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Post by captbob on Feb 4, 2008 18:05:31 GMT -5
I received a 55 gal barrel of mineral oil today, Clyde (my Highland Park 24") is in the shed, and I'm ready to rock! Maybe... it's my first slab saw!
My FIRST question is, how tight do rocks need to be in the vise?
Not all (any?) of my rough rock is square, so there is never going to be a "perfect" fit in the vise. Which is more important, no horizontal movement or no vertical?
One thing that I find odd is that when I tighten the screw on the vise, the screw doesn't align with the old mark worn in the paint on the face of the vise. Any thoughts on that?
I'm sitting here ready to hit the start button, but don't want the first cut for me to be the last for this blade!
Expert help appreciated!!!
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mike4bears
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2007
Posts: 275
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Post by mike4bears on Feb 4, 2008 18:41:41 GMT -5
can you do a photo of the vise. and i tighten the vise as tight as i can then see if i can move it with my hands. if i can move it at all its not tight. then i will move the rock till the vise will hold it so i can't move it at all with my hands. and you do not want that rock to move up or down. mike
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Post by docone31 on Feb 4, 2008 18:55:47 GMT -5
Plaster of Paris, or stucco is a good medium for holding the stones to be cut. Make a form, mix the goo and set the stone to be cut into it. That way you get good square sides.
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Post by captbob on Feb 4, 2008 18:57:22 GMT -5
Here are a couple pictures of the vise In this one you can kinda see where the screw goes against the vise. When I tighten it, the screw goes a bit higher than the old mark. I can't see tightening it anymore than I have. I can't move the rock from side to side, but if I REALLY work at it, I can loosen it enough to get a little up and down wiggle.
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sdgoldpanner
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2006
Posts: 226
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Post by sdgoldpanner on Feb 4, 2008 19:22:54 GMT -5
Looks like the difference in where the mark is/was probably has a lot to do with where the groove in the clamp was in. I get that all the time. If you really work at it, and can loosen it, it is not tight enough! If you can, try to get the best flat spot against the front and or the rear of the clamp base. You may have to make a cut first on one side or the other to get a flat spot. If you can wiggle it free by hand, it only takes a split second to ruin a good blade. I wish you all the luck. Nice big looking saw though. Very similar to one of mine. I take it your automatic feed is at the front where we cant see it. Bob
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mike4bears
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2007
Posts: 275
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Post by mike4bears on Feb 4, 2008 19:38:05 GMT -5
look like someone clean the grooves. before you got it so it rides in a new spot. but for goodness sakes be sure you can't move a rock in the vise by hand and i mean to really try to move it. mike PS that sure is a great saw. mike
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darrad
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2006
Posts: 1,636
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Post by darrad on Feb 4, 2008 19:46:14 GMT -5
As said, If you can move the rock at all it aint tight enough. Maybe take a wrench to the screw to get a little extra on it. I have not used the plaster of paris but it does sound like a good idea. A 24" blade aint cheap to replace.
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Post by captbob on Feb 4, 2008 19:49:00 GMT -5
I'M CUTTING MY FIRST SLAB!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D edited to add BIG honkin' piece of sodalite
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Post by captbob on Feb 4, 2008 20:44:26 GMT -5
Alrighty then... that was pretty freakin' cool ;D
45 minutes to cut thru 5½ to 6 inches was a bit longer than expected tho
That was (obviously) an end cut. This next one going will be the first TRUE slab.
I wouldn't want to cut anything valuable (like charoite) with this saw as the large blade cuts quite a swath of material.
I see more slab saws in my future!
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Post by johnjsgems on Feb 4, 2008 20:46:11 GMT -5
Captbob, I have the same saw. Here are some tips. If the rock is not square use wood wedges to fill gaps. If the rock is not deep enough to fill the vise use blocks slightly smaller at opposite end of vise than the rock to keep the vise from closing crooked. If your hardwood jaws are as hard as mine try using pine 1 x's between jaws and rock. The soft pine will grab the rock better. MOST IMPORTANT - GRAB ROCK WITH BOTH HANDS AND TRY TO MOVE IT - DON'T TURN IT ON IF YOU CAN MOVE THE ROCK AT ALL. Set belt on slowest feed speed. Don't try to start cut on a curved surface it can cause the blade to dish. Oh, wait a minute! I forgot I sell blades. Ignore everthing I said and call me for your replacement 24" blades.
