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Post by broseph82 on Jan 4, 2015 23:37:58 GMT -5
I know its been asked like a million times but.... where should a slab saw be purchased from? Wife has allowed up to 2K [total] for one, but I know Ill need a blade and coolant too. I would preferably like it to be auto-feed. Start sharing some links and advice please. Thanks in advance!
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Post by captbob on Jan 4, 2015 23:44:02 GMT -5
Brand new?
What size saw are you interested in? Meaning - what size rocks do you want to cut?
A 12" saw can't cut really large rocks, but a 24" saw is kinda useless if you want to cut something the size of your fist.
For 2K if you were to take your time and wait for deals, you might be able to get both if used.
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Post by broseph82 on Jan 4, 2015 23:56:10 GMT -5
captbobProbably a 12 or 14" Maybe an older Lortone or Panther? I have access to a 24" at the rock clubs meeting spot. I just want it to work out of the box without messing with shafts, bearings, etc.
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Post by captbob on Jan 5, 2015 0:07:27 GMT -5
Aren't you near Birmingham? There's a 18" Lortone listed. Kinda pricy at $1800.
If you will buy used, you should be able to stay around 1000 bucks with not too much problem. I'd watch craigslist and eBay if you're not in a hurry.
You are probably gonna hear of some other good options from folks here.
Everything I've read about Panthers mentions the fast feed rate which doesn't seem to be good with harder rocks.
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Post by broseph82 on Jan 5, 2015 0:16:34 GMT -5
Aren't you near Birmingham? There's a 18" Lortone listed. Kinda pricy at $1800. If you will buy used, you should be able to stay around 1000 bucks with not too much problem. I'd watch craigslist and eBay if you're not in a hurry. You are probably gonna hear of some other good options from folks here. Everything I've read about Panthers mentions the fast feed rate which doesn't seem to be good with harder rocks. Bham is about 2hrs away from me. That Lortone is being sold by Chris (Hogg Mine guy). I talked to him on the phone already and hes sticking to $1800. He buys and sells equipment. Im still thinking about 12-14" though. Ill even go new, but from what I see im looking at 1100 minimum.
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Post by Rockoonz on Jan 5, 2015 0:48:14 GMT -5
The Lortone is a $800.00 saw at best, I wouldn't personally pay over $400.00 I try to keep a Lortone 18 in working order for the rock club shop. I would never buy one for myself. The only Lortone saw I would buy would be a LS10. FranTom or Highland Park would be my choices, or if you see a Nelson grab it. Whatever you do don't let anyone convince you to buy one of the new Chinese "Highland Park" saws. You can always put a smaller blade on a larger saw, my old 14" HP saw will have a 12" blade as soon as I use up the 14 that's on it.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,561
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Post by jamesp on Jan 5, 2015 5:27:28 GMT -5
If you are going for auto feed think about 14-16 inch saw. But size the saw according to what you find. I cut 2 inch rocks on an 18 inch Covington all the time. And will throw a 5 X 7 inch rock on if needed. Most common size is 3-4 inch rocks. A nice 14 inch saw can be put on a table and can cut most 3-4 inch rocks. Blades are cheaper than 16 and 18. Seems like you pay a lot for a saw with legs, table tops models make sense. But do size the saw to your findings. Enclosed saw that uses oil.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2015 6:44:13 GMT -5
I put 5 X 6 inch rocks in my lortone 12 but I wouldn't recommend it. Many times I have wished my 12 was a 14 but I would guess if I had a 14 there would be times I would wish it was a 16. If I was going to replace the old 12 and had access to a large saw I would get a 14 mainly because I am not going to be carrying very many rocks that need a bigger saw than that.
