you! |
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khara
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2022
Posts: 1,980
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Post by khara on Feb 7, 2024 3:07:49 GMT -5
I was just going to mention the pinging of the edge with a file and I see roy already did.👍 I didn’t know HP had a video. I’ll have to look that up. Also @currentlyrockhoundin has a video on this on his YouTube channel. Might get a little more life out of your blade. |
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rocknewb101
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2022
Posts: 1,368
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Post by rocknewb101 on Feb 7, 2024 7:58:07 GMT -5
I was just going to mention the pinging of the edge with a file and I see roy already did.👍 I didn’t know HP had a video. I’ll have to look that up. Also @currentlyrockhoundin has a video on this on his YouTube channel. Might get a little more life out of your blade. Oh great! Thanks so much, khara! Those blades aren't cheap so if I can eek out a few more uses I'll be grateful! I think I subscribe to currently rockhounding so I'll go check it out. |
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rockbrain
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2022
Posts: 3,172
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Post by rockbrain on Feb 7, 2024 9:42:26 GMT -5
This is the most informative video I've seen on this. It's the one khara mentioned by @currentlyrockhoundin . As he said it's "Nerding out about lapidary saw blades" might be a bit more in depth than some people want but I liked having the full explanation. He's working with a crimped blade too. Most of the "sharpening" videos I've seen are not. Many people retire blades way too soon. I think he explains it in the video (been a while since I watched the whole thing) but if it's not bent or warped and there is still some of the ring left around the edge (the crimp in your case) it's not worn out.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2024 11:40:22 GMT -5
This is the most informative video I've seen on this. It's the one khara mentioned by @currentlyrockhoundin . As he said it's "Nerding out about lapidary saw blades" might be a bit more in depth than some people want but I liked having the full explanation. He's working with a crimped blade too. Most of the "sharpening" videos I've seen are not. Many people retire blades way too soon. I think he explains it in the video (been a while since I watched the whole thing) but if it's not bent or warped and there is still some of the ring left around the edge (the crimp in your case) it's not worn out. I appreciate the mention here.
The videos that I have on the subject does go rather in-depth, which I think some people will find helpful. The short answer is that the only method to prolong the life of a lapidary blade that works is peening the blade and this goes for all types of blade, sintered, notched, and segmented...etc. All the other methods people talk about as a way to extend the life of your lapidary blades regardless of type, such as cutting bricks, obsidian, and dressing sticks, do not work anywhere near as well or at all.
If you really want to get deep into the subject of blades, I have a playlist of videos.
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Post by aDave on Feb 7, 2024 12:38:08 GMT -5
rocknewb101 I don't know if you've seen this saw document, but it has quite a bit of information in it, including a discussion about "sharpening" a saw blade. I've used the swedging technique to increase the life of my tile saw blades which really tend to take a beating due to the material I tend to cut, the use of water as opposed to oil, and the higher RPMs of tile saws. Perhaps the videos you've been provided are sufficient, but I thought I'd pass this along anyhow. Restoring the edge of your saw blade starts on page 5. forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/52499/general-lapidary-infoETA: I'm using a sintered blade as opposed to notched, so what I do in peening my blade is a bit different than what you might do with yours (as shown in the video).
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rocknewb101
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2022
Posts: 1,368
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Post by rocknewb101 on Feb 7, 2024 13:24:57 GMT -5
This is the most informative video I've seen on this. It's the one khara mentioned by @currentlyrockhoundin . As he said it's "Nerding out about lapidary saw blades" might be a bit more in depth than some people want but I liked having the full explanation. He's working with a crimped blade too. Most of the "sharpening" videos I've seen are not. Many people retire blades way too soon. I think he explains it in the video (been a while since I watched the whole thing) but if it's not bent or warped and there is still some of the ring left around the edge (the crimp in your case) it's not worn out. THANK YOU!! I really appreciate this. I definitely have crimp left so maybe all is not lost  I was pricing some of those and would prefer to not have to buy new if I don't need to . Thanks. This is the most informative video I've seen on this. It's the one khara mentioned by @currentlyrockhoundin . As he said it's "Nerding out about lapidary saw blades" might be a bit more in depth than some people want but I liked having the full explanation. He's working with a crimped blade too. Most of the "sharpening" videos I've seen are not. Many people retire blades way too soon. I think he explains it in the video (been a while since I watched the whole thing) but if it's not bent or warped and there is still some of the ring left around the edge (the crimp in your case) it's not worn out. I appreciate the mention here.
