valorguy
starting to shine!
Member since August 2022
Posts: 28
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Post by valorguy on Feb 29, 2024 17:05:34 GMT -5
I have an older Raytech 10" and the screw feed just doesn't work right. If the rock is too hard, the feed keeps on pushing, and then will bind things up and now the screw feed has worn because it jumps back maybe .5 inch or so. this just continues pushing forward, jumping back, and it never seems to progress correctly. Could I tie a cord on the back side of the vise adjustment, maybe put a small pulley on the back matel lip, and just run that as gravity feed? Would that improve my life by not making me have to sit there for 30 mins waiting on a cut? I have been using water - but I also have used oil. I was thinking about going back with oil and just risking if i cut turquoise or opal. Hoping they come out ok... Any ideas or suggestions would be great.  |
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Post by HankRocks on Feb 29, 2024 18:02:26 GMT -5
valorguy I have this same saw and it works pretty well for me. Question, is the threaded rod turning? If it is and the carriage is not moving, your clutch mechanism may be wore out and not engaging the threaded feed. Or your blade needs sharpening? have you tried running the saw without a rock cutting to see if the carriage moves. I have wore out a couple of the clutches over the last 7 years. That and I have had to sharpen the blade a couple times int hew last several months. Henry
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gunsil
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2023
Posts: 345
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Post by gunsil on Feb 29, 2024 18:06:33 GMT -5
All parts to repair that saw are readily available. Maybe your brass split nut is worn? I just replaced mine.
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valorguy
starting to shine!
Member since August 2022
Posts: 28
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Post by valorguy on Feb 29, 2024 18:07:20 GMT -5
Hey there,
The thread does turn, and constantly pushes the carriage up on the rock and it seems to push too fast.... Carriage does move fine. I have went through 5 blades in just over 100 cuts, but was using water. I used the MK hotdog blades usually - but this is getting expensive. Sometimes the carriage pushed the rock up and then it binds. Thankfully I caught this before it did too much damage, but I constantly fight with this saw - like every few cuts...
I have pinged the old blades and made ridges to expose diamonds just to see if that helped.
I think my real problem is that I'm not sure what the problem is lol... Since the screw feeds and pushed the carriage faster than the blade will cut, not surw what else to do but convert to gravity feed, if that is even the issue....
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valorguy
starting to shine!
Member since August 2022
Posts: 28
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Post by valorguy on Feb 29, 2024 18:09:14 GMT -5
So the screw has one speed, and if the blade isn't cutting fast enough, then it's putting too much material in too fast, no way to change that I guess. I am guessing the split nut and screw need to be replaced, but that still only solves part of the problem...
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Post by HankRocks on Feb 29, 2024 20:15:21 GMT -5
If the carriage is moving then the clutch is working.
What is the motor rpm? and what size pulley on the motor shaft and the arbor shaft? You said 5 blades to do 100 cuts, something's definitely not right. The blade in the picture has a lot of kerf left so it should have lots of life left in it. Did you buy this saw new or used from someone?
And one more question, the blade is turning isn't it.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Feb 29, 2024 20:15:41 GMT -5
I've used Raytech 10" saws off and on since the late 1970s. The only time I ever had one bind up like you describe was in the early 80s while cutting a really hard piece of black Nephrite that was about maxed out for size on that saw. The blade was an old Raytech Blue Blazer blade that was rounded on the cutting edge so probably needed redressing too.
The MK-225 Hot Dog blades while are designed to use with water are also designed to turn at a much higher rpm than the Raytech saws turn stock from the factory. I've only used the MK-225 blades on that model saw for trimming slabs with oil (which has worked fine for me) and haven't used them with water. But I have read where others have stated that when using water with the MK-225 blades that they do not work as well at normal slab saw speeds as the do at the faster tile saw speeds they were designed for. Now that said, the last two 10" MK-225 blades I purchased were both "cupped" already right out of the factory packaging. I haven't used either of those two new ones yet but being cupped they probably won't work for slabbing without binding and will only be usable for trimming shorter cuts on slabs.
In general the most likely things that can cause a slab saw to bind when running at factory set speeds are:
a) Dull or glazed blade
b) "Cupped or other wise damaged blade"
c) Insufficient lubricant (water is not a lubricant - it is merely a coolant)
d) Too large of a stone (especially with really hard materials- just because it fits in the vise doesn't mean the saw can slab it).
Edit: Also for got to add as a potential cause of binding is if the feed carriage isn't tracking perfectly parallel to the blade.
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valorguy
starting to shine!
Member since August 2022
Posts: 28
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Post by valorguy on Mar 1, 2024 13:13:43 GMT -5
If the carriage is moving then the clutch is working. What is the motor rpm? and what size pulley on the motor shaft and the arbor shaft? You said 5 blades to do 100 cuts, something's definitely not right. The blade in the picture has a lot of kerf left so it should have lots of life left in it. Did you buy this saw new or used from someone? And one more question, the blade is turning isn't it. Now that I'm looking at it - the motor is obviously newer and I need to measure all these items. I have not measured, so the motor RPM, the pulley and shaft may not be factory and proably a "mish-mash"... That could be my issue right there. The blade turns fine - yes - no issues there. |
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iamchris
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2023
Posts: 722
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Post by iamchris on Mar 4, 2024 8:51:13 GMT -5
I am by no means experienced, but if you're going through blades that quickly, coolant is definitely the issue. Your blades are binding because they're dulling so quickly.
At my rock club, there's 1 gravity saw and I avoid it like the plague. It's slow and finicky to start without blade deflection if you're presenting an angled face.
Perhaps switching to oil and getting a smaller water saw for opal/turquoise would be an option.
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Post by Rockoonz on Mar 4, 2024 11:54:14 GMT -5
First off, you can switch a small saw like that back and forth from oil to water, best to add something like the DP additive or Smokeys EZ cut with water and of course a thorough clean out when switching. 2 saws is better, says the guy with 7 slab saws who doesn't even count the trim saws anymore. 2nd, QuailRiver could be on to something with blade RPM, older saws were set up for a lot slower blade speed than modern sintered blades like. On my 10" saw, with a 303 blade, I run a 2.5" pulley on the motor and a 2" pulley on the blade to get about 2100 RPM, which is probably about minimum speed for the 225. |
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