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Post by Starguy on May 30, 2015 18:53:55 GMT -5
I have about a three part question for you guys.
If you are slabbing rocks for other people, what do you charge? I'm mostly talking about people you don't know well and aren't friends with, (fair market cost).
I've got a new 16" Covington and already people are asking me to slab rocks for them. I don't mind slabbing rocks but I feel I should be paid appropriately. I was thinking about asking for 50% of the slabs if I like the rock. I don't know what to charge if I don't like the rock. It seems like people want me to slab a five pound rock for one or two slabs. After slabbing a rock that size, I feel like I have more time and money into the Rock than they did in the original purchase. Is 50% too much to ask?
Fourth question. How do you tell somebody that their rock isn't worth the effort?
The costs I incur are original purchase price of the saw, Oil replacement, dressing sticks, blade replacement and time. I'm interested in how others handle this problem. Please give some feed back on percentage of slabs you keep vs. dollars per square inch.
Thanks
Brent
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Post by Rockoonz on May 30, 2015 19:21:39 GMT -5
When I cut for shares I take half the slabs and they keep other half and ends, real high end and for close friends is negotiable. By the square inch it's $0.35 cents. The club shop charges $0.50 cents per linear inch. Others charge by machine time, I would like to install hour meters and do the same. The guy I have been slabbing for lately is a skilled silversmith, I'm trading with him for lessons. I prefer barter when possible but we also have to consider being able to maintain and repair the saws if we do a lot of slabbing for others.
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Post by Rockoonz on May 30, 2015 19:24:08 GMT -5
Oh, and the leaverite question. Haven't run across that, so far they have asked me and I gave my honest opinion.
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Post by Starguy on May 30, 2015 19:42:52 GMT -5
RockoonzThanks for the advice. I think I'll ask for 50%. I spent most of my Saturday slabbing agates for my boss's boss.
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Post by stardiamond on May 30, 2015 20:04:02 GMT -5
Although I got my 16" Covington years ago I started using mine about the time you got yours. I'm not trying to hijack your thread or be non responsive. Maybe my skill level and knowledge using a slab saw is less than yours, but I found that the blade ate a lot of material and that a lot of prep work was required to set up cuts for my rocks. I also think I messed up my blade and am going to replace the one I have with a 14" so that I won't waste as much material. I can use the 16" for only the cuts that require it. Also, I prefer the my cabs have scenes so that how the slabs are cut is very important and the cuts are an artistic decision. It wouldn't be an issue with poppies, mosses or many agates. For example you can't just start slicing Montana.
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Post by Starguy on May 30, 2015 20:34:06 GMT -5
stardiamondYou are so right. It's a fine line between getting the best pattern and getting the most slabs. So far getting the rock securely clamped in the vice has been my priority. I'm pretty new to slabbing but I think I have about 20 lbs of slabs in the last month.. Lots of big pieces but I turn them 90 degrees when I get to the end of the clamp. I've had a little trouble with my clips slipping on the harder agate. It seems like I need too dress the blade daily. It's cool corresponding with someone at the same level as me. Later Brent
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snuffy
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Member since May 2009
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Post by snuffy on May 30, 2015 20:47:46 GMT -5
I have been leery of cutting other peoples material.One mess up and a $200-$300 saw blade ruined makes for a bad day!On my own material would still hurt,but someone elses would really suck.Thats just me.
snuffy
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Post by Starguy on May 30, 2015 21:41:52 GMT -5
Although I got my 16" Covington years ago I started using mine about the time you got yours. I'm not trying to hijack your thread or be non responsive. Maybe my skill level and knowledge using a slab saw is less than yours, but I found that the blade ate a lot of material and that a lot of prep work was required to set up cuts for my rocks. I also think I messed up my blade and am going to replace the one I have with a 14" so that I won't waste as much material. I can use the 16" for only the cuts that require it. Also, I prefer the my cabs have scenes so that how the slabs are cut is very important and the cuts are an artistic decision. It wouldn't be an issue with poppies, mosses or many agates. For example you can't just start slicing Montana. stardiamond. No experience here, at least not with slabbing. I've been dressing the blade every time I re-clamp a rock. That seems to keep things working smoothly. Let me know what problems you have. My biggest problem has been the split nut plier slipping, especially on hard agate or jasper. I've been using a wood laundry pin to back up the split plier. It seems to work. Later Brent
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Post by Rockoonz on May 30, 2015 21:47:17 GMT -5
snuffy that is a major consideration. I do the shop host and saw training for our clubs shop. My saw training begins with me telling them they have to be willing to say "no I can't cut that rock". After I run them through the basic information they need to know I bring out a few of my rocks and have them clamp the rocks in the vice. A couple are those pretty much impossible to clamp shapes, if they hand them back to me and say nope I know they were listening. First lesson they never cut a rock, they just clamp them and I try to pull them back out. Also you should say no if there's any question in your mind about the right direction to make the cut, some rocks can be pretty much ruined by cutting at the wrong angle.
