meviva
Cave Dweller 
Member since July 2013
Posts: 1,474 
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Post by meviva on May 20, 2016 13:12:35 GMT -5
I've got a couple questions (for now  ) while waiting to use the new saw. Any suggestions to getting rocks securely clamped into the vise? I keep imagining the rock slipping while the saw is cutting and breaking the saw. How do you get the oil off of the slabs? Would like to know different ways of doing it. Any other tips or tricks that would help me? Thanks as always, Andrea |
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Post by beefjello on May 20, 2016 13:29:48 GMT -5
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meviva
Cave Dweller
Member since July 2013
Posts: 1,474
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Post by meviva on May 20, 2016 13:52:47 GMT -5
beefjello You're right I should have thought of that. Thanks for the links. Andrea
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Post by orrum on May 20, 2016 14:45:14 GMT -5
You need a slab grabber! Life is good with one.
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meviva
Cave Dweller
Member since July 2013
Posts: 1,474
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Post by meviva on May 20, 2016 15:05:41 GMT -5
You need a slab grabber! Life is good with one. Thanks I will check it out. Andrea |
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,723 
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Post by Fossilman on May 20, 2016 15:37:06 GMT -5
I use cat litter to throw my slabs in,right after the cut...... It dries out the rock...
Than I soak it in Dawn dish soap,than clean water...........
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Post by broseph82 on May 20, 2016 17:24:20 GMT -5
meviva Pull on the rock a little bit to see if it's secure. If it moves even the slightest you know it'll move while the blade is in it (and possibly ruining your blade). Once tugged and feels like it won't move then you're golden. Like fossilman said, use a pan of kitty litter. I haven't been using it since it I bought the saw in Jan of 2015, but do now and boy am I glad I did. Really does dry to stone out and takes off the oil. It'll be a while before you clean out your saw. When the blade starts throwing rock snot on everything and you cannot even tell what rock is in the vise then you may wanna clean the snot out. Mine is currently like that and needs a cleaning. If you want to practice cleaning one out you can come over and have some practice Edit: get the fine grained tidy cat kitty litter. The stuff from the dollar stores sucks (I had some generic at first and won't go back).
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Post by victor1941 on May 20, 2016 21:35:13 GMT -5
Meviva, another method for material very irregular in shape is to adhere the stone with adhesive to wooden blocks that are then clamped into the vise. I use Loctite construction adhesive sold at Lowes or Homedepot.
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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 May 20, 2016 23:33:16 GMT -5
Oil dry is the cheaper, non-scented version of kitty litter. Any auto parts dept. or store would stock it. If I remember, a 30 lb. bag was less than $6, and it's good for a long time. I use Simple Green @ a 10:1 dilution w/ water after the oil dry absorbs all it can, usually overnight. Oh, almost forgot- I use a plastic scraper to "squeegee" the excess oil from the slab back into the saw then into oil dry .
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meviva
Cave Dweller
Member since July 2013
Posts: 1,474
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Post by meviva on May 21, 2016 11:48:53 GMT -5
Thanks everyone for the help. I did get some cat litter but I want to try the oil dry too to see which I like better. Going to order a slab grabber today. Squeegee too. broseph82 Thanks for the invitation. If I were closer I would help clean out the saw. For me the best way to learn how to do something is to see it done. Can the oil be strained and reused? Or is replacing it best? Andrea |
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Post by broseph82 on May 21, 2016 12:29:36 GMT -5
Thanks everyone for the help. I did get some cat litter but I want to try the oil dry too to see which I like better. Going to order a slab grabber today. Squeegee too. broseph82  Thanks for the invitation. If I were closer I would help clean out the saw. For me the best way to learn how to do something is to see it done. Can the oil be strained and reused?  Or is replacing it best? Andrea Well with just washing off the oil is fine, but after it dries and you get it wet again to work the oil will appear. Dry doing it without the kitty litter for a while. I did and liked it until I became tired of all the oil NOT washing off. Yes the oil can be saved. There's a thread somewhere here where people have used double paper bags to strain the clean liquid off the sludge. The rock snot you don't want. It should take you a bit to get to that point though. I will say it's easier to clean a thin layer of sludge at the bottom than it is to let it build up high enough where the blade is flinging it everywhere. It's a nasty job, but ya gotta do it. Good luck with cutting and be sure to post your slabs up. |
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Post by Jugglerguy on May 22, 2016 6:42:58 GMT -5
To filter you oil, you need a paper grocery bag and two five gallon buckets. Drill a bunch of small holes in the bottom of one bucket. Put that bucket inside the other bucket. The bag goes inside the top bucket and the oil goes in the bag. It might take a few weeks to completely filter. I cut two short boards to hold the buckets apart a little so the oil had more room to collect.
