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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Jan 28, 2012 20:10:17 GMT -5
Due to some problems I was having with my 18" saw, I swaged the old Felker notched blade for the first time. I wish I had done it sooner! Dressing the blade will only go so far in bringing a fresh cutting edge. My blade used to bog a lot (especially after cutting hard agate, like Brazilian) and I would end up dressing it after ever 3 or 4 cuts. When I looked at the edge of the blade today it had a nice round edge. Swaging it put a square edge back on it and now it's cutting the best it has since I got the saw. You can learn how, here: home.comcast.net/~eugenemineralclub/rocksaws.pdfI started out with a pretty light touch until I learned how hard to hit it. I'm just hoping others can learn from my experience and reap some benefit. Chuck |
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keystonecops
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since October 2010
Posts: 957
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Post by keystonecops on Jan 28, 2012 22:51:56 GMT -5
That is some good info. Thanks. Later Clyde
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Post by NatureNut on Jan 28, 2012 23:06:43 GMT -5
This was an excellent read!
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Steve
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2005
Posts: 506
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Post by Steve on Jan 29, 2012 0:14:10 GMT -5
The link to this article is posted as a sticky under Lapidary Tips.
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Jan 29, 2012 12:22:25 GMT -5
Yes, thanks for pointing that out, Steve. I just wanted to share it again with my experience.
Chuck
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Post by jakesrocks on Jan 29, 2012 13:39:18 GMT -5
There used to be a special tool made for swaging blades. It was a steel block with a large bearing attached to one end. The steel block was clamped in the vice, and the bearing slowly fed into the spinning blade. The last time I mentioned this tool, one of our members went ballistic. Apparently he had bad results from one. I have one somewhere that I built myself, and when properly used, I got excellent results from it.
Don
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Jan 29, 2012 15:31:46 GMT -5
I can't quite envision how it works, Don, but I'm curious about it.
Just the same, it will probably take me about 10 minutes to do next time, now that I know what I'm doing.
Chuck
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snuffy
Cave Dweller 
Member since May 2009
Posts: 4,319
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Post by snuffy on Jan 29, 2012 15:55:05 GMT -5
An old rockshop owner showed me how he did his blade. He had a metal rod with a roller or bearing on the end,and he pushed it against the blade holding it as the saw ran,with the hood closed down to the rod.Saw it with my own eyes,wouldnt have understood otherwise.
snuffy
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Post by jakesrocks on Jan 29, 2012 16:16:40 GMT -5
Chuck, if I can find it in all of my junk, I'll post a pic of it. Basically what it is, is a piece of 3/4" X 3" steel about 6" long with a hole drilled and tapped in one end. A shoulder bolt attaches a 3" Ball bearing to the end of the steel. The steel is clamped in the vice square to the saw blade. With the saw running, the outer shell of the bearing is fed by hand against the rim of the blade, using just a little pressure. After a dozen or so blade revolutions, the blade should be swaged. It's important to feed the vice and tool by hand, not with the auto feed.
Don
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NDK
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 9,440
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Post by NDK on Jan 29, 2012 21:12:21 GMT -5
I've done this with my ball peen hammer on my 10" blade... BTW guys, it's described as swedging, not swaging.  Nate |
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Post by jakesrocks on Jan 29, 2012 22:42:04 GMT -5
Hate to differ with you Nate, but if you try to google swedging tools, it immediately takes you to swaging tools. The word swedge doesn't exist in the Webster dictionary, but swage and swaging do.
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Post by mohs on Jan 30, 2012 0:15:52 GMT -5
Man I haven’t heard the word ‘swage’ in some time! That was one of my duties as a saw filer at the lumber mill Swage the teeth on a re-saw blade  Basically using a hand press tool that would form the tip of the tooth (smash the metal) to give it kerf from the body of the blade Yes! Swage a diamond blade keeping the edge square & true would be the ticket! |
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Post by Rockoonz on Jan 30, 2012 2:43:07 GMT -5
Swage is pronounced "swedge but spelled swage.
It would be possible to swage a blade with a bearing on a rod and it would take less time, but if you can't stay perfectly square to the blade theres a risk of dishing the blade. I prefer to remove the blade and place it flat on the bench with a little bit hanging off the edge and do it carefully with the flat end of a small ball peen hammer.
Lee
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Post by jakesrocks on Jan 30, 2012 10:00:49 GMT -5
Lee, that's why the tool must be clamped firmly in the vice, square with the edge of the blade. Also why it must be fed to the blade by hand pressure, and not by power feed. It's difficult to do if your vice closes from the top, but works great in vices that close from the front.
Don
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Post by deb193redux on Jan 3, 2017 23:24:28 GMT -5
Did anyone download the PDF? The original link is dead.
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Post by orrum on Jan 4, 2017 7:54:29 GMT -5
Hey Daniel it's supposed to be in a sticky here.
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Steve
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2005
Posts: 506
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Post by Steve on Jan 5, 2017 14:03:03 GMT -5
This article is posted as a sticky under Slabs and Saws in General Lapidary Saw Info.
If you still want the pdf pm me your email address and I'll send it to you.
Comcast took away the ability to host websites and I haven't taken the time to rebuild another site elsewhere. The club I was hosting the site for went under so no more need for the website.
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rxscram
has rocks in the head
Member since August 2011
Posts: 519
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Post by rxscram on Jan 5, 2017 17:20:51 GMT -5
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