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Post by tims on May 26, 2016 22:52:29 GMT -5
A buddy just game me a 7" Master Cut tile saw. The blade only has about 1 3/8" of cutting surface so I could only use it for tiny / thin stuff, but I thought it might be something fun just to get my feet wet. I looked online for 7" lapidary blades and they seem to run from $50 - $70 (which is about the same cost as the saw when it was new).
Is there anything in particular I should look for when shopping for a new blade? The saw has a water reservoir; would it hurt anything to use oil instead? Or would water work OK with a lapidary blade?
TIA |
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Post by orrum on May 27, 2016 8:21:01 GMT -5
Harbor freight. Use pink antifreeze and borax i.e. 20 mule team borax. It lubes a little and stops rust. Stand behind the saw and pull toward you to stay drier. If you really want to do it right get Smokey EZ Cut from jsgems on here, it's awesome when cutting with water. You can roll the rough and cut thicker pieces. Have fun!!!
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NDK
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Post by NDK on May 27, 2016 9:40:44 GMT -5
Depending on how handy you are and what the saw body is made from, it can be modified to fit a 10" blade. I modified my workforce saw and it works fine. Basically had to elongate the slot for the blade & put on taller feet for blade clearance. Good luck!
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wampidytoo
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Post by wampidytoo on May 27, 2016 9:44:14 GMT -5
A glass cutting blade at a hardware store will run from 20 to 35 bucks and they cut a lot smoother than a tile blade.
Jim
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Post by tims on May 27, 2016 14:07:21 GMT -5
Orrum, I'll check out EZ cut, AFAIK there isn't a Harbor Freight within a hundred miles and I buy almost everything except groceries online. I worry about flipping / rolling cuts already but maybe they'll be manageable if I try.
NDK I considered cutting a bigger slot for the blade but this is built with the motor and blade kind of offset in the enclosure so you'd also have to cut out parts of one side to mount a larger blade. This looks like the same saw. There's also a plastic shroud on the bottom that encloses the blade, not sure if it's to help it draw water or a splash guard or what but it would have to go. Half tempted to pull the saw out of its enclosure entirely and just build something to fit a larger blade but was worried that the higher RPM of the tile saw + larger blade might be an issue.
Jim, I'm gonna check the local hardware stores today for blades and maybe there'll be something usable. The PO tried cutting some hard material with the original tile blade which warped and completely deteriorated the blade. I want something that can hack agate hardness but it can be difficult finding anything local when the elevation is > population 
Thanks for the replies, fellas. This saw doesn't amount to much but I feel like a kid at Christmas. |
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Post by rockjunquie on May 27, 2016 14:15:50 GMT -5
I use a dewalt blade made for porcelain. The cut is a little smoother than for tile, I think. I get it on amazon for 43. It lasts a long time.
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Post by orrum on May 27, 2016 16:06:13 GMT -5
Good info for me on blades from both Tela n Jim! Thank guys!
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Post by tims on May 27, 2016 18:47:49 GMT -5
Rockjunquie, does that work ok for hard stuff like jasper and agate? Thanks for the suggestion. EDIT had to look up the mohs on porcelain and it's harder than I thought so should work fine. Thanks!
We have 3 hardware stores here and only 1 even had tile blades so I'll definitely have to order something.
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wampidytoo
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Post by wampidytoo on May 27, 2016 19:34:27 GMT -5
Harbor Freight sells online also. The glass blade just has smaller diamonds so they do not chip the glass but will cut anything up to 9 mhos. They need to be dressed a little more often with an old grinding stone or a brick because the diamonds do not stick out as far and the brass can slide over them easier. The blades are made pretty much the same as the other tile blades.
I like them because they make a smoother cut and if I am cutting a slab it does not have large chips taken out of it. My guess is that the porcelain blade Tela mentioned is made about the same way because porcelain chips easy also.
Jim
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Post by rockjunquie on May 27, 2016 20:18:09 GMT -5
Rockjunquie, does that work ok for hard stuff like jasper and agate? Thanks for the suggestion. EDIT had to look up the mohs on porcelain and it's harder than I thought so should work fine. Thanks! We have 3 hardware stores here and only 1 even had tile blades so I'll definitely have to order something. Yup, just like you figured. I use it on agates all the time. Works great. I know it costs more, but it has been a good blade for me. I've bought 4 so far. I do a lot of cutting and my son uses it for his rocks, too. |
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rastageezer
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2013
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Post by rastageezer on May 28, 2016 1:00:41 GMT -5
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Post by tims on May 28, 2016 1:08:17 GMT -5
OK, I've got solid options for blades and lube. Many thanks.