I can pretty much predict that if you get a lortone 12 at some point in time you are going to be pissed at the clamp unless you are very patient. Plus, you can not put a 10 inch blade on it because the box sits in a tub and the tub is not tall enough to get oil up that high without the vibration slopping oil over the side. Jim
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Post by broseph82 on Jan 5, 2015 13:53:25 GMT -5
The Lortone is a $800.00 saw at best, I wouldn't personally pay over $400.00 I try to keep a Lortone 18 in working order for the rock club shop. I would never buy one for myself. The only Lortone saw I would buy would be a LS10. FranTom or Highland Park would be my choices, or if you see a Nelson grab it. Whatever you do don't let anyone convince you to buy one of the new Chinese "Highland Park" saws. You can always put a smaller blade on a larger saw, my old 14" HP saw will have a 12" blade as soon as I use up the 14 that's on it. I knew he was on the high end, but I wasnt sure how high with an 18" saw. Ive only seen a couple 12" Lortones for about $500 within a 4hr drive of me, but none currently.
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Post by broseph82 on Jan 5, 2015 13:54:26 GMT -5
I put 5 X 6 inch rocks in my lortone 12 but I wouldn't recommend it. Many times I have wished my 12 was a 14 but I would guess if I had a 14 there would be times I would wish it was a 16. If I was going to replace the old 12 and had access to a large saw I would get a 14 mainly because I am not going to be carrying very many rocks that need a bigger saw than that. I can pretty much predict that if you get a lortone 12 at some point in time you are going to be pissed at the clamp unless you are very patient. Plus, you can not put a 10 inch blade on it because the box sits in a tub and the tub is not tall enough to get oil up that high without the vibration slopping oil over the side. Jim My club has a 14" Lortone, and I have no beefs with it.
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Post by deb193redux on Jan 5, 2015 15:02:53 GMT -5
captbobProbably a 12 or 14" Maybe an older Lortone or Panther? I have access to a 24" at the rock clubs meeting spot. I just want it to work out of the box without messing with shafts, bearings, etc. Well it is reasonable to expect a saw that does not need new bearings or does not have a bent shaft. On the other hand "older" and workout of t ebox do not 100% go together. Some used saws need cleaning, new or used, you may need to start out mounting a blade. Also, new or used, you should initially check carriage alignment. The motor is generally shipped separate and you have to mount it. But this is minor compared to changing bearings or having machining done on a shaft. Figure $110 on oil and $160 on shipping (could be more for larger saw). You can get Covington 14 or 16 inch saws for +/- $1800 depending on whether it has legs. The HP 14" is over $2k. The Lorotone 12" is about $1300 and the 14" (people have cautioned about the feed problems) is about $1600. The new Highland Park models are more. You wont generally find a better price than jsgems.com. (on some products he can offer an RTH discount). Sometimes rockshed or Kingsly has a free shipping offer. You can ask Tony/catmandew what used saws he has right now. His prices are generally good and he will figure the best shipping. I have LS12 and it is a good for price, but the frame is lightweight and over time the carriage bushings wear. BikerRandy loved his 16" Covington. There are also 14" saws set up like 10" autofeed types. These use less oil, cost less to ship, and are better with smaller rocks. A lot depends on whether you want to cut slabs for trimming or to cut slabs/faces for display.
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Deleted
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Member since January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2015 16:10:23 GMT -5
. Whatever you do don't let anyone convince you to buy one of the new Chinese "Highland Park" saws. I know sheltie had problems with his. They fixed it, but it took a while. Lee are you aware of other issues with their product? Come think of it, he was selling out, then not, then nothing for a long time. I hope sheltie is OK.
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Post by broseph82 on Jan 5, 2015 18:38:05 GMT -5
deb193redux -I agree I'm not looking to take anything out of a box if it's used, I was referring to if it were new. I don't want to buy a used one and have to throw $400 more bucks into it if that makes more sense. Sorry I didn't clarify first. I don't know anyone locally that has anything for sale nor do I trust the average person off CL selling some saw their dad/grandpa had and know nothing about it hence why I came here to ask people i'd trust more.