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Post by Starguy on May 30, 2015 21:58:43 GMT -5
I have been leery of cutting other peoples material.One mess up and a $200-$300 saw blade ruined makes for a bad day!On my own material would still hurt,but someone elses would really suck.Thats just me. snuffy snuffyA damaged blade is my biggest fear on every cut I start. It seems like I check every cut two or three times before it's done. That's why I' trying to figure out what to charge. If I'm careful, 50% seems fair. I agreed to cut some big rocks for "a few slabs". I cut nine slabs from one today, (about 1/3 of the rock), petrified palm wood. I'm going to tell her I want half. The other two rocks she gave me I'm not too interested in cutting. One is near the limit of my saw for size, and the other is malachite/azurite. Too soft to bother with. Thanks for the advice Snuffy. Later Brent
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Post by Rockoonz on May 31, 2015 1:02:41 GMT -5
For my 18 inch saws I never cut bigger than 5 1/2" in either direction at the cut face, with a 16" I would think no more than 4 3/4", maybe 5". Cutting at the edge of a blades capacity or beyond is a guaranteed dished blade at the least.
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Post by Peruano on May 31, 2015 8:07:24 GMT -5
Cutting for a portion is fine, but you still need an answer for those rocks that 1. you have no interest in having. and 2. that are not worth cutting for your or anyone else (from your perspective). You don't want to waste your time even if your contact is quite willing to do so. So come up with a price that is high enough to prevent someone abusing your good will and taking advantage of your investment in equipment. Too cheap and you will be abused. Fair for a friend, one time beginner, and or neighbor is one thing; fair for a total stranger with a box full of rocks or a big one that's dubious has to be a higher price that you can live with. JMHO. I cut for others *usually for free* but I'm not afraid or hesitant to say no, I'm not set up for that or swamped right now. Tom
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Fossilman
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Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,711
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Post by Fossilman on May 31, 2015 9:22:37 GMT -5
I take a slab or two on smaller rough......As for cutting for strangers,I don't..My really goof friends I just cut for them-there is always a return in trade somewhere....I get my cabbing and wrapping done that way too.......Favors..
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Post by captbob on May 31, 2015 9:26:48 GMT -5
I've been dressing the blade every time I re-clamp a rock. Seriously? Why? How long does your dressing process take you each time? Sitting here trying to recall if I have EVER dressed a blade. uh... no.
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snuffy
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Member since May 2009
Posts: 4,319
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Post by snuffy on May 31, 2015 9:49:45 GMT -5
I've been dressing the blade every time I re-clamp a rock. Seriously? Why? How long does your dressing process take you each time? Sitting here trying to recall if I have EVER dressed a blade. uh... no. I've cut for about 6 years now,many slabs.I have never dressed a blade either,well,to edit,maybe I have.Every now and then will switch to cutting obsidian for a while,guess that is dressing the blade. Did cut a brick one time.How are you dressing yours? When the split pliers start slipping on mine,thats when I go to the obsidian. snuffy
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Post by Starguy on May 31, 2015 9:50:36 GMT -5
I've been dressing the blade every time I re-clamp a rock. Seriously? Why? How long does your dressing process take you each time? Sitting here trying to recall if I have EVER dressed a blade. uh... no. captbobDressing probably takes a half hour. I need to do it though. I've been slabbing some durable agate and jasper. With softer rocks I don't seem to have a problem. With Bruneau jasper and Montana moss agate, the split plier starts slipping if I don't dress the blade regularly. I haven't tried peening the blade yet. Yesterday I slabbed a bunch of somebody else's petrified Palm wood. No problems for 15 large slabs. If I try slabbing a medium sized piece of bruneau, I need to dress the blade every time I re-clamp. That bruneau is tough stuff. Later Brent
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Post by Rockoonz on May 31, 2015 17:07:46 GMT -5
Bruneau is indeed brutal stuff, and it seems the best way to cut is always the toughest way to clamp it in the vice. I cut over 100 lbs of brazils in my HP 14 without dressing at all, must be the slow feed. When blades stop cutting most of the time it is from the cutting surface getting too hot and moving the steel blade matrix over the diamond. Fast speed or poor choice of cutting fluid are the main culprits IMO. If your goal is production you'll just need to deal with it, but I'm in no hurry, I do this to relax.
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Sabre52
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Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Jun 1, 2015 8:06:25 GMT -5
Back when I had my big 20" saw, I preferred to just cut my own stuff cause, like Snuffy says, it don't feel quite as bad if you wreck a blade. The other main problem I has was folks seemed to always want you to cut a leaverite rock that was all full of fractures and looked to be a real potential blade breaker. I'm so jaded that I only like to sit and watch the saw run on rocks that look really safe to cut and have good slab potential. I'm at the point in my life where there never seems to be enough time and rock cutting is slow work. I only want to spend time to cut open rocks I'm excited or curious about.....Mel
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