danb
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2011
Posts: 107
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Post by danb on May 2, 2011 0:54:59 GMT -5
I have been keeping an eye out for a good deal on a rock saw, and I see drop saws showing up on craigslist once in a while relatively cheap. Are they any good? Reliable? I am not the type of person who likes to fix things all the time, so high reliability is important to me.
Thanks for the feedback in advance!
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on May 2, 2011 8:06:30 GMT -5
Drop saws have their pros and cons. Pros: For their size they will cut pretty large rocks. Rock to blade alignment is easy to achieve as the blade falls right on the rock and they are often cheaper to buy than other rock saws. Cons: Usually blade weight is not enough to drive the blade through harder materials so weight must be added to the blade arm. This can be a bit difficult as too little weight and it won't cut and too much will damage or decrease blade life. Drop saws tend to be hard on blades. Drop saws have a coolant pumped to the blade cooling system. Most the pumps are not great and require replacing with a better system. Too little coolant and your blade overheats and problems arise. Drop saws are really messy and often spray oil and miss everywhere. Mine was noisier than other rock saw types too. Mine was a Lortone and very difficult to clean and because of the coolant set up they must be cleaned often.......Mel
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Post by Rockoonz on May 2, 2011 22:53:32 GMT -5
Had one once... Don't anymore... Nuff said?
Lee
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Post by catmandewe on May 2, 2011 23:02:55 GMT -5
I have sold quite a few, mostly to miners who want to whack up rough really quick to see what is inside and to sphere makers. I have never actually used one of them though.
Tony
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