jeremy
starting to shine!
Member since May 2007
Posts: 28
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Post by jeremy on May 21, 2007 14:50:03 GMT -5
Hello all, new to actually doing something with the buckets and buckets of rocks I have in my garage. I have some agates that are large and thinking of cutting/slabbing them. One question, is a decent lapidary saw the same as a decent tile saw? Can a tile saw be used for agates (or are agates too hard for them?)
Nice to meet all of you!
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Post by LCARS on May 21, 2007 15:11:30 GMT -5
I have seen many nice agate slabs posted here that were cut using the $90 Home Depot "Workforce" tile saw.
The blade it comes with is reputed to be good enough to cut many slabs of hard material such as agates without wearing out.
If you wanted to you could even purchase another more professional blade for cutting harder material without running up a lot of cost in comparison to purchasing even a basic lapidary trim saw.
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cleo12797
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2007
Posts: 279
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Post by cleo12797 on May 21, 2007 15:44:33 GMT -5
Good to know! Thanks.
Ang
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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 21, 2007 15:48:46 GMT -5
Main difference in the two saw types besides cost ( lapidary saws are expensive compared to tile saws!) is blade quality and the addition of a vice with or without a power feed to aid in cutting parallel slabs of even thickness. Tile saws may have a fence but no vice and the blade is generally of lesser quality than a true lapidary blade. That said though, even though I have a big slab saw and a ten inch trim saw with vice and power feed, I still use the heck out of my $88 Workforce. I love it for trimming and cutting small slabettes for the tumbler....mel
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Post by deb193 on May 21, 2007 17:38:42 GMT -5
I love my workforce tile saw - BUT, I need to qualify remarks above.
SOme tile saws have unacceptable blades, and most folks fail to realize that you are taking a little less than 1/3 of the blade diameter for the cut depth.
Nice slabs of about 1.25" x 3" can be cut onthe Workforce. You need a bit of practice to get even 1/4 inch thickness. Also, results are better if the stone has a relatively flat surface (as opposed to rounded) to slide across the saw.
Acceptable slabs with some uneven cut marks or saw marks on the face can be made of 3x3 inch rocks by rotating the rock on the tile saw's blade. These slabs would not be suitable for display unless sanded flat and/or polished, but are great to cut up into smaller pieces to tumble.
Best cost/performance is a 10" lapidary saw with a good vise and a cross feed. I also have a 10" ancient BeaconStar slab/trim saw, and I love it too. You can get acceptable results using a 10" tile saw if you change the blade and are not too picky about the slab having even thickness. But if you just need to cut some 3x5 inch rocks in half, the tile saw would be cheaper than the lapidary saw.
The 1st questions should be:
What is the size of the rocks you want to cut?
Do you want large slabs, small slabs, cab size blanks, tumble rough - or what product of cutting the rock?
Once these questions are answered, you can consider if a tile saw will work well for you.
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Post by snowdog on May 21, 2007 17:38:45 GMT -5
guess I would have to ask --how big are these agates? ( you said big) and what are you wanting to do with them after you cut them? --- most tile saws are only 6" and even with a lapidary blade in it you are still only cutting about a 1/3 of the blade diameter ( @2" ) & and with a little practice , you can roll them to maybe cut almost 4" ---if you are wanting nice even 6" slabs then you need to cut them on a regular lapidary saw ( 16- 18-20" ) so the blade can go right on thu the stone ---only other thing I see is the way the water drip setup is --- but yes they can be used ---------
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lsmike
spending too much on rocks
Maxwell's demon lowers tumbling entropy
Member since January 2007
Posts: 468
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Post by lsmike on May 21, 2007 20:04:39 GMT -5
:)I would caution against the Raytech brand though.I have a 10 inch and it is a good saw but parts are expensive and customer sevice is spotty at best.I've heard that the parent company,Lyman[lie man?]is phasing out Raytech.My two cents.Good luck,Mike.
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jeremy
starting to shine!
Member since May 2007
Posts: 28
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Post by jeremy on May 22, 2007 8:12:13 GMT -5
Most of the agates I have are roughly fist size. I am so new to the hobby that I have no plans besides seeing whats inside of them. I spent many years searching for rocks, finally decided to actually do something with them. Thanks for the advice!
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Post by cina on May 22, 2007 8:28:16 GMT -5
With that size rock you have the workforce may not work. I love mine and have used it for a year now with ease but I only do small rocks and triming. I think the workforce is a good starter saw but chances are you will be looking for a biger one soon! The other thing you have to think about is space most of the biger rock saws use oil in them for me that would not work I use my saw in my house Best of luck Steph
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Terry664
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since March 2005
Posts: 1,146
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Post by Terry664 on May 22, 2007 14:43:37 GMT -5
I do fist size rocks all the time, I just cut them around as much as possible then put in cold chisel break open then cut until I get a block that will produce slabbettes that I can draw on and cut my shapes on, I also cut mostly Agate and Quartz. I use a cheap thick blade for doing cut around rock. Do not try for shaping or slab cutting though, it is too thick. Not trying to talk you out of buying a bigger saw I would too if I could afford it, but would still use my workforce a lot. Terry
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willis
off to a rocking start
Member since March 2007
Posts: 3
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Post by willis on May 23, 2007 11:32:02 GMT -5
So the slab is usually not smooth when the rock is rolled?
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