tyandnan
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since April 2014
Posts: 96
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Post by tyandnan on Dec 7, 2015 22:28:23 GMT -5
My 20" slab saw is in need of a new blade. I want to be able to cut large slabs of agate and other hard materials. What is a good blade that will last a long time? What should I look for in slab saw blades in general?
Thanks, Tyson
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Post by jakesrocks on Dec 7, 2015 22:55:02 GMT -5
BD 303S. Expensive, but you won't be sorry you bought one.
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Post by Rockoonz on Dec 7, 2015 23:07:52 GMT -5
Best price I've seen on a 303s is about $295 plus shipping. A 303s in 18" is closer to $225.00, the 20" is less common so much more spendy. If I had a 20" I would use 18" blades in it.
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markymark
Cave Dweller
Member since November 2015
Posts: 397
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Post by markymark on Dec 7, 2015 23:48:43 GMT -5
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Post by Rockoonz on Dec 7, 2015 23:56:24 GMT -5
Those are crimped diamond blades, cheap and with a short life. They will also leave lots of blade marks in the slabs, which will take lots of extra work to grind off. Pretty much anything from HP lapidary is low quality Chinese crap.
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Dec 8, 2015 8:23:06 GMT -5
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Post by paulshiroma on Dec 8, 2015 8:51:48 GMT -5
Ditto on this one. Find John Wease. He can help you out.
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Post by johnjsgems on Dec 8, 2015 12:43:33 GMT -5
Thanks. I do sell the 303S and 301 blades. I sell Chinese blades through 10" only as I'm not a believer. I would rather run into someone at a show and have them say " there is that guy that sells the good blades" rather than "there is that guy with the cheap blades". I have to say though that when we sold at Desert Gardens I heard mixed reports on the Chinese blades. The Aussie behind us sold really low priced Chinese blades. I sold many BD/Mk blades to people that tried the Chinese blades and hated them. A fair number of customers laughed at my (heavily discounted) prices and said they only used Chinese blades because they worked so well for so much less. Go figure. The BD/MK blades will be on Winter sale probably starting Jan 1st. When they do go on sale I'll have a little more wiggle room for forum discounts. They were going to increase prices and have decided not to so I'm guessing Winter Sale discounts will be less than normal. As far as 303S vs. 301 the 301 has a taller rim so more diamond and seems to handle really hard rock better. As a testimonial, Armando (familiar to anyone that goes to Quartzsite, Tucson, or Denver) has a large commercial cutting operation in Mexico. He buys blades directly from BD at the shows we do with BD. In the past he bought trim saw blades in 303C and slab blades either 301 or 303S. This year at Denver show he bought only 301 blades in all sizes.
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tyandnan
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since April 2014
Posts: 96
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Post by tyandnan on Dec 8, 2015 13:12:08 GMT -5
Thanks for all the replies. I had been looking into the 301s and 303s. Checked out the link to your site above, johnsgems, and I am interested in purchasing a blade through you. It doesn't need to be before January first, so will you let me know if there is a discount at that point, and how much.
Thanks, Tyson
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rxscram
has rocks in the head
Member since August 2011
Posts: 516
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Post by rxscram on Dec 8, 2015 17:06:40 GMT -5
Ah, man! I just bought 3 BD-303 18" blades from johnjsgems , and now I find out they're going on sale in a few weeks... I will say that the BD-303 blades are by far the best I've used! I haven't tried the 301 though, so I can't comment about them.
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mikeinsjc
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2010
Posts: 329
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Post by mikeinsjc on Dec 8, 2015 17:38:40 GMT -5
MK-303S segmented blade is the way to go. I have a great way of dressing the blade, courtesy of the guys at Richardson Ranch, if interested. Do not be tempted to go with a cheaper blade thinking you are saving $.
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tyandnan
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since April 2014
Posts: 96
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Post by tyandnan on Dec 8, 2015 18:08:31 GMT -5
The 301 has a thinner kerf. I like that about it. Will the segmented blades (303) handle a larger slab due to the segmentation?
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rxscram
has rocks in the head
Member since August 2011
Posts: 516
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Post by rxscram on Dec 8, 2015 20:07:08 GMT -5
The 301 has a thinner kerf. I like that about it. Will the segmented blades (303) handle a larger slab due to the segmentation? BD-301 and BD-303 both have the same kerf (0.085"). The 303 will handle any sized slab that you can fit into the saw, and in general cuts like a hot knife through butter.
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Post by johnjsgems on Dec 9, 2015 11:00:50 GMT -5
In 20" the 301 is .085" and 303S is .100". This Winter Sale will likely be very minimal. Usually 20% on 303 and up to 30% on 301. This year I'm guessing 10% at most. I have a few 14", 16", and 18" 301 blades I picked up at Tucson this year I can make a nice deal on if anyone is interested.
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rxscram
has rocks in the head
Member since August 2011
Posts: 516
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Post by rxscram on Dec 9, 2015 11:37:46 GMT -5
In 20" the 301 is .085" and 303S is .100". This Winter Sale will likely be very minimal. Usually 20% on 303 and up to 30% on 301. This year I'm guessing 10% at most. I have a few 14", 16", and 18" 301 blades I picked up at Tucson this year I can make a nice deal on if anyone is interested. Shoot, whatever source I read was wrong then. Or maybe I just naturally looked at the 18" instead of the 20". Either way... listen to John!
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tyandnan
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since April 2014
Posts: 96
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Post by tyandnan on Dec 9, 2015 13:55:58 GMT -5
In 20" the 301 is .085" and 303S is .100". This Winter Sale will likely be very minimal. Usually 20% on 303 and up to 30% on 301. This year I'm guessing 10% at most. I have a few 14", 16", and 18" 301 blades I picked up at Tucson this year I can make a nice deal on if anyone is interested. 10% is better than 0%. When should I contact you?
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Post by johnjsgems on Dec 9, 2015 14:28:15 GMT -5
I should hear in next week or two.
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Post by Rockoonz on Dec 9, 2015 22:50:52 GMT -5
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Post by johnjsgems on Dec 10, 2015 13:36:01 GMT -5
pm answered. I'll have the winter sale prices next week but it looks pretty sure to be 10%. That lowers my price a little bit (about $15 on a 14" blade and $20 or so on a 20"). I'll probably just do free shipping for forum members for 12"-24" blades and keep price at 30% off regular list.
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tyandnan
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since April 2014
Posts: 96
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Post by tyandnan on Dec 30, 2015 0:12:01 GMT -5
pm answered. I'll have the winter sale prices next week but it looks pretty sure to be 10%. That lowers my price a little bit (about $15 on a 14" blade and $20 or so on a 20"). I'll probably just do free shipping for forum members for 12"-24" blades and keep price at 30% off regular list. PM Sent
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