meta7
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2010
Posts: 164
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Post by meta7 on Aug 22, 2010 9:33:17 GMT -5
Does anyone know if it is possible to cool a saw blade (that is normally cooled with oil) by having a good amount of fresh water running on it (from a garden hose perhaps)?
I am wanting to build a 12" or 14" saw and I thought it might be easier (and cleaner) to build one that is water cooled.
I would have to keep it outside (because of all the water) but I would not have to build a box for the blade to be in, I would only have to build a platform for the rock to sit on as it is transiting through the blade.
Any thoughts or comments are greatly appreciated. ;D
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Post by jakesrocks on Aug 22, 2010 10:07:16 GMT -5
A friend just finished building a 12" water cooled saw, and has had good luck with it so far. Blades over 10" are meant to run in oil, so you may not get as long a life out of a water cooled blade. If you're going to try it, I'd start out with one of the cheaper Chinese made blades, just to see how it holds up. Another thing you could try is a blade made for concrete. They are made to be water cooled. Don
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Post by Jack, lapidaryrough on Aug 22, 2010 10:09:39 GMT -5
Wally Marks Since Pass-on, 50/ 50 Rock shop in Fulton ( Spelling ? ) Nevada.
Had 48" swing arm saw for sale. it was use in the yard for huge block cutting. ( Cooled with water.)
The family may still have the saw for sale our you may see it on their web-site.
Wally want`ed me to buy it, though the tag on it was $14,000.00
in the Jade fields of Canada, they used swing arm saw cooled with water, though the one i seen was built in the late 50s.
I`m sure their are a few on this site that have seen the saw i`m thinking of.
Jack in Oregon
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Post by texaswoodie on Aug 22, 2010 10:11:28 GMT -5
I have a water cooled brick and block saw with a 14 inch lapidary blade. I only use it to cut a flat surface for specimens. Go slow and it should work well for you. There is a strong tendency to cut too fast with this type of setup.
Curt
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Post by Jack, lapidaryrough on Aug 22, 2010 10:12:13 GMT -5
Forgot one thing.
German made blades i found a while back were used and designed to be used in water coolant.
they were made from stainless blanks.
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Post by jakesrocks on Aug 22, 2010 10:51:20 GMT -5
Here's a link to a company that makes all sorts of diamond tools, including blades made of stainless steel, and memory steel. The only place I've found that makes a 3" blade to fit an antique facetors saw that I have. They even make blades for industrial drag saws. www.ukam.com/Don
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rallyrocks
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2005
Posts: 1,507
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Post by rallyrocks on Aug 23, 2010 17:02:59 GMT -5
Wally Marks Since Pass-on, 50/ 50 Rock shop in Fulton ( Spelling ? ) Nevada. Try Fallon; www.fallonrockshop.com/Yeah Wally is gone, but the new folks that own the place are really nice.
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,341
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Post by quartz on Aug 29, 2010 9:51:36 GMT -5
A couple friends put a 24" backyard swing [or drop] saw together for some special stuff they had, water cooled [lots of water], worked great. The big consideration is getting the balance right so it doesn't feed too hard. They had a box on the back, and put bricks in it.
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lakeandco
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2010
Posts: 10
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Post by lakeandco on Aug 29, 2010 21:31:50 GMT -5
Quartz, any chance of getting a photo of your friends' outdoor 24" water-cooled saw? I haven't gotten up the courage to try mine with water yet. Oil is a big mess, water would be pretty handy...rust might be the enemy though.
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jcinpc
has rocks in the head
Member since April 2009
Posts: 722
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Post by jcinpc on Aug 30, 2010 10:51:15 GMT -5
I run my 16 and 10 inch saw with water only. The 16 I put rust inhibitor in the water, I drain the 10 after use. THe 16 has run great for this whole time, no over heating no problems cutting etc
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,341
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Post by quartz on Sept 3, 2010 22:48:02 GMT -5
lakeandco, Tried to call Vic about the backyard saw, he's not home; retired people get to do that a lot. I'll keep trying, so keep an eye here. quartz
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,341
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Post by quartz on Sept 18, 2010 17:43:30 GMT -5
lakeandco, Got with Vic on the phone a couple minutes ago. He said shortly after finishing what they wanted to do with the saw some guy came by with a need for it, and they sold it to him, haven't heard from him since. Sorry, but no pics. Vic did say the saw worked great. quartz
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lakeandco
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2010
Posts: 10
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Post by lakeandco on Sept 28, 2010 23:16:49 GMT -5
Sounds good to me Quartz. Thanks for the follow up. I'm definitely going to be trying plain water next time I cut. Not to get off topic here, but it is somewhat relevant to the issue of water-cooling and might be helpful for somebody out there. I'm finding that the water-soluble oils don't really seem to make clean up easier than neat oil (I learned this by cleaning up a big mess in the workshop). For some reason I imagined a nice fluid that was mostly water that could be disposed of much more easily than oil. Not the case. If anything, the water-soluble is even harder to clean up. The "proper" way to get rid of used soluble oil according to the tech guy at Mobil is: You have to chemically break the emulsion, tap off the water underneath, dispose of the oil at a proper facility, and let the water evaporate to reveal of any remaining oil.
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Post by manofglass on Sept 4, 2011 10:50:54 GMT -5
if you could find a ceramic slip tank and a return pump you could use your saw inside
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Post by Rockoonz on Sept 4, 2011 15:49:38 GMT -5
Sounds good to me Quartz. Thanks for the follow up. I'm definitely going to be trying plain water next time I cut. Not to get off topic here, but it is somewhat relevant to the issue of water-cooling and might be helpful for somebody out there. I'm finding that the water-soluble oils don't really seem to make clean up easier than neat oil (I learned this by cleaning up a big mess in the workshop). For some reason I imagined a nice fluid that was mostly water that could be disposed of much more easily than oil. Not the case. If anything, the water-soluble is even harder to clean up. The "proper" way to get rid of used soluble oil according to the tech guy at Mobil is: You have to chemically break the emulsion, tap off the water underneath, dispose of the oil at a proper facility, and let the water evaporate to reveal of any remaining oil. Soluble oils used in machine shops are also much more hazardous to the user than mineral oil. I think that lapidary water additives are not the same as machining oil but I still wear gloves and long sleeves when trimming slabs. I ruined a 14 inch blade on a drop saw with about 3 cuts using straight water as a coolant, and I notice when cleaning up that the sediment from cutting with water in trim saws tends to solidify into a concrete like stuff that practically has to be chipped off, but the oily rock snot is nasty but much less labor intensive to clean up. Lee
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Post by Donnie's Rocky Treasures on Sept 4, 2011 21:15:51 GMT -5
I have started putting some borax in my water & it helps tremendously! I use a 7" tile saw.
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