NDK
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 9,440
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Post by NDK on Sept 11, 2010 20:34:21 GMT -5
I rebuilt my WF saw to take a 10" blade. forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=hmequip&thread=40039It works great! Here's the 1st slabs off it today. My very first cut was red granite. I figured a low cost local rock was a good choice in case the blade decided to grenade it for some reason. Dave's falls road cut material (black-ish granite?) from my ride to the U.P. in june. Onyx - the largest slab I cut thus far. This one I had to flip over to finish as it was a tad too thick One of my favorites - Labradorite. quite bland wonderstone. THere's some faint banding, but not as colorful as some other pieces I have. And lastly, some CRAZY crazy lace. I hope to get some nice cabs from these slabs. Thanks for looking. Nate
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Post by frane on Sept 11, 2010 20:42:46 GMT -5
Nate, those crazy laces are amazing! even more amazing is reworking your saw! Great job! Fran
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NDK
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 9,440
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Post by NDK on Sept 11, 2010 21:43:38 GMT -5
Thank you Fran. The lace I got from the auction earlier this summer. I don't know where it's from or how old it is. It sure did turn the water red, and smelled funny too!
Nate
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Post by Roller on Sept 11, 2010 23:18:48 GMT -5
loving that crazy crazy ... so u just saved like 1k??? cant beat that ...
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NDK
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 9,440
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Post by NDK on Sept 12, 2010 15:04:03 GMT -5
Thanks Greg. I saved a few hundred at least I guess. Good way to look at it. I wonder if I could convince my wife to give me the difference, I have been looking for a new motorcycle...
Nate
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docharber
has rocks in the head
Member since October 2008
Posts: 716
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Post by docharber on Sept 17, 2010 20:54:09 GMT -5
I would make some sort of guard for the blade. I have an identical saw and with the larger blade you're increasing the blade FPS cutting edge speed by 43%over a 7", and lapidary vblades aren't made to run at the high speeds of a tile saw. That could be really risky. i wonder if the bnlade life won't be compromised as well since you're cooling it with water I'd be interested in knowing how long it lasts. i'm not sure, but I think my sawe has a 1/2" arborfor the 7" blade and most lapidary blades are larger. Rock Lady sells adapters that work really well, though. I've thought of doing a conversion too, but can't weld or cut metal very well with the tools I have. Did you extend the arbor shaft or cut away the side of the table to accomodate the blade?
Mark H.
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NDK
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 9,440
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Post by NDK on Sept 17, 2010 23:39:29 GMT -5
Hi Mark, I made a guard after I took the picture. This blade flings water EVERYWHERE, and I needed to calm it down. The guard does just that very well. I did not have to do anything to the arbor, my saw has a 5/8" arbor, so the blade bolted right on. I did have to cut away some of the table. It was quite easy though. I marked where I needed to cut to, then I just used the existing blade slot as a guide to hold the cutting wheel straight and cut to the mark. Don't forget to make the saw sit higher somehow, or the blade won't fit either. I just removed the rubber feet originally on the saw and replaced with the bolts, raising it about an inch.
Nate
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Post by beefjello on Sept 18, 2010 12:22:05 GMT -5
Nice mod on the WF Nate! Killer lace too!!! :drool:
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docharber
has rocks in the head
Member since October 2008
Posts: 716
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Post by docharber on Sept 18, 2010 16:21:35 GMT -5
Well, it seems doable. And, my arbor is 5/8" too. I ithink your using levelling screws is a good solution for the height problem. Ii would still be concerned about running the blade too fast in water. I wonder if an old table saw guard coud be used on this thing?
mark H.
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NDK
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 9,440
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Post by NDK on Sept 19, 2010 0:01:37 GMT -5
Thanks Brian. I tried polishing a slab f that lace and it started falling apart. Set that one aside and tried teh other. That one held together, but I didn't get it ground well enough to polish. I think I need to paint on some superglue before I take it back to the lap as it's pretty fractured.
Mark, anything's possible. Guards can be made from just about anything. Mine is a piece cut from a plastic storage tub lid. Also, JCINPC on here has a 16" saw he runs with only water. I think you just need to be aware of your feed rate to prolong blade life.
Nate
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