Looking for saw recommendations

I picked up the Kobalt 7”. www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-7-in-Wet-Tabletop-Sliding-Table-Tile-Saw-with-Stand/50432428

Alien ~ (cool name by the way, we have them all over here in Nevada (see: Area 51))

I am new at the hobby, and eventually I will get a nicer 3500 dollar saw for making Cabs. Some day.

I ended up with the Porter / Cable PCE980. I got it from Ebay for $185.00, shipped. Here is my setup.



I put the MK-225 (7") Hot Dog blade on it, from Amazon at a great price of only $33.00:

www.amazon.com/MK-Diamond-158434-Premium-Thin-Rim/dp/B00009YUJT/ref=asc_df_B00009YUJT/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312003160272&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2294248033111660294&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9030750&hvtargid=pla-568656121093&psc=1

Note: Do not position your laptop with Golf channel in this location, or you will find it covered in small rock chips afterwards!

I just got done cutting rock only an hour ago, and it was my 4th or 5th session. I have some conclusions.

- It takes exactly 6 minutes to set up, not including the laptop
- It takes an exhausting 20 minutes to tear down and clean up
- It cuts through all rocks with easy, and has not had a misfire yet (the blade that is).
- The blade is narrow, so you lose less material
- I cut from the back side of the saw, so I do not get a drop on me
- I used the water proof drop (8 x 6) cloth hanging from a ladder in the garage, to catch all water
- The T-Shirt under, at the back will catch all water and small debris.
- The water bin of this unit is NOT detachable, has a drain plug, and I prop it on cinder blocks to clean. It is a PITA.
- I use WD-40 on the blace after thoroughly cleaning and draining.
- The stand is a $70.00 DeWalt from Home Depot, and sets up in 2 seconds. Breaks down that fast too. Love it.
- The saw does not make a mess. It is very self contained in that respect.
- I wear ear plugs.
- Also, a set of safety goggles that cover the eyes 100%. This is important! Full coverage of the eyes! Little rocks fly around.
- This allows me to cut in my garage, and not get a drop on the floor

I hope this helps, and good luck with your decision!

-Bill

No problem, and apologize to OP to have hijacked this thread. Happy to help though.

I am not an expert, and only feel qualified to give you a couple opinions based on my limited experience so far.

I have only cut Agates, Petrified Wood, Chert, and Jasper. These are all around a 6.5 - 7 on the hardness scale I believe. For some reason, it just seems to love chewing through Jasper.

1) Yes, pulling the rock back, towards you. The sliding table top (very smooth, well made) helps. Plus, there is a backstop on the moving side of the table top. So it helps to hold the rock for you; while not necessary all the time though. If I need a really slow, smooth pull through the rock, then I use the other hand, and fingers to slowly pull the moving table (and thus the rock), through the blade. I can make clean cuts right across long rock faces doing this.

2) This is not a slab saw. It is only 7". Before buying, I dreamed of cutting 3 or 4 inch rocks on half. That is not happening. Some of those rocks in the picture were wishful thinking, and had to be split. The blade only rises just under 4 Centimeters (or 1.5 inches) above the deck. So, for a slab type of cut, the saw is limited. There are a couple compromises that can be made.

- If you want to cut a 3 inch rock in half, you have a chance to do it, if you plan correctly. You can cut half way through the rock, until you max out the blade. Then flip the rock around and cut from the other side. I seem to do this a lot. Rather than stressing out the blade (as you will, if the whole thing is burried in a rock without relief), I like to make 1 inch cuts, and flip a rock around in different angles of 360 degrees of rotation, to achieve a full cut through a larger rock. I'd say about 2.5 inches is my widest rock.

- If you have a 5-6" rock, then you can cut a slot through, in to a an inch or two. Then make a relief cut right next to it, opening up a small gap. Then take the rock over to a pile of those kinds of rocks, where you split them with a chisel and 4 lb. sledge. It will be easy. Then you can render those smaller rocks in to nice tumbler sized pieces.

For me, the saw is a necessary thing to have for tumbling. I pick up larger material that I wouldn't have before. I can trim off tough matrix, pits, and imperfections in the rock. Unfortunately, I am also seeing that a bench grinder is also a necessary tool.

But, now I don't have to hire someone to put in that back splash in my kitchen that I've been wanting to do for many years!

Great points John. I remember seeing one of your older posts mentioning the 10" MK-225 not performing as well as the 7", due to blade width being thinner. Thanks for mentioning that again.

A couple other thoughts, Alien. One DYI video reviewer of the Porter Cable (get the 110v plug in one, not the lithium battery version) mentioned in one of his comments that the saw blade that comes with the PCE980 is inferior and needs to be replaced right away). Which is why I bought the nice one. If you end up with this saw, and are financially challenged at the moment, simply PM me with your address and I will send you my unused blade that came with mine, free of charge. I have not tried it to compare vs. the good blade though.

Also a consideration for the blade upgrade is that it will stress the motor less. Easier cutting means less jams, and less fatigue on the direct drive motor. Direct drive motors, rather than belt drive motors don't have any chance to avoid extra fatigue on jammed rocks that might stop the blade. The motor will take the full hit, while a belt driven motor might slip on the belt, saving itself.

One major consideration of my purchase is water spillage and spray. And this unit keeps it to a minimum. There are other less expensive saws out there (the Skil saw is 79.00). But the overspray and run off from the trays of most of the cheap units can be significant. I would run the Porter / Cable inside the house if I had to. I'd just have to vacuum little pieces of rock out of the carpet afterwords.

After having recommended the MK-225 Hot Dog Blade on this thread three years ago I feel I should let anyone researching 10" blades know that I am no longer as enthusiastic. Today I received two new MK-225 Hot Dog blades (ordered through Home Depot but the order was drop shipped from MK Diamond Products in Torrance, CA). The quality of these blades appear to have dropped from what they were 3+ years ago. Both blades I received today are cupped. They appear to have gotten cupped during the arbor hole boring/stamping/? process. And both have very little kerf and what kerf they do have feels uneven.

They will probably still be okay for trimming slabs but being cupped may be an issue if trying to slab. I may be able to flatten them a little by laying them on the milled flat iron surface of my table saw and tapping them with a wooden block and hammer. Using this method I've been able to straighten older softer steel lapidary blades that have gotten cupped. Not sure if it will work on the MK-225 steel core or not.

My older MK-225 blade still has some use left in it so it will probably be a while before I try using these new ones. When I do, if there is a noticeable difference in how they perform when trimming slabs then I will do a follow up post.