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Post by parfive on Jul 2, 2007 22:32:38 GMT -5
Wow . . . they're flyin' off the shelves! Stefan's still kickin' himself for not buyin' that stock. ;D ;D
And Lady B gets 93. Now post some pics and let us see.
Rich
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humcopod
off to a rocking start
Member since June 2007
Posts: 6
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Post by humcopod on Jul 8, 2007 13:02:33 GMT -5
I think I was #90 on the list, but we just got the time this morning to open the WF saw and actually cut some rocks! A few initial impressions here.
When I pulled it out of the box, I thought Uh-Oh - looks a bit chintzy, how's this going to cut a rock? But we set it all up and grabbed a potato sized rock and started in. Ok, right off the bat - you're going to need a rubber bib, poncho or something like rubber apron. Water comes off the back of the wheel and you'll be soaked in 30 seconds! I just fed the rock in by hand and having used enough saws I know to go slow and let the blade do the work. WOW! This cuts like butter. I was astonished really at how quick and smooth it was.
We had bought two thunder eggs at the local rock shop and I went right at it. Obviously the blade was not big enough for a single cut, so I simply rolled the rock backwards as I got to the middle of the blade and it worked easily and bingo - we had our egg in half in less than a minute! (We are total newbies, so it was very exciting!) Second thing about the water - as you roll the rock back towards you the kerf eventually gets near the top. When this happens water flies out of that kerf and is aimed right at your eyes. You need safety goggles for CERTAIN, and be prepared to slide your head to the side otherwise you won't be able to see the cutting.
All in all it was great. That little $88 saw went through everything we put to it and was easy to clean up and put away.
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RockOn
off to a rocking start
Member since May 2007
Posts: 18
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Post by RockOn on Jul 9, 2007 13:25:11 GMT -5
Purchased on also a month ago and haven't used. Still working on the Rock Shed.
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Post by parfive on Jul 10, 2007 16:56:40 GMT -5
Hey RockOn - #94 I'm guessin' Sophia is on the coast or in the sandhills of NC, and there's no practice rocks in the yard. ;D The Rock Shed'll get some rock to your front door in two or three days. Rich
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darrad
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2006
Posts: 1,636
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Post by darrad on Jul 10, 2007 22:14:57 GMT -5
Welcome to Water World Humcopod! ;D
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Post by Michael John on Jul 11, 2007 0:51:56 GMT -5
Well, I've had my WF for about a week and a half, and I've done about 20-25 hours of cutting. Over 90% of the cutting I've done has been material of very similar hardness, about 7 on the Mohs scale.
It takes a bit longer to cut rocks than I thought it would take. After a few hours of cutting, it doesn't seem like I end-up with all that much in my bucket. Cutting slabs is slow and tedious, but to be fair, this saw was not designed for that purpose. I think cutting cab pre-shapes is just a slow process, but this saw does a great job of it.
One major complaint I have is the recessed area on the left side of the blade. Because it is lower than the rest of the table, it restricts you from being able to work cabs on the left side. This recess has also messed me up a couple of times when slabbing from the right side, because there is nothing underneath the slab which is being cut. This has caused my cut to wander, which in turn has caused the blade to bind. IMO, this is not a "picky" complaint, as this design flaw would also be a problem when cutting tile. A little more common sense and effort in the design phase could have easily prevented this problem.
Speaking of laziness in the design phase ... who was the genius that designed the attachments? The rip fence, the angle guide, and the safety cover/splash shield are totally useless. The reality of it is that this saw is only useable for freehand cuts. If I had to use this thing to tile a floor or a bathroom, I'd be cussing up a storm!
In my opinion, it's great that they've managed to sell a "tile saw" for $88, but you definately get what you pay for. The bottom line is, even with it's obvious flaws and limited capabilities, I have no buyers' remourse, and if someone stole this one, I'd go out and buy another one.
