johnnymac1969
starting to spend too much on rocks
I Like A Rolling Stone
Member since January 2016
Posts: 139
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Post by johnnymac1969 on Apr 11, 2016 11:06:16 GMT -5
I've been considering financing a really good "beginner" rock saw ($600-$700). But after doing a little research and watching some videos on YouTube, I decided on a $64, 7" tile saw from Harbor Freight. I know that Harbor Freight motors are JUNK, so I paid $12 extra for a 1 year warranty (if anything goes wrong, I get a brand new saw). I just got done setting it up and cut my first rock… a Turritella. I figured I might as well put the saw to the test with the hardest material I have. And it did the job! Not the cleanest cut I've ever seen, but I didn't expect that (especially with the $20 diamond blade that I purchased with the saw). All in all, and with the 20% off coupon, I spent about $90. All I really want this saw to do is cut away small pits, vugs, etc. that a tumbler would never be able to do. I'm still going to break up my large rocks with a sledge hammer and use the saw to get rid of the imperfections from the smaller, tumbler rocks. Now all I have to do is figure out where I'm going to hide it before my wife gets home!!!
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,711
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Post by Fossilman on Apr 11, 2016 11:28:08 GMT -5
SCORE!!!!!
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Post by Garage Rocker on Apr 11, 2016 11:35:23 GMT -5
You're off and running now!
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Post by Garage Rocker on Apr 11, 2016 11:52:01 GMT -5
Now all I have to do is figure out where I'm going to hide it before my wife gets home!!!
Try behind the lawnmower. Reminds me, I need to browse Craigslist for a larger lawnmower...
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snuffy
Cave Dweller
Member since May 2009
Posts: 4,319
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Post by snuffy on Apr 11, 2016 12:03:17 GMT -5
Nothing wrong with that! It's what I use to cut some slabs in half and trim.Did good by getting the warranty,use it like heck and if it plays out,get another one.
snuffy
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2016 12:12:29 GMT -5
Sound thinking. You will be surprised by the machine. The motor in mine isn't junk. The blades are! Because we use water, the blades go fast.
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johnnymac1969
starting to spend too much on rocks
I Like A Rolling Stone
Member since January 2016
Posts: 139
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Post by johnnymac1969 on Apr 11, 2016 13:06:33 GMT -5
Sound thinking. You will be surprised by the machine. The motor in mine isn't junk. The blades are! Because we use water, the blades go fast. About how fast? I know a lot depends on the material that I'm cutting, but what is the average lifespan of the blades? Also, after playing around with it a little, I started using it as a quasi "grinder" (to straighten rough cut edges, etc). Anything wrong with doing that kind of thing with this saw?
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Post by 150FromFundy on Apr 11, 2016 15:22:12 GMT -5
I can usually get around 200 small cuts on a 7" blade, but this can be highly variable depending on size of cut, hardness of material, and care of cutter. If you push rock at a rate that you have "sparks", the blades will go fast.
If you use the blade as an edge grinder, two things happen. You are wearing down diamond dust from the side of the blade that will be needed later as the blade wears down from regular cutting. Also, you are likely only grinding on one side of the blade and introducing uneven wear. The combination will prematurely reduce the life expectancy of your blade. In spite of all this, many of us do it. The best solution is a small edge grinder like the Gryphon grinder, or a similar machine.
You can buy a more expensive blade for your wet tile saw. The MK Diamond "Hot Dog" is a popular choice. The advantage of this blade is a much smother cut (if you need it) and the "kerf" or thickness of the cut is much smaller. When you start cutting expensive rock, this can be important to minimize wastage. However, you can probably buy 3 or 4 thick blades for the price of one Hot Dog, so the thicker blades will probably be fine for a while.
Darryl.
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chazrocker
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2016
Posts: 24
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Post by chazrocker on Apr 11, 2016 15:39:34 GMT -5
A little "Lube Cool" makes a big difference in my trim saw. Should help with a tile saw too. I've heard you could use food grade mineral oil, but haven't tried that yet.
