oriongal
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since May 2007
Posts: 96
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Post by oriongal on Aug 16, 2007 19:39:08 GMT -5
Okay, so I got a nice chunk of Tree Moss Agate, wanted to get it down to tumbler-sized pieces. I got a WF saw (thanks for yet another great idea, RTH - I would never have guessed that a saw capable of trimming rocks could be had so cheaply), and it's worked well on all the other stuff I've cut up so far (some dumortierite, tiger eye, snowflake obsidian and rainforest jasper).
But the saw isn't getting on well with the agate at all. The agate will cut only so far (an inch or less, usually) and then bind up the saw blade, and trying to make parallel/intersecting cuts (to at least get cubes out of it and eventually get the slab down to a size where I can cut the rest any way I want) isn't working too well either. Suggestions?
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Post by cpdad on Aug 16, 2007 21:29:49 GMT -5
i will suggest this....works for me....maybe not others.
when cutting agate on a workforce....roll the rock.....start the cut....rollit up...then back down....roll it up then back down....repeat and repeat....applying slight pressure towards the blade....untill cut through.
if your blade is binding up.....it is because you are cutting not straight....you are either pulling the rock to the left or the right....while trying to cut straight....this happens a lot if you dont roll the rock.
if you roll the rock....your cuts will be o.k....just tapered if you are not cutting straight...binding should go away....once you see the peices after rolling the rock....you will make adjustments almost immediatly....brain will take over.....kev.
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oriongal
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since May 2007
Posts: 96
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Post by oriongal on Aug 18, 2007 17:39:57 GMT -5
Thank you, kev - I tried that today and it worked pretty well. Took most of the day to get through that one slab, but with that technique and a fair bit of patience, I did get it trimmed down. Cheers, and thanks again for the tip!  |
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Post by johnjsgems on Aug 23, 2007 19:30:11 GMT -5
I don't know what blade you are using but assume it is a standard tile blade. Any diamond blade (except plated) has diamond particles of diamond in bronze and other soft metals. As you use the blade you wear the diamond down and are attempting to cut with the matrix. They make "dressing sticks" out of Aluminum oxide and silicon carbide. Making a couple of thin cuts at end of stick wears away the matrix material and exposes new diamond. Old timers saved their worn down silicon carbide grinding wheels and used them for dressing. I use broken pieces of old cinder blocks. Tile blades used on hard agates will need to be dressed as often as every three or four cuts. You generally don't get a smooth cut but more of a chipping cut. The only tile blades that work well are the "porcelain type"
John at JS Gems
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