rockgirl
noticing nice landscape pebbles
great state of ohio
Member since April 2011
Posts: 99
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Post by rockgirl on Apr 22, 2011 15:01:22 GMT -5
will it be easier to cut with a lap saw?? i have a wet saw (for now) and it seems to take such a wide cut in the stone..will a lap saw cut easier being that the blade is thinner?? i have a million and one questions......i need to write a bunch down as they come to mind and just have one big questionaire for all of you...i look and look for the answer for my questions but all i find are more things to ask about... also do you guys leave the guards on these machines?? the one on the tile saw just gets in the way....you can't see what you are doing....years ago i used to have a scroll saw and i took the guard off for the same reason.....i know it is dangerous but isn't is just as dangerous if you can't see where the blade is also.. am i gonna catch hell for this question??
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Post by tanyafrench on Apr 22, 2011 16:10:27 GMT -5
No you won't catch hell for that question. Actually I can't answer your question as I don't have a saw, maybe one day, but you will have plenty of people on this site that will have answers for you. Welcome to the RTH and there are no questions that others won't have answers for.
Tanya
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Post by tkrueger3 on Apr 22, 2011 18:34:24 GMT -5
OK - first, I assume you have something like the old Workforce or whatever the inexpensive 7" wet saw is that Home Depot is selling these days, or Harbor Freight, or whatever. I agree that the blade guard won't keep you from sticking your hand on it, but in my opinion, it mainly keeps the blade from soaking the ceiling of whatever room you're in. Without the guard, that blade will throw water everywhere! I found after some experimentation that it was much easier for me to sit behind the saw and pull the work into the blade, vs. the other way around. I get a lot less messed up that way, and I can see better what I'm doing. I don't know about "lap saws" - never seen one. Maybe you are talking about slab saws? Those are different - you clamp the rock into a vise, and the vise is driven past the blade, either by riding on a threaded rod that is turned by the machine, or by being pulled via a weight on a cable. That kind of saw is for cutting rocks into slabs - most people use the tile saws for cutting cabochon preforms from the slabs. As for the blades, you can get blades for the wet/tile saw in several thicknesses - and several price ranges as well. Mel (Saber52) told me about the MK Diamond blade # MK- HDTCM well over a year ago, and I've been using those ever since. It sells at Home Depot online for $8.72 each, and I get a lot of good use out of them. And at that price, I don't feel guilty for tossing one when it's worn out. Here's a link for it: www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100476904/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053Of course, if your tile saw isn't of the 7-inch variety, then I don't know about blades - I only have had the 7" ones. I hope this helps a little, and that I haven't over-analyzed it for you - I do have that tendency! ;D Tom
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Post by johnjsgems on Apr 22, 2011 20:41:36 GMT -5
My favorite saw (presently) is an MK101 10" tile saw with a BD/MK 301 .040" lapidary blade. I feel like Tim the Tool Man every time I shove a 4" agate through it. Yes, the thinner the blade the easier the cut. If you have a 7" saw you will have a very hard time finding thin blades as it is strictly a tile saw size. Look for "porcelain" in the description. They are a softer matrix designed for cutting harder materials, although the "stone" they are rated for is granite, marble, travertine, etc.
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Post by Rockoonz on Apr 23, 2011 10:15:42 GMT -5
IMO there is no replacement for a lapidary saw if you have the cash to pay for it. The quality of cut you get from a tile saw is vastly inferior and you spend much more time grinding out the saw blade marks. If you're new to working with rocks and funds are limited it may be all you can afford, but I would watch craigslist and your local papers for used lapidary saws as well.
Lee
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Apr 26, 2011 12:38:05 GMT -5
7" thin blades are hard to find- and costly! A true lapidary saw will have thin blades available- and the prices lately have come down. As for the Guards- Well I lock mine in place above the top of the blade (basically to keep the ceiling dry!) I have a plexiglass sheild that bolts to the front of the saw table- that keep the spray off me. I tried cutting backwards (pulling the rock from behind) but have never gotten the knack for it.
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