CacklingChick
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2022
Posts: 11
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Post by CacklingChick on Mar 19, 2023 16:24:36 GMT -5
Newbie trim saw owner here. Just bought the 6" Hi-Tech Diamond trim saw and am cutting small rocks. I just cut my 2nd rock with problems. Just tried a 3rd and it cut ok for about 2/3rds through then wouldn't cut and the blade locked up. I tried rolling the rock a bit while cutting to try to get it to cut as that worked on another rock. So I immediately turned off the machine and unplugged it. I'm using the red thin sintered blade that came with the machine and recommended 2,600 rmp speed. My husband had to use gripper plyers to get the rock off the blade. He suggested perhaps the rmp wasn't high enough. He also mentioned the blade might be shot, but it looks ok - not warped.
Thoughts? Thanks!
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CacklingChick
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2022
Posts: 11
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Post by CacklingChick on Mar 19, 2023 16:51:36 GMT -5
Ok, just did another tiny rock and it cut ok. Same blade. I just read somewhere a rock can bind to the blade if you lose your grip on it. I didn't think trim blades w/o teeth did that.
Any advice is much-appreciated. Thanks!!
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gunsil
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2023
Posts: 337
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Post by gunsil on Mar 19, 2023 17:37:50 GMT -5
Trim saws are best at sawing slabs which aren't too thick. If you are hand guiding stones into the blade without a vise on a track you have to be very careful to feed rock into blade without any twisting or turning which will cause the blade to bind. Even hand feeding 1/4" thick slabs one has to feed stone very straight or the blade can bind. Some saws have a vise that slides on a rod so the rock is fed exactly true to the blade for the whole slice. If you had a saw with a bigger motor it might be more forgiving but also might bend the blade if it binds. Oh, softer stones will often hand slice easier than hard stones like jasper and agate. Harder stones need less "push" than softer stones, you can push a softer stone into the blade faster than you can with a harder stone, you have to give the blade more time to bite into harder stones. Big saws with power feed vises often have multi speed driven vises so one can adjust feed speed to rock hardness.
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CacklingChick
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2022
Posts: 11
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Post by CacklingChick on Mar 19, 2023 22:55:36 GMT -5
Trim saws are best at sawing slabs which aren't too thick. If you are hand guiding stones into the blade without a vise on a track you have to be very careful to feed rock into blade without any twisting or turning which will cause the blade to bind. Even hand feeding 1/4" thick slabs one has to feed stone very straight or the blade can bind. Some saws have a vise that slides on a rod so the rock is fed exactly true to the blade for the whole slice. If you had a saw with a bigger motor it might be more forgiving but also might bend the blade if it binds. Oh, softer stones will often hand slice easier than hard stones like jasper and agate. Harder stones need less "push" than softer stones, you can push a softer stone into the blade faster than you can with a harder stone, you have to give the blade more time to bite into harder stones. Big saws with power feed vises often have multi speed driven vises so one can adjust feed speed to rock hardness. Wow, very informative. Thanks! So harder stones need less push as they need more time to bite into the rock. How will I know if I'm pushing too much? I don't want to overwork and/or ruin the motor. I've definitely noticed the machine seeming to make a difference noise on rocks taking longer to cut. I immediately assume it's from harder rocks. 🤷🏼♀️
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Post by Rockoonz on Mar 19, 2023 23:57:21 GMT -5
The grinding sound will get louder with harder materials. If you cut lots of stuff near the limit of the saw you might go a little thicker on the blade thickness for your next blade, thin ones can flex inside the cut and bind up easier than a stiffer blade.
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CacklingChick
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2022
Posts: 11
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Post by CacklingChick on Mar 20, 2023 8:40:46 GMT -5
The grinding sound will get louder with harder materials. If you cut lots of stuff near the limit of the saw you might go a little thicker on the blade thickness for your next blade, thin ones can flex inside the cut and bind up easier than a stiffer blade. That's a huge help! Other than the obvious binding that can happen i wonder if there are any motor noises I should be concerned with? When I was cutting the harder rock it almost sounded like it was thumping a little. Thanks!
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