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johnnymac1969
starting to spend too much on rocks
I Like A Rolling Stone
Member since January 2016
Posts: 139
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Post by johnnymac1969 on Apr 11, 2016 16:00:28 GMT -5
I can usually get around 200 small cuts on a 7" blade, but this can be highly variable depending on size of cut, hardness of material, and care of cutter. If you push rock at a rate that you have "sparks", the blades will go fast. If you use the blade as an edge grinder, two things happen. You are wearing down diamond dust from the side of the blade that will be needed later as the blade wears down from regular cutting. Also, you are likely only grinding on one side of the blade and introducing uneven wear. The combination will prematurely reduce the life expectancy of your blade. In spite of all this, many of us do it. The best solution is a small edge grinder like the Gryphon grinder, or a similar machine. You can buy a more expensive blade for your wet tile saw. The MK Diamond "Hot Dog" is a popular choice. The advantage of this blade is a much smother cut (if you need it) and the "kerf" or thickness of the cut is much smaller. When you start cutting expensive rock, this can be important to minimize wastage. However, you can probably buy 3 or 4 thick blades for the price of one Hot Dog, so the thicker blades will probably be fine for a while. Darryl. Darryl, Thank you for the great information, that was exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for. I will Google the Gryphon grinder soon… right after I find my own place to stay when the wife kicks me out
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grayfingers
Cave Dweller
Member since November 2007
Posts: 4,575
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Post by grayfingers on Apr 11, 2016 16:18:47 GMT -5
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johnnymac1969
starting to spend too much on rocks
I Like A Rolling Stone
Member since January 2016
Posts: 139
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Post by johnnymac1969 on Apr 11, 2016 16:39:25 GMT -5
Nice saw! You can do allot with a tile saw, I use a vibe to finish what I cut and shape using only the saw. I use cheap blades for grinding better ones for slabbing up to 3" stones. Thanks! I'm Day 1 into learning a whole new world of lapidary. First was a "toy" tumbler (from Hobby Lobby) that I bought for my 8 year rockhound for Christmas, then a 33B, then a Lot-O, and now a saw. OCD runs in the family… we're Scottish. Enough said.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2016 18:35:31 GMT -5
Sound thinking. You will be surprised by the machine. The motor in mine isn't junk. The blades are! Because we use water, the blades go fast. About how fast? I know a lot depends on the material that I'm cutting, but what is the average lifespan of the blades? Also, after playing around with it a little, I started using it as a quasi "grinder" (to straighten rough cut edges, etc). Anything wrong with doing that kind of thing with this saw? Too many variables. How hard ya pushing? How hard the material? How large the piece? How good the blade? Time will tell, report back here.
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cardiobill
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2012
Posts: 881
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Post by cardiobill on Apr 11, 2016 20:08:07 GMT -5
Great purchase I have a cheap tile saw with I presume a cheap blade (came with the saw) Others have a lot more skill and experience than me but I have cut out hundreds of hearts over about 4 yrs with this thing and it still seems to work just fine I'm sure my blade is quite worn but I don't seem to note much difference in its performance Maybe if I got anew blade I would notice that it works better but it seems to still grind /cut fine to me
Good luck Can't wait to see what you do with it
Bill
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rastageezer
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2013
Posts: 169
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Post by rastageezer on Apr 12, 2016 1:26:10 GMT -5
That'll work fine but like someone else said go easy on the feed rate, don't push too hard! No sparks! Keep the water bath full.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,562
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Post by jamesp on Apr 13, 2016 8:00:45 GMT -5
My Harbor Freight 7 inch has sat out in the weather for years. Runs like a charm. Darn good little motor in them. Sky is the limit as to what shapes you can make with it. Most bang for the buck lapidary tool.
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richardh
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 391
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Post by richardh on Jul 21, 2016 13:44:38 GMT -5
This thing looks just like the Skill tile saw we have out in the garage, maybe I need to get it out and start experimenting.
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Post by pauls on Jul 22, 2016 1:37:56 GMT -5
I feed water over the blade from the top and just hang the front of the saw over the edge of the bench so the drain goes straight into a bucket. Easy to do just drill a small hole in the plastic guard and push some small (say quarter inch) plastic tube through, I have an old half gallon plastic container with a tap hanging up nearby and just gravity feed the water. Saves getting thoroughly drenched every time you use it. Mine's the same saw, different brand bought in Australia and it has cut lots of rocks (and tiles).
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astrobouncer
off to a rocking start
Member since January 2016
Posts: 17
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Post by astrobouncer on Jul 22, 2016 19:32:46 GMT -5
I bought the exact same saw but I have yet to buy the blade. I heard I need a continuous RPM diamond blade but am not sure. I want to cut open some quartz agates from indiana and use it to cut quartz, jasper and agate to smaller sizes to fit in my lot o tumbler.
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Post by pauls on Jul 22, 2016 21:25:32 GMT -5
If the material you are cutting is low value then just buy the cheap (thick) tile saw blades. If the thickness of the cut means you are wasting valuable material then pay more for a thin kerf lapidary blade. Or buy both and swap them over as needed.
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