meviva
Cave Dweller
Member since July 2013
Posts: 1,474
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Post by meviva on Oct 8, 2015 20:55:28 GMT -5
I just got this for my birthday....YEAH!! What blade would be best for cutting slabs? It uses water.
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unclesoska
freely admits to licking rocks
All those jade boulders tossed in search of gold!
Member since February 2011
Posts: 934
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Post by unclesoska on Oct 8, 2015 22:24:35 GMT -5
These tile saws (I love mine), have motors that run at roughly twice the speed as a same size lapidary saw. They really are designed for speed, and for tile applications, that's what's needed. The thicker industrial blade has a tendency to chip the harder material and leave saw marks. Now you need need to address that. Clamping material isn't practical unless, IMHO you're an engineer, above my pay grade. Lapidary blades are designed to obtain the highest quality cut, but at the expense of speed, and are much more expensive, both too buy and use (oil). If'n it was me, and i was new to saws, I would go to Harbor freight and buy their 10" Diamond blade. Or home depot. Lowe's has 'em too.if i remember it was $49 @ HF. Start with that and some lower grade material, and practice abit. The good news is it will go quickly, bad news is it's too sloppy to use indoors and i abit risky.Please use safety gear, I use a full face shield over a backward baseball cap. You will be bathed in water and rock dust. Strong hands are needed, or at least the grip of a Falcon. Great on a hot day in July! Keep us posted, and am looking forward to seeing some cuts!
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meviva
Cave Dweller
Member since July 2013
Posts: 1,474
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Post by meviva on Oct 9, 2015 10:48:04 GMT -5
Thanks for the info. I have a 16 year old MK 101 that I have been fighting with for a while, so I have a little experience. The motor would stop while I was cutting and lately it has been popping the breaker. My husband got an awesome deal on the new one. He got it at Lowe's, apparently they are getting rid of them, and they were on sale for $678. He talked with someone that said they had one left and he would let it go for half price so he got it for $339....can't beat that. It comes with a blade that is for porcelain and the width of part with the diamonds is not very wide. It doesn't look like it will last long so I want to have another on hand. I have a tile slayer blade on the old one that was recommended by someone that uses it for cutting slabs, but it seems to dull and doesn't cut very fast....but that's probably just my impatience..lol. A lot of the tile blade seem thick and waste a lot of material. What is the thinnest blade you have been able to use with your tile saw unclesoska? I will go looking for a full face shield, right now I use safety glasses and ear protection. Andrea
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Post by Peruano on Oct 9, 2015 17:44:46 GMT -5
The tradeoffs of tile saws running faster and tile blades being thicker present issues to consider. I've had great luck (running at slab saw speeds) with an MK 225 blade which they market as a porcelain blade. Mine is a 12" version but I bought the 10" a few months ago to use on a HP 10" saw. I've literally cut hundreds of slabs over the last 2 years or so with the MK 225 (mostly agates, jasper, and other hard stuff) and its still going strong. I almost never dress the blade (maybe because I cut a variety of stuff); it almost never bogs down my motor even tho I'm using a wimpy 1/2 hp cooler motor. I like it because as opposed to many 12" blades it has the segmented perimeter and hence potentially carries more coolant (in my case mineral oil) to the cut. . . . . So, if you have a tile saw and need a blade that will run at those speeds, and want a blade that will do a good job on hard rocks, and can spend a bit (maybe in the $60 or $75 range at Lowes), I'd consider the MK225. Hey its more expensive, but it might just pay for itself hands down by lasting for years as opposed to cheaper throwaway blades. I like it and I have abused it enough to have reason to say its tough. Just a contrary thought. Tom
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unclesoska
freely admits to licking rocks
All those jade boulders tossed in search of gold!
Member since February 2011
Posts: 934
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Post by unclesoska on Oct 9, 2015 19:24:59 GMT -5
i've only had the saw a year and a half, i'm still using the original thick blade. My application for this saw is NOT slabbing, so I can't justify another blade purchase at this time. Will be interested in what you get and how it works.
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meviva
Cave Dweller
Member since July 2013
Posts: 1,474
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Post by meviva on Oct 9, 2015 19:51:37 GMT -5
Thanks Peruano That is helpful knowing a specific blade that will work. I will take a look at them. Would you happen to know the width of the blade that you use? Andrea
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Post by Peruano on Oct 10, 2015 6:58:23 GMT -5
The kerf on the blades that are 10" or smaller is .05"; my 12" has a wider kerf at 0.08" - all of this from a spec sheet published by mk. Tom
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