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Post by Garage Rocker on Apr 26, 2016 12:37:40 GMT -5
Maybe it's not quite flat line, but it's badly mauled. Weapon of choice: 7" tile saw. While clearly not the preferred method for cutting whole agate, it's what I've got. I started with the pre-requisite practice cuts on some smaller material that didn't hold much promise and then grabbed a little larger one out of the bucket. Wish I hadn't, yet. Everything is salvageable, in one way or another, but it was such a handsome little guy, I hate to muck up too many like it. I'll practice on something else for a while, so as not to be a repeat offender.
The practice cuts were so, so...
![](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4388/36459869376_6d509b5fa5_z.jpg)
![](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4372/36337952752_ea6145414c_z.jpg)
The victim. ![](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4405/36109579970_b57b26775f_z.jpg)
Instead of rolling the rock when the blade wouldn't go all the way through, I tried to cut from the other side. Guess what? It never meets in the middle. ![](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4388/36369016301_51e97f34e7_z.jpg)
The slab I cut took a lot of abuse when I tried to grind it down. It will get tumbled to see what comes of it. ![](https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1521/26668822086_f13bf58969_z.jpg)
![](https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1696/26422671680_83d0557ca3_z.jpg)
The end cut. Probably didn't help that this cut got going diagonally. May have contributed to later problems. ![](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4386/36506289075_5fb01c2718_z.jpg)
If I had the right equipment, I'd say I might be able to resuscitate this guy. I don't want to double down on the abuse with the tile saw, so I guess what I've already done will be tumbled and I'll save the other half for a later date.
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Thunder69
Cave Dweller
Thunder 2000-2015
Member since January 2009
Posts: 3,102
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Post by Thunder69 on Apr 26, 2016 15:46:58 GMT -5
They are still nice Kentucky agates . Now you just have to cab them up...
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Post by drocknut on Apr 26, 2016 16:00:43 GMT -5
Poor little agate. It's still pretty so not a total loss.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,690
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Post by Fossilman on Apr 26, 2016 16:17:02 GMT -5
Well,it will get better as you start cabbing them or just face drind them...
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Mark K
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2012
Posts: 2,626
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Post by Mark K on Apr 26, 2016 16:26:00 GMT -5
That is not bad at all. You should see the crimes against Geology I committed when I was a FNG.
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Post by Pat on Apr 26, 2016 19:24:11 GMT -5
Immensely savable! Cab it. Very pretty.
Thanks for the tip about rolling a too-big rock. Sounds good
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geezer
spending too much on rocks
![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star_teal.png)
Member since April 2016
Posts: 338
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Post by geezer on Apr 26, 2016 19:41:32 GMT -5
Immensely savable! Cab it. Very pretty. Thanks for the tip about rolling a too-big rock. Sounds good Very good tip on the rolling. Got some stuff too big for my slab saw, and this may work to rough cut into manageable sized pieces!
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Post by Pat on Apr 26, 2016 20:04:40 GMT -5
By the way, that first practice cut is very cute! Much better than just so-so.
You've got dots, red, and ruffles. Very cute!
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Post by rockjunquie on Apr 26, 2016 20:13:40 GMT -5
Don't be so hard on yourself and keep in mind- the rock didn't feel it OR see it coming. LOL!
All I have is a trim saw, too. My first few cuts looked remarkably similar.
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Post by spiceman on Apr 26, 2016 22:10:38 GMT -5
Been there ...done that and using a 7" tile saw. It looked much worse than yours and overtime it can be fixed. Never stop trying. I think it looks very good.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,275
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Post by jamesp on Apr 27, 2016 9:38:54 GMT -5
lol. Use the edge of the tile saw to smooth the step and throw that pup in the tumbler.
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sschus87
starting to shine!
Member since November 2015
Posts: 49
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Post by sschus87 on May 1, 2016 21:42:16 GMT -5
I love using my tile saw as a trim saw to shape rocks down. It's stable, and I can use the side of the blade to shape things quite easily. Here are a couple Botswana agates that I preformed on my 7" tile saw: ![](http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn18/SSchus87/12646753_10206494142807347_4876569897967192422_o_zpslkgrpwvd.jpg) ![](http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn18/SSchus87/12646694_10206494143607367_506626887794021263_o_zpsloppplz4.jpg) It's a great tool to do some nice shaping with!! Thanks---Steve
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