vance71975
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since September 2022
Posts: 760
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Post by vance71975 on Oct 17, 2022 1:43:01 GMT -5
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Post by rockjunquie on Oct 17, 2022 6:06:28 GMT -5
I started with one of those exact saws. Burned through it (through no fault of the saw) and got another. I used it for preforming, but, yes, you can slab very small rocks. I forget the size of the rough, but someone here will know.
I see the price has come down. That's odd these days.
With this saw, you need to turn it around so the back is facing you and cut like that- otherwise you will be taking a shower. You lift the blade guard and pull the slab towards you. Sounds odd, but it's super easy and makes sense when you do it. You need to use this outside.
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Post by liveoak on Oct 17, 2022 6:38:12 GMT -5
People buy those saws for a job & then often sell them cheap.
Can't hurt to look before you buy new.
Patty
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hoolligan1938
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2022
Posts: 253
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Post by hoolligan1938 on Oct 17, 2022 10:16:13 GMT -5
I use that very same saw. It does a good job. Mine stopped running only once and I found that the shaft to the motor was a bit sticky. Cleaned it up, turned the shaft by hand, sprayed some WD 40 (water displacement) on the shaft, and it's run fine since. Be sure to unplug it while servicing the saw. You may not have to do that. Just my personal experience. I bought mine used on ebay. As Patty said, it was used for one job and cost quite a bit less than a new one. As for a blade, I use one from Harbor Freight that works fine and runs about $19.00. I do use a dressing stick after each use to clean the blade and help keep it sharp. Got that from Kingsley North. Hope this helps you.
Jim
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vance71975
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since September 2022
Posts: 760
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Post by vance71975 on Oct 17, 2022 12:30:25 GMT -5
Awesome thanks all! Honestly, this is about the only saw that I could use that would even be close to my price range.
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vance71975
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since September 2022
Posts: 760
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Post by vance71975 on Oct 17, 2022 12:32:12 GMT -5
I started with one of those exact saws. Burned through it (through no fault of the saw) and got another. I used it for preforming, but, yes, you can slab very small rocks. I forget the size of the rough, but someone here will know.
I see the price has come down. That's odd these days.
With this saw, you need to turn it around so the back is facing you and cut like that- otherwise you will be taking a shower. You lift the blade guard and pull the slab towards you. Sounds odd, but it's super easy and makes sense when you do it. You need to use this outside.
How small do you consider "very small rocks", the ones I have the I would like to cut are about fist size, maybe a lil bigger, somewhere between the size of a baseball and a softball.
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lapidarycentral
starting to spend too much on rocks
(Brian Rhode) LapidaryCentral.com - Fueling your Lapidary Addiction.
Member since August 2021
Posts: 209
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Post by lapidarycentral on Oct 17, 2022 12:47:51 GMT -5
One thing to keep an eye on is craigslist and facebook marketplace. You can sometimes find used saws that area designed for lapidary at a huge discount. Always worth it to keep an eye out in your area.
A tile saw will work though, but its going to be messy and it'll wear out diamond blades fast (not cheap). Most also tend to produce a much more rough cut. But, a lot of people do start with them, and perhaps you could start a rock saw fund by selling what you produce on eBay?
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brybry
Cave Dweller
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Member since October 2021
Posts: 1,199
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Post by brybry on Oct 17, 2022 13:30:46 GMT -5
You will get between 1 1/4" - 2" of a cut. It's designed to cut tile so not a lot of blade sticks out.
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vance71975
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since September 2022
Posts: 760
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Post by vance71975 on Oct 17, 2022 16:09:39 GMT -5
One thing to keep an eye on is craigslist and facebook marketplace. You can sometimes find used saws that area designed for lapidary at a huge discount. Always worth it to keep an eye out in your area. A tile saw will work though, but its going to be messy and it'll wear out diamond blades fast (not cheap). Most also tend to produce a much more rough cut. But, a lot of people do start with them, and perhaps you could start a rock saw fund by selling what you produce on eBay? I have been and I have also been watching the Used lapidary groups on facebook just see what current going market rate is, and Im seeing 14 in rock saws going for 1500- 2000 which is just WAY outta my price range. Im not super worried if I get thicker cuts, I plan to tumble the cuts as I dont have a cab machine to polish them. I am also watching the Local buy/sell/trade groups for a used Tile saw, so far no luck tho.
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JR8675309
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since August 2019
Posts: 751
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Post by JR8675309 on Oct 18, 2022 6:08:42 GMT -5
Locally I found 2 )within a couple hours) that are 150.00 for 6" blade saws. What is your budget I know someone who has a 6" who may ship one... all told prob under 400.00...
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Post by rockjunquie on Oct 18, 2022 7:56:20 GMT -5
I started with one of those exact saws. Burned through it (through no fault of the saw) and got another. I used it for preforming, but, yes, you can slab very small rocks. I forget the size of the rough, but someone here will know.
I see the price has come down. That's odd these days.
With this saw, you need to turn it around so the back is facing you and cut like that- otherwise you will be taking a shower. You lift the blade guard and pull the slab towards you. Sounds odd, but it's super easy and makes sense when you do it. You need to use this outside.
How small do you consider "very small rocks", the ones I have the I would like to cut are about fist size, maybe a lil bigger, somewhere between the size of a baseball and a softball. I think maybe baseball sized. You have to cut and then "roll" the stone over to cut the other side. Takes some practice.
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vance71975
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since September 2022
Posts: 760
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Post by vance71975 on Oct 18, 2022 11:29:54 GMT -5
Locally I found 2 )within a couple hours) that are 150.00 for 6" blade saws. What is your budget I know someone who has a 6" who may ship one... all told prob under 400.00... right now, I have no budget at all, Ill have to save for a few months to be able to get the one I linked in the first post.
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vance71975
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since September 2022
Posts: 760
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Post by vance71975 on Oct 18, 2022 11:31:17 GMT -5
How small do you consider "very small rocks", the ones I have the I would like to cut are about fist size, maybe a lil bigger, somewhere between the size of a baseball and a softball. I think maybe baseball sized. You have to cut and then "roll" the stone over to cut the other side. Takes some practice. Gotcha, I think it would work for what I want to do then for sure!
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