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Post by Lady B on Jul 11, 2007 9:39:54 GMT -5
I just recently got my Work Force saw, too, and I have had some of the same problems as Michaeljohn BUT there are some neat solutions out there. Check out this posting from the "Photos" thread about a shield and cutting from the back side of the saw (A possible solution for when you need to trim the left side of a piece without "sinking" into the little trough next to the blade.) forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/index.cgi?board=Pictures&action=display&thread=1183754566BTW: Now that I have it I recognize the WF as the saw several of the tilesetters used when they laid tiles in my previous home and this current one. They had bigger/better saws for intricate cuts but the WF was used by the apprentice tile-setters for the standard cuts--I just didn't know the saw had a "name". Lady B
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Post by Michael John on Jul 11, 2007 14:07:15 GMT -5
Yeah, I saw the splash shield, but the least of my concerns is getting wet. LOL
Working from the "back" of the saw is not a good position to be in, IMO. You have far less control than standing to the side or in the front. I also see it as a greater possibility for injury. The only "advantage" that I've found to working from the back is avoiding getting wet.
A little while ago, I had a brainstorm and went out to the shed to look at the WF. A sliding jig could easily be designed and built to work on the WF! You'd lose some blade depth, so it would only give limited benefit for slabbing, but it would allow you to make perfect straight cuts, calculated and duplicatable angled cuts, and work on BOTH SIDES of the blade, which would help immensely for cabbing!
This jig seems like it will be pretty easy to design and build, requiring only about 5 or 6 pieces. I have to go into Vegas this afternoon, so the rest of the day is shot, but I'll get to work on this idea tomorrow.
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luv2hound
freely admits to licking rocks
I try & I try, but dang it! Those rocks just keep ending up in my pockets
Member since June 2007
Posts: 890
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Post by luv2hound on Jul 15, 2007 17:32:45 GMT -5
Add me to the list too. Love my WF. I'm a newbie but have used my saw quite a bit. Didn't think the learning curve was too bad.
I too didn't realize how long it would take to cut through a rock. Of course never having cut a rock before...yada yada yada.
Not having to much difficulting cutting slabs as long as the rock isn't to tall. Of course I learned to roll the rock already(you guys are such great source of info)
I'd say it's been a positive experience and am thrilled to have taken the advice of the board. I'm sure I'll need a new blade real soon.
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Post by parfive on Jul 15, 2007 20:38:27 GMT -5
You sound like a pro already, Mitzi. Gotcha down for #95.
Rich
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huffstuff
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since August 2007
Posts: 1,222
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Post by huffstuff on Sept 18, 2007 21:17:13 GMT -5
Got my WF! Will probably have to wait until the weekend to open it up and try it out. Thanks for all of the advice, RTHers!
Amy
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,095
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Post by stefan on Sept 19, 2007 12:41:07 GMT -5
s we are up to 97 now???
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Post by parfive on Sept 19, 2007 23:45:44 GMT -5
It's just like the newspaper, Stefan . . . the scoop's on page 1 ;D Rockitman - bet you wore out first today Amy - today was hump day, the weekend's almost here Rich
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,095
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Post by stefan on Sept 20, 2007 8:44:13 GMT -5
Damn 98!!! I say we hit 100 before Christmas!
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misguidedone
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since May 2007
Posts: 94
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Post by misguidedone on Sept 20, 2007 19:52:56 GMT -5
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Post by parfive on Sept 20, 2007 20:19:39 GMT -5
Nice job, Steve . . . you been layin' low with that saw for a while, huh. Well, you're on the radar now at #99. Rich
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Post by texaswoodie on Sept 20, 2007 20:26:36 GMT -5
You can add me to the list also. Bought mine about 3 weeks ago and used up 2 blades already. Need to get to HD to get my third one. :-)
Curt
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Post by parfive on Sept 20, 2007 23:12:49 GMT -5
*DING*DING*DING*
100 SAWS [/size][/color][/center] stay tuned
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,095
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Post by stefan on Sept 21, 2007 9:07:33 GMT -5
Steve!!! AWESOME Mods man- Curt Congrates at being 100-
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Post by texaswoodie on Sept 22, 2007 8:09:41 GMT -5
That's almost $9,000 this board has sent to Home Depot. Seems like they could send us some giveaways. And of course with me being the 100th one.................. ;D
Curt
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