knapper42
starting to shine!
Member since March 2008
Posts: 36
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Post by knapper42 on Jul 28, 2008 10:48:01 GMT -5
I've heard some slabbers are using blades made for cutting granite. They are segmented and lazer welded blades. Anyone know if these blades are any good for cutting material such as agate, jaspers, flints, etc.? An 18" blade cost about $110 which isn't to darn bad Jack
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Post by Woodyrock on Jul 28, 2008 14:58:36 GMT -5
I have been using a granite blade in my twenty inch HP for six months cutting mostly agate. The blade has lost very little in diamond depth in that time, and I have cut a lot of material. The granite blades are wider than a lapidary blade, so need more power to run, and they make much more sludge................thus more often cleaning out. The blades will cut rough for the first few cuts, then settle down to a smooth cut. Compared to a lap blade, they are almost bullet proof. I had a rock fracture, and come apart thus jamming the blade. Before I could get to it the drive belt had melted the motor pully, but blade survived. Woody
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Post by johnjsgems on Jul 28, 2008 17:48:42 GMT -5
The main difference is the hardness of the matrix. Lapidary blades use a softer matrix to more readily expose the diamonds for faster/smoother cuts. Concrete and tile blades