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Post by stardiamond on Aug 5, 2018 22:13:43 GMT -5
Assuming my new blade installs without issues. I got a lot of 9 pieces on ebay totaling a little under 7 pounds. The good news is there won't be a lot of surprises. The bad news is there won't be a lot of surprises. I've got a better than average view of what iks inside.  |
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,723 
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Post by Fossilman on Aug 6, 2018 9:54:13 GMT -5
That's what I'm doing this week....Hahaha... My favorite material to cut! Good luck!
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Post by drocknut on Aug 6, 2018 10:32:33 GMT -5
cool, never seen Montana agates with arrows on them...LOL. Hope they are all good ones.
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Post by stardiamond on Aug 6, 2018 14:06:46 GMT -5
The arrows are the direction I want to cut. Cabbing can be relaxing almost meditative. Slabbing should be kind of mindless, but I find it very stressful. I don't like my Covington saw. The clutch feed issues are bad enough, but The vise is like something from wood shop. I imagine most slab saws are similar. The vise works well for large square thing not small round things like Montana agates. Rocks slip and blades get damaged. I don't mind the cost only the cost is related to something going wring that I could have prevented. Given the stress level I want to make sure that I make the first cut the right direction. If the direction is right I will glue the side that was cut to a board so I have a better bond.
I expect to get equivalent value in slabs for what I paid. The Montana slabs I see offered on ebay are not that special and expensive. I would feel better If I could inspect and hand pick the nodules before buying. I buy from the same seller and have been generally pleased. Not every nodule can be a winner.
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Post by sophia13 on Aug 6, 2018 18:36:14 GMT -5
On the Montanas how do I figure out the direction? What should I do first and/or look for if you wouldn't mind sharing.  |
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Post by stardiamond on Aug 6, 2018 19:24:04 GMT -5
Cutting Montana is complicated and the best I can do is guess based on what I can see. Some of the nodules are broken and I can see dendrites. They are in shallow bands. The first thing I'm going to is make an outside cut to improve my view. I've got one small nodule where I can see color bands on the rind. I'll try to make a cut perpendicular to the bands. With dendrites you ant them in the middle of the inside of the slab. When the dendrite are on the surface they will grind away unless I cut a flat top cab. My major concern is not wrecking the blade and I expect to do ok or really well. yellowstone-jewelry.com/info_pages/working%20with%20montana%20agate.htm2.5x2x1x1.5 inches at widest.  |
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Post by stardiamond on Aug 6, 2018 20:08:09 GMT -5
Here's two that I am not cutting now. The first one I can see everything and there is nothing other than colored gate. The second one is completely covered in rind and like a lumpy small potato.   |
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Post by victor1941 on Aug 6, 2018 20:17:12 GMT -5
Stardiamond, I also have a Covington 14 inch saw and have found that if you glue the stone to a 6"x 2"x 4" inch board makes cutting for me easier. I use Loctite ph adhesive and can orient the stone for a perfect first cut. I then use sodium silicate and glue the flat end to another board or change the orientation and use the adhesive to glue the irregular surface to another board if the first cut is not right. I have not had a rock come loose with this method but have damaged several blades using this vise where I chucked the stone in the vise with wedges. This method does take more time and the adhesive is about $7. I remove the stone by placing the stone/adhesive section in water for several days.
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Post by stardiamond on Aug 6, 2018 20:22:17 GMT -5
I won't cut without gluing to the board. The silicate soaks off and when I get a first cut, I will remove and reglue the flat surface to a board.
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Post by stardiamond on Aug 7, 2018 18:07:47 GMT -5
Things started out okay. I forgot that I needed to move the carriage to replace the blade. I remembered and replaced the blade. No problem with the arbor and the blade cut fine. After four cuts I dressed and completed two cuts on the next piece and then the saw started binding. I tried every clutch adjustment imaginable and the clutch wouldn't work. The clutch is suppose to pause the blade when it is going to fast for the material and then resume. The blade pauses and ….. I called Covington twice and they even offered to send me a replacement clutch for free even though the saw is out of warranty. It's a two man job and I'm a hermit. I don't do much slabbing and have plenty of material to cab. I wish I had a saw that wasn't difficult. The first 3 slabs are color bands. Two were cut over 1/4 and one under 1/4. The bands are dense. The other slab is fine and there was another left on the rock.  This is the 3/16 backlit.  |
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