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Post by Peruano on May 22, 2016 8:27:43 GMT -5
All good advice here but I would emphasize the ease of gluing a rock with a flat surface onto a 2 x2 stub and clamping that stub in the vice. No slab grabber needed.
Thin wooden wedges driven down in between the vice blocks and the rock can greatly secure that rock so that it does not slip.
Listen to that saw, and if it seems to be not sounding right, check it because the rock is probably riding up and sliping and about to pop free. Go slow and if possible hook up with someone who has experience if you are still uncertain. You have to have someone close up saws rocks. Enjoy. Tom
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Post by captbob on May 23, 2016 19:20:22 GMT -5
Nice saw, looks familiar. What will it be set on? I found a nice cart for mine last year, think I made a thread about it. Can post a link to the cart if you would like.
*********Make SURE that you push in the black knob which starts and stops the saw before you open the hood and move the carriage forward. **********Make yourself a big sign to tape on the front of the saw until it (pushing in the black knob) is a habit. Trust me on this one! you're welcome  Oh, and when you finish a cut, take a deep breath, go open the hood (I usually wait a few/several minutes before even opening the hood) and then leave the room in a quickness for several minutes while the mist settles. |
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70karmann
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since February 2011
Posts: 190
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Post by 70karmann on May 23, 2016 19:46:29 GMT -5
I have used oil dry for years. Works great then I soak in water with dawn soap.
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meviva
Cave Dweller
Member since July 2013
Posts: 1,474
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Post by meviva on May 24, 2016 9:48:58 GMT -5
Nice saw, looks familiar. What will it be set on? I found a nice cart for mine last year, think I made a thread about it. Can post a link to the cart if you would like.
*********Make SURE that you push in the black knob which starts and stops the saw before you open the hood and move the carriage forward. **********Make yourself a big sign to tape on the front of the saw until it (pushing in the black knob) is a habit. Trust me on this one! you're welcome Oh, and when you finish a cut, take a deep breath, go open the hood (I usually wait a few/several minutes before even opening the hood) and then leave the room in a quickness for several minutes while the mist settles. Captbob I bought the stand that goes with it but we were at Lowe's the other day and saw a utility cart that might have been better, it had wheels. Thanks for the tip. I will be sure to turn off the saw before opening it. Andrea  |
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,723
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Post by Fossilman on May 24, 2016 10:51:38 GMT -5
I use the "Tidy Cat" Litter in the buckets-why you ask?? I get a free bucket out of the deal...LOL
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Post by Peruano on May 24, 2016 18:52:19 GMT -5
Its important to keep the cat out of the shop. I wondered why some of my slabs looked like crap.
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meviva
Cave Dweller
Member since July 2013
Posts: 1,474
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Post by meviva on May 24, 2016 19:28:02 GMT -5
Peruano I don't have a cat so mine will all turn out wonderful.
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Post by captbob on May 25, 2016 23:01:38 GMT -5
I will be sure to turn off the saw before opening it. Oh, the saw will be "off" after the cut when the vice carriage hits the stop screw. Just that I learned *ahem* that if you back the rock off the blade and slide the carriage back forward without pushing in the black knob, that everything starts right back up. That will wake you up real fast and ya can't help but be amused while cleaning up all the oil. I actually learned that twice before before it really set in!
This set up isn't like a "normal" saw with a Start & Off button.
I would also recommend taking the drain plug plug (got that?) to a shop that makes hoses with fittings. That's all they will need to make you a drain hose. Only costs a few bucks for a foot or so of hose with the proper fittings. Should make clean outs much easier that doing it without a drain hose. |
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) while waiting to use the new saw. 