After looking this saw over I'm very tempted to modify it for a 10" blade. As it sits a 7" would only give me ~1.5" of cutting depth. The 10" would give me about 2 7/8", and if the higher RPM doesn't result in disaster it would give me enough saw to keep me busy for a summer or 2.
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Post by tims on May 28, 2016 17:06:53 GMT -5
Ordered some EZ cut and a 10" Dewalt porcelain blade. I'm going to trim up the saw enclosure and try it 10" for now, and if it doesn't work I can still put a 7" blade back on it. Thanks to everyone for the helpful suggestions, and hopefully I'll have a first cut to show off / cringe over in a week or so.
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NDK
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Post by NDK on May 30, 2016 8:33:35 GMT -5
The 10" mod isn't difficult, just have to make room for the larger blade. IIRC the worst part was relocating the splash guard over the blade. If you'd like pix of my hack I'd be happy to get some this evening. Update: I was curious if I ever posted about my 7-10" conversion so I did a quick search. Turns out I did... forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/40039/homegood luck with your mod. |
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Post by tims on May 30, 2016 16:27:34 GMT -5
Thanks for the link NDK. I went a different way to raise the saw for clearance but might rethink it, the bolts for feet would be less intrusive than the 2x4s i used. I still need to sort the splash guard and reservoir but am waiting for the blade to arrive to use for reference. Now that it's shaping up i just wish i'd tested the saw to see if it even works lol but am hoping for the best. Just curious, does your saw want to walk around perched on the bolt feet? I'm thinking of using something rubber on the base to give it some traction. Oh, and out of curiosity how much usable blade depth did you end up with? |
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Post by johnjsgems on May 30, 2016 18:39:58 GMT -5
Sounds like I'm late here. For anyone with a 7" tile saw, "porcelain" tile blades are made to cut "stone". Stone is generally marble, granite, etc. They will work much better than standard tile blades on hard rock. If the saw runs really fast best to stick with thicker blades for safety. With BD/MK blades the real difference is in the matrix hardness. Tile blades can be very hard for durability. Porcelain will be softer to cut stone products faster and mostly chip free. Lapidary (like the 303C) will be softer yet. Durability is less the softer the matrix is as the softer matrix more readily exposes the diamond to the rock. Faster, smoother cutting with trade off being shorter life. Except fortheir glass blades all the MK blades use same grit.
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NDK
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
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Post by NDK on May 30, 2016 19:48:04 GMT -5
Yes my saw walked around on the bolt feet. I ended up cutting some short lengths of heater hose that fit snugly over the feet (bolt heads) and that helped a lot.
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Post by Peruano on May 31, 2016 7:52:11 GMT -5
Thanks again to John for giving us an insider's perspective and knowledge to oft confused and confusing subject (blade characteristics). I bought a used MK225 (hot dog = porcelain blade) from Daniel (Deb) several years ago when I was first resurrecting my 12" slab saw. That puppy has cut more than a thousand slabs (more or less) and is still going strong, no dishing, no bogging, almost never intentionally cleaned with maintenance cuts. It delivers lots of coolant (I use oil) with its slots and holes (characteristics of MK's larger slab saw blades) and has proven itself sturdy on many touch and odd-shaped agates, chert, etc. Its a perfect blade for my slab saw and a good deal for the type of cutting I do (all self collected materials so no necessarily worried about waste via kerf width). My quick check showed 12" versions for $135 and 10" for $52. Whether it would perform as well if being used hand fed is not known to me, but I don't think you will fail to get your money's worth out of a porcelain blade and John has helped us understand why they might be better for lapidary than a regular tile blade. Just thinking. Tom
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Post by johnjsgems on May 31, 2016 11:57:23 GMT -5
MK225 is a a really high quality porcelain blade and I'm told it is MK's big seller. BD started marketing as "Agate Kutter". I tried it on my drop saw and it works well. A little thick for slab trimming but no deflection when slabbing. And made for high speed water cooled applications. If you can find them for $52 I would grab them. In fact, tell me where. At BD's $134 list I'm paying more than $52.
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Post by tims on May 31, 2016 13:51:21 GMT -5
I ordered the DEWALT DW4764 10-Inch blade based on rockjunquie's suggestion, reviews, and the price (just under $50). The saw runs pretty fast at 3600 rpm but the blade is rated to 6115 rpm so it should be fine ... I've always assumed that a faster blade would cut smoother, but having 0 experience it may be a poor assumption. The specs on the blade say it integrates XP2 and XP4 matrix, which seems to indicate a very hard matrix for durability. I didn't understand the impact of matrix hardness and "more durable" sounded excellent, but thanks to John that's something I will be cognizant of in the future. Maybe try something softer down the line.
Once again, thanks to everyone for the informative input.
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