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Post by captbob on Feb 4, 2008 20:56:13 GMT -5
LOL @ the replacement blades! ;D John, that was EXACTLY the kind of information I was looking for! Thank you I have it on the middle pully, the Highland Park owners manual says use the different pullys depending on the hardness of the rock. I should ALWAYS use slowest? edited to add: wooo hooo new star!
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Post by Bikerrandy on Feb 4, 2008 21:24:05 GMT -5
I gotta add my two cents..... I've destroyed two blades because I thought that the rock was "tight enough". It's never tight enough. Either it's tight or it's not tight. Nothing can bring you down faster than bending a blade because your rock slips...... and I'm a hard-headed dumb@$$, I'll be bending another one any time now. ;D lol
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Post by captbob on Feb 4, 2008 21:33:37 GMT -5
Okay, first actual slab finished. How do I keep the last nub from breaking off as the cut ends?
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Post by catmandewe on Feb 4, 2008 23:20:07 GMT -5
Okay, first actual slab finished. How do I keep the last nub from breaking off as the cut ends? You dont, but you can grind it off afterwards. The slower speed on your saw will make the nub smaller, a higher speed will make it bigger. I use a box end wrench as a cheater bar and I tighten down until I feel that any tighter will fracture the rock. If I have a hard piece to cut, I will make 2 parallel cuts on opposite sides of the rock, that makes the flat edges sit in the vise really well, then I will slab about half of the stone, then I will put the other half in a slab grabber (with the flat end of the last slab cut against the slab grabber) and finish slabbing the other half. The only time this doesn't work for me is when the stone fractures, which does happen sometimes. Watch for pieces or slivers coming off when you tighten it down, those are signs of fracturing. Good Luck with it, youre gonna have a ball...............Tony
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Post by docone31 on Feb 4, 2008 23:23:14 GMT -5
When I cut, I encase the stone in either plaster of paris, or stucco. This helps eliminate the nub at the end of the cut, as well as eliminate the stone moving during the cut. I learned this the hard way also. The stucco polishes right off when it is being ground.
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Post by captbob on Feb 5, 2008 9:07:56 GMT -5
Hi Docone, I've seen that P of P idea and it sounds like a good plan for squaring up rocks. It seems to me that it would work well on smaller pieces, I'm not so sure it would be efficient when cutting these larger rocks tho. I'm cutting rocks in the 10 pound range and think the time and cost would work against me.
Catmandewe, you use a slab grabber in a saw this big? I was wondering how to cut the 2nd half of the stone! What model do you use and where can I find it? Looks like I need to pick one of those up ASAP! Good thing is I have plenty of rock to just cut halves for now.
John, what do you mean by: "Don't try to start cut on a curved surface ..." ?
Looks like a BUSY day ahead. I've got two virgin tumblers sitting here and they look hungry! I think I'm going to be filling the 15 pounder with sodalite and the 12 with tiger eye. Gots me some rock cuttin' to do! I'll try to take some pics along the way.
How does rose quartz cut/tumble? I could do that instead of tiger eye... would it be an easier first batch? I know the sodalite is going to be a tough place to start (I've read here that it can be tricky to get a good shine), but I figure if I can make that work then I'll be off to a good start.
BTW, this saw isn't nearly as loud as I thought it would be. I's sure the neighbors will get used to it in no time! ;D
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Post by johnjsgems on Feb 5, 2008 11:08:19 GMT -5
Captbob, I try to avoid cutting on really rounded surfaces. Slide the rock to the blade and you'll see the blade deflect to the side. If I have to I don't start the cut tight against the blade and hope for the best. I run mine at lowest speed because I'm in no hurry and have pleny of other things to do while the saw is slowly cutting. I believe the blade will like it much better and last longer. After you slab down to the jaws you can glue the heal to a piece of wood, clamp the wood in the vise and cut the other half. I've never tried it myself but I've heard white glue works then unglue my throwing in water. Once you figure out how many turns on the crossfeed knob gives you the slab thickness you want it is real easy to get uniform slabs. I've een on the road too long but think I use 6 1/2 turns.
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mike4bears
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2007
Posts: 275
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Post by mike4bears on Feb 5, 2008 13:43:29 GMT -5
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Post by catmandewe on Feb 5, 2008 22:26:08 GMT -5
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Post by stonesthatrock on Feb 6, 2008 10:37:54 GMT -5
i also make a couple cuts on each side of the rock. Just make sure its tight.................
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