Wet saw

I think this may be quite dependant on your pocket size! :-) In my case, tiny pockets, so I got the cheapest wet tile saw I could find and it has been serving me fine for 2 years now. If your pockets have some bulge, buy a proper lapidary saw from one of the reputable dealers, it will likely last you 20 years.


Tile saw pro's and cons: Super cheap in comparison to lapidary saws, cuts way faster but at higher speeds so you buy blades more often, messy so you need to do outside, typically blades are a bit thicker so a slight bit more wastage (but from rough to cabochon you likely waste 70% anyway so this argument never meant much to me - of course, if you are working on turquoise at 100's of dollars per carat, this will for sure be a dealbreaker).

You cannot use lapidary saw blades on a tile saw as lapidary saws run significantly slower, and the blades may break at the higher speed, potentially cutting bits offa you in the process. So if you get a tile saw, make sure you buy tile saw blades that match the rpms of the machine.

These thoughts, of course, are based on a relative newbie's experience, we have been faffing in the dark arts for about 2-3 years now.

Been using this type for years...and it's been serving me very well. I use a DeWalt XP4 blade on it...

www.harborfreight.com/15-amp-10-in-wet-tile-saw-with-sliding-table-and-extended-rip-capacity-64684.html

It really depends on what you want to do with that saw. Are you slabbing or trimming? You can probably get a halfway decent trim saw for +/- $300. I've heard that tile saws can work for this stuff but as whalecottagedesigns mentioned, it's not really made for that stuff and petrified wood is notoriously fickle and hard stuff to cut. The larger the blade the more expensive the saw as well. You could look into a local lapidary group and see if they have a shop set up.

By the way... Welcome from Washington State!

Welcome to the forum.