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Post by deb193redux on Jan 5, 2015 20:27:13 GMT -5
Check out the Covingtons. It is that or Lortone if new and in-line with your $2k budget to set up. The only thing safely under budget would be Lortone. (Covington would be just over budget, but you can get 16"). If you want to pay a little more for a really well regarded saw, the HP 14" could be setup for a $450 over your budget after shipping and oil.
I would still ask Tony about used he has on hand.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jan 6, 2015 17:59:49 GMT -5
Aren't you near Birmingham? There's a 18" Lortone listed. Kinda pricy at $1800. If you will buy used, you should be able to stay around 1000 bucks with not too much problem. I'd watch craigslist and eBay if you're not in a hurry. You are probably gonna hear of some other good options from folks here. Everything I've read about Panthers mentions the fast feed rate which doesn't seem to be good with harder rocks. Yes the powerfeed motor that comes from the factory on the Lortone Panther is too fast. I replaced mine with the slower powerfeed motor that they use on their 12" saws. The other problem I have had with my Panther is the cheap Chinese made JBC bearings Lortone now uses. They don't last very long if you do a lot of slabbing. I replaced the JBC bearings on mine with some NOS (new-old-stock) U.S.A. made SealMaster bearings I found on eBay and am getting much better service from these. Also I don't like the 303 blade that comes stock on these saws. Some dealers will let you upgrade to the 301 blade for a reasonable fee. But if I were going to buy a new 14" saw today I would buy the Barranca Highland Precision 14" saw. www.barrancadiamond.com/lap/saw_hp14.html . If I were going to buy a used 14" saw I would try to find an old Frantom or Star Diamond saw. Larry C.
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Post by deb193redux on Jan 6, 2015 21:53:29 GMT -5
check the price difference on the hp14 at the link i posted
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Post by rockpowell on Jan 6, 2015 22:11:45 GMT -5
Aren't you near Birmingham? There's a 18" Lortone listed. Kinda pricy at $1800. If you will buy used, you should be able to stay around 1000 bucks with not too much problem. I'd watch craigslist and eBay if you're not in a hurry. You are probably gonna hear of some other good options from folks here. Everything I've read about Panthers mentions the fast feed rate which doesn't seem to be good with harder rocks.[/quoteBull crap I have had a 14" Lortone Panther for 4 years now and run it 24/7 an cut Cedar Agate which is very hard it comes with a build in sharpner as long as you sharpin that blade its cuts and fast. I love it bought it new comes with a 303 mk blade took me 3 an 1/2 years to ware it out and but it still has diamonds on it just keeping it for back up
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,709
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Post by Fossilman on Jan 6, 2015 22:32:30 GMT -5
Really like my 14" inch saw for my 1st one.....It does everything I needed done.....
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Post by Rockoonz on Jan 7, 2015 1:19:35 GMT -5
. Whatever you do don't let anyone convince you to buy one of the new Chinese "Highland Park" saws. I know sheltie had problems with his. They fixed it, but it took a while. Lee are you aware of other issues with their product? Come think of it, he was selling out, then not, then nothing for a long time. I hope sheltie is OK. Yep, he has had lots of returns, and I hear if you have a section of floor you need oiled, put a chinese fake highland park there. Too bad, the design is great, but the finished product is slipshod. He designed a nice improvement in the clutch lever with replaceable splitnut insert, then has it made out of crappy leaded quick cut brass instead of bronze. Guess he'll sell lots of inserts that way, a friend with a 24 is ready to scrap it, on his 3rd set in less than a year.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jan 7, 2015 1:52:29 GMT -5
check the price difference on the hp14 at the link i posted By posting the link to the HP14 saw on Barranca's site I wasn't suggesting that he should buy directly from Barranca. Just wanted to show the saw so we didn't have the same confusion between Barranca's HP14 saw and the new Highland Park saws like we did on a similar thread a couple of months ago. Larry C.
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