bbrooker88
off to a rocking start
Member since January 2022
Posts: 15
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Post by bbrooker88 on Jul 29, 2022 12:13:30 GMT -5
I am a brand new owner of a HI-TECH 10" slab saw. I have made about 15 cuts on jasper and agate, not small rocks but in the 3-4" range. I have tried to baby the saw but on hard rocks it's like watching an hour hand move on a clock. So I assume at times I applied too much pressure. Looking at the saw blade through a loupe, I can see where the embedded diamonds are supposed to be in the grooves of the sintered saw. It's hard to see in the photo, but it looks like maybe only 20-30% of the diamonds are left in the grooves. Most of the little grooves either have pits where little diamonds were, or appear to be "pinched" closed and are smooth metal.
Question: is the saw blade "done" or would using a dressing stick help any? I already ordered an Agate Kutter blade, but want to know if I abused the sintered blade, got a crappy one, or if it's fairly normal and just needs to be dressed.
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AzRockGeek
has rocks in the head
Member since September 2016
Posts: 703
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Post by AzRockGeek on Jul 29, 2022 12:42:09 GMT -5
We need a side view pic to see how much diamond is left.
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Post by aDave on Jul 29, 2022 13:12:55 GMT -5
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bbrooker88
off to a rocking start
Member since January 2022
Posts: 15
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Post by bbrooker88 on Jul 29, 2022 13:36:09 GMT -5
Not an easy photo to take. Looking top-down through the loupe I see a diamond here and there at the edge, but not many. This was the best I could do:  |
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AzRockGeek
has rocks in the head
Member since September 2016
Posts: 703
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Post by AzRockGeek on Jul 29, 2022 14:36:30 GMT -5
Not an easy photo to take. Looking top-down through the loupe I see a diamond here and there at the edge, but not many. This was the best I could do: As long as you can see the impregned diamonds on the side, you have some blade life left, you don't need a loop to see it. The blade is usually shot when there is only about 1/16" of diamond showing. Try dressing your blade a aDave mentioned. Are you using water or mineral oil? Mineral oil will make a huge difference on cut speed and blade life as well as dressing intervals. Good luck, Tim |
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bbrooker88
off to a rocking start
Member since January 2022
Posts: 15
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Post by bbrooker88 on Jul 29, 2022 15:30:33 GMT -5
Thank you both! I did look at that document which is very helpful. In hindsight I wish I looked at the blade under magnification before I used it so that I could see how it looks brand new. I'll do that on my next blade. I am using water. Hi-Tech says you could use oil, but without a cover to the saw, I envision a giant mess with oil sprayed everywhere.
I started rock tumbling a year ago and learned a lot from forums, videos, experience, and trial and error. I suspect the same will be true for slabbing with a saw.
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hoolligan1938
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2022
Posts: 253
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Post by hoolligan1938 on Jul 29, 2022 17:37:59 GMT -5
The way lapidary and tile saws throw lubricant all over the place, I don't understand how you can use mineral oil as a lubricant without having a real mess. I use water myself and find that I am usually heavily soaked when I'm finished. I know I'm glad I use water and not oil. I would love to use oil because I think it gives a smoother cut, but too much mess. Opinions are welcome.
Jim
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JR8675309
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since August 2019
Posts: 807
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Post by JR8675309 on Aug 17, 2022 7:33:05 GMT -5
bbrooker88 "Currently Rockhounding " on YouTube has a video about this very topic.
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Post by Rockoonz on Aug 17, 2022 10:31:28 GMT -5
The way lapidary and tile saws throw lubricant all over the place, I don't understand how you can use mineral oil as a lubricant without having a real mess. I use water myself and find that I am usually heavily soaked when I'm finished. I know I'm glad I use water and not oil. I would love to use oil because I think it gives a smoother cut, but too much mess. Opinions are welcome. Jim If you use open top saws with oil it can indeed get messy, a lot of saws have clear covers to help contain it or people make covers from plexiglass or clear poly storage containers that are the right size. I'm personally like you, I use water with an additive and wear an apron on my trim saws, and cut slabs in oil in auto feed saws with lids. |
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Post by HankRocks on Aug 17, 2022 10:43:08 GMT -5
The way lapidary and tile saws throw lubricant all over the place, I don't understand how you can use mineral oil as a lubricant without having a real mess. I use water myself and find that I am usually heavily soaked when I'm finished. I know I'm glad I use water and not oil. I would love to use oil because I think it gives a smoother cut, but too much mess. Opinions are welcome. Jim I have 3 saws with covers, 10", 20" and 24". They all run Mineral Oil as the blades and the machines are all rated for oil, better cuts and better on the machine. The only saw using water is my tile saw. It is rated for water and so is the blade. I personally would never run water in the other saws as it not be good for them and would shorten their life. |
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Post by greig on Aug 18, 2022 9:40:10 GMT -5
Personally, if a blade stops cutting effectively then I dress it. If it improves, I keep cutting and if it doesn't then I carefully inspect it and probably replace it.
As for oil vs water, for me it depends upon what I am cutting. Some of my rocks quickly make the fluid black, especially nickel, copper and silver ore. I prefer water if the solution gets nasty like that...Water is cheaper. Also, if I want to pan out the fines later, water is better for panning.
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