The videos that I have on the subject does go rather in-depth, which I think some people will find helpful. The short answer is that the only method to prolong the life of a lapidary blade that works is peening the blade and this goes for all types of blade, sintered, notched, and segmented...etc. All the other methods people talk about as a way to extend the life of your lapidary blades regardless of type, such as cutting bricks, obsidian, and dressing sticks, do not work anywhere near as well or at all.
If you really want to get deep into the subject of blades, I have a playlist of videos.
Awesome! Thanks so much for responding! For my trim saw (sintered) I do use a dressing stick and it seems to work - but I will review your videos and make sure there's not a better way! Even those little 5" sintered blades can be costly. rocknewb101 I don't know if you've seen this saw document, but it has quite a bit of information in it, including a discussion about "sharpening" a saw blade. I've used the swedging technique to increase the life of my tile saw blades which really tend to take a beating due to the material I tend to cut, the use of water as opposed to oil, and the higher RPMs of tile saws. Perhaps the videos you've been provided are sufficient, but I thought I'd pass this along anyhow. Restoring the edge of your saw blade starts on page 5. forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/52499/general-lapidary-infoETA: I'm using a sintered blade as opposed to notched, so what I do in peening my blade is a bit different than what you might do with yours (as shown in the video). Thank you, Dave! Every bit of information I can soak up, I'll take! 7 months ago I was terrified of even touching a saw, and now I'm able to go out and load it, and cut all on my own  . But, far from an expert, so I appreciate all of this information. |
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Post by Rockoonz on Feb 7, 2024 14:13:02 GMT -5
rocknewb101 I don't know if you've seen this saw document, but it has quite a bit of information in it, including a discussion about "sharpening" a saw blade. I've used the swedging technique to increase the life of my tile saw blades which really tend to take a beating due to the material I tend to cut, the use of water as opposed to oil, and the higher RPMs of tile saws. Perhaps the videos you've been provided are sufficient, but I thought I'd pass this along anyhow. Restoring the edge of your saw blade starts on page 5. forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/52499/general-lapidary-infoETA: I'm using a sintered blade as opposed to notched, so what I do in peening my blade is a bit different than what you might do with yours (as shown in the video). I call the process "swaging" and I do it a bit differently, though I think that I would like to cut a stepped mandrel or 2 and hold the blade vertical like @currentlyrockhoundin Jarrod rather than horizontal on a tabletop like I now do. I don't use the crimped/notched blades unless they come with a saw, inferior cutting IMO, only buy the sintered but the old "continuous" also crimped blades also respond well to my method. Crimped blades may be better with water and especially drop saws though, never tested the theory but experience and understanding the difference leads me to that conclusion. Saw blades come from the factory with the outside perimeter edge thicker than everywhere else, and with sintered blades that edge becomes thinner at the edge with use and being rounded. When it becomes wedge shape it requires more force to cut, and more force makes the blade more wedge shaped, till it starts to bind or doesn't cut at all, with a sintered or the old style crimped anyway. I use a hammer rather than a file because my goal is to make the rounded edge flat again, and thicker at the same time. Also, a hammer is way more ergonomic than a file, the force of the tap (doesn't take much) breaks up the diamond, not the hardness of steel that is well under 6mohs. Ask any jeweler who has broke a point off a diamond while GENTLY setting it!. The notching that the file causes will be totally flat within half a dozen cuts, and that portion of the blade gone forever, great for the guy that makes the blades, not so much for you. I have an idea on an even better, more controllable method of dressing and truing blades, stay tuned. I mean don't hold your breath, I'm about 10% into a new floor in our main house, among other things. |
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brybry
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Post by brybry on Feb 7, 2024 19:48:05 GMT -5
Kingsley has a house brand of crimped blades. Buy 3 and you can get a discount. Pretty decent blades blades for the cheap. NOT for high rpm motors. Tried a 10" and it went to crap pretty quick on tile saw.
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I was pricing some of those and would prefer to not have to buy new if I don't need to 
. But, far from an expert, so I appreciate all of this information. 
