hand2mouthmining
spending too much on rocks
Purveyors of California Gem Rock
Member since September 2011
Posts: 495
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Post by hand2mouthmining on Jul 19, 2013 15:30:46 GMT -5
Back in November, I posted Using a tile saw to slab rock the Hand-2-Mouth way, part 1.Here are a couple of useful equipment updates: The best price we've yet found for a QUALITY 10" continuous rim tile blade: QEP Continuous Rim 10 in. Diameter Diamond Blade, Wet Cutting, Premium $23.84 per blade.This blade is GREAT! The kerf (thickness) is .060, a bit thick for some, but great for folks that have lots o' rock. The thickness makes it very robus1. It's a sintered blade, with a diamond rim depth of 7mm. Best of all, when you order it in quantity, shipping is FREE! We ordered 3 for less than $80, and Sears got them to us in 3 days. Unbeatable! Additionally, Sears has pretty much the best deal on a basic 10" tile saw, with stand: QEP 24 in. Dual Speed Tile Saw, 2 HP Motor, Wet Cutting, with 10 in. $308.75This is a basic, no-frills saw. It's virtually identical to my Harbor Freight saw, and the price is just as good. I'd prefer this over the current Harbor Freight saw, which has been redesigned for "safety & ease of use." The current Harbor Freight design is still a good unit, just not as versatile as the old design. Water sawing by hand isn't for everyone, but it's great for the intrepid lapidary on a tight budget. More soon, slabbers! Kris
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garock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,168
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Post by garock on Jul 19, 2013 15:53:32 GMT -5
Thanks for the information !
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Post by deb193redux on Jul 19, 2013 15:57:13 GMT -5
by hand? did you buy a cross-feed vise from somewhere, or even a regular vise? --- you should clarify that this is very wet/messy and only your sharp eye and steady hand promotes even slabs.
I would actually call this cutting rock - not slabbing rock.
total price is somewhat cheaper, but in the ballpark of used 10" units with a cross-feed vise and at least a gravity feed.
IMO your budget concerns have to be really large to forgo a real vise and a feed for just about $50 to $125 more.
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Post by johnjsgems on Jul 19, 2013 19:33:32 GMT -5
The pictured saw is very much like the older style Harbor Freight saw which was a copy of the original MK101 tile saw. The current MK saw (101 for MK tile, MK 100 Lapidary version)has a thicker frame that will not flex when the blade dulls. There is a simple bolt on vise with cross feed for the MK saw that should work on the QEP as well for $60 list. I have a Lowes version MK101(which is just like the current 101) and just chunk big rocks down with mine. It cuts so fast with a 301 blade I don't think I will ever buy a vise for mine. I place the rock on a piece of 1/2" foam packing and guide it through with both hands. The pump feeds water to the blade and it will spray out both sides so cutting is done outside. Really rips tile with a tile blade too. Nothing like Tim The Toolman Taylor horse power.
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Post by deb193redux on Jul 19, 2013 22:00:17 GMT -5
the foam sounds like a great idea to keep rocks with an uneven bottom steady. seems obvious now, but I did not think of it.
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panamark
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2012
Posts: 1,343
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Post by panamark on Jul 19, 2013 23:11:04 GMT -5
The thickness makes it very robus1. It's a sintered blade, with a diamond rim depth of 7mm. Sounds fantastic. Might have to get one or two. Are you sure it is a sintered blade though?
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Post by johnjsgems on Jul 20, 2013 8:42:44 GMT -5
Daniel, a guy in Tucson gave me that tip. Now I save every piece of flat Styrofoam packing I get. Since they won't make most rocks flat it really helps. The rock just sinks enough to stay steady while sliding the table through. Mark, it looks like a sintered blade.
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hand2mouthmining
spending too much on rocks
Purveyors of California Gem Rock
Member since September 2011
Posts: 495
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Post by hand2mouthmining on Jul 20, 2013 21:30:23 GMT -5
Thanks for the great comments, friends.
Daniel, cost was the root concern with the equipment, since I was "downsized" in the Crash, and decided to make a go of the rock biz after a couple hundred of resumes and no job offers. It's tough losing your job at 50 these day. The secondary reason is the need to carefully control each slab of rainbow obsidian. And yes, we do precision slabs by using a fence. I can knock out 30 pounds of obsidian slabs in an afternoon. As noted, this isn't the ideal setup for all materials, and we've just added a 18" auto feed saw. We're doing first cuts this coming week, after it's cleaned out and tuned up!
Mark, yep, they are most definitely sintered blades. I couldn't believe it either, but they're hanging in after a month & 1/2 of hand fed sawing and slabbing, We're jazzed!
John, I rarely trash styrofoam, it's just too useful! Gotta love it!
More soon, friends!
Kris
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