RockingRuralMo
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2022
Posts: 130
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Post by RockingRuralMo on Apr 22, 2023 10:48:52 GMT -5
I have 3 saws.
It seems (to me at least) like I'm pretty spoiled for saws. But I'm still coveting a 10-12 inch slab saw with a thinline because of slabette cuts. (and there's a loretone one for sale in my area for under $700 so that's probably not helping...)
I have some small pieces of nicer material (a really vibrant mexican lace, a small charoite, some really nice lapis lazuli, a piece of shattuckite that's sentimental because a friend gifted it, etc.) that I want to cut into slabettes without a lot of material loss, but it's all languishing on the shelf while I wring my hands over the waste or miscut issue.
The 4/5 inch trim saw seems like the best choice, but there is no vice for that saw, so I'm cutting by hand, and the super thin blade drifts badly so I end up with really poor consistency. It's fine for trimming, but it doesn't micro-slab very evenly.
The tile saw has been great for cutting up pet wood, jasper, and other less valuable stuff, but I use it less and less since I got the slab saw and it has a heavy, thick blade that I'd hate to use on my good stuff.
And the slab saw is so big and clunky I feel like I'm wasting all of my nice material (and swatting flies with a baseball bat) to use it to slab 3-4 ounce pieces.
I'm not that experienced, so I'm probably missing my best options. How would you experienced folks approach that particular job with this particular equipment? Are there better blade options for the tile or trim saw that could help? Or is there a way to construct a vice for the tiny hi tech?
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Mark K
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2012
Posts: 2,764
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Post by Mark K on Apr 22, 2023 11:41:50 GMT -5
I assume you are in MO. If you were not so far away I would let you use one of my multiple saws that would fit the bill perfectly.
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RockingRuralMo
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2022
Posts: 130
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Post by RockingRuralMo on Apr 22, 2023 12:16:40 GMT -5
I assume you are in MO. If you were not so far away I would let you use one of my multiple saws that would fit the bill perfectly. That's very kind of you. Lapidaries have been really generous and helpful. Unfortunately there aren't a lot of local ones. Missouri doesn't have the kind of rocks that inspire a lot of lapidaries apparently. I was lucky to find my slab saw and drove 3.5 hours into Kansas to get it. Local equipment is nearly non-existent. Maybe I need to consider that what I'd spend on another saw is probably way more than what I'd lose on my raw material with a thicker kerf. (but who wants to think like that?)
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Apr 29, 2023 18:21:03 GMT -5
THere are some pretty thin kerf tile saw blades out there. I use a a paper thin blade on my 4" as all my valuable rough is very small and the 4 inch handles it.
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Post by liveoak on Apr 30, 2023 7:04:34 GMT -5
I have a 7" tile saw & a 10" MK Rock Saw .
My 10" is my go to, but I know what you mean about wanting something more delicate.
It was recommended on here & is pretty thin.
It's definitely not as solid as cutting on my 10" saw, BUT it's do-able for smaller stuff.
Patty
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Post by Peruano on Apr 30, 2023 7:42:51 GMT -5
First for blade drift. The side of the blade, not the edge, is relatively smooth and a gentle pressure from your finger can keep the blade from drifting to the side. Literally I have a hand position so I can have the rock in both hands and still extend my index finger to the side of the blade to stabilize it. If you are willing to push the stone with one hand, you can do the blade stabilization with a wooden dowel or In terms of keeping your material as even as possible you can use your rocks glued onto 2x2 stubs. Because they are flat they can be slid on your saw table and will insure a vertical cut face. For the other dimension, thickness, you can try to use a fence by clamping a guide parallel to the saw blade but this is a more tenuous issue because your trimmed slabette can become wedged between the fence and the blade unless all is perfect. Making your fence as low as possible helps to a certain extent. The real precise way to avoid the wedged fence issue is to guide your work with the other end of the wooden stub and run it against the fence on the other side of the table, but the setup for every slice would consume time (but maybe some of us have lots of time for special tasks). If the slot in you saw table is a bit wide, a thin slice will sometimes try to drop into, wedge in, or lock up the saw in the slot. To adjust for that, take an old thin plastic kitchen cutting board and run it part way through your saw to cut a slot that is much narrower and wont interfere with your blade even if you occasionally rub it and enlarge your slot. Any old piece of plastic will work for this. I know we talk about stubs glued to rocks with carpenters glue, but I will try to add a photo of some examples from my work bench. 20230310_102725 by Thomas Fritts, on Flickr The key would be to be sure that the stone did not protrude below the edge of the stub that will slide on the saw table. Some of these (the three on the left probably) might work by being flush with the edge or away from it. They were glued up for my slab saw vice and not the slide operation on the trim saw. The last slice can be soaked of with water (overnight), but soaking is fastest and most effective if the stub is sawed off leaving only a thin layer of wood for the water to penetrate.
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