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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...
The victim. 
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. 
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. 
The end cut. Probably didn't help that this cut got going diagonally. May have contributed to later problems. 
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: 3,105
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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: 20,723 
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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: 2,819
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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
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: 36,612
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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:   It's a great tool to do some nice shaping with!! Thanks---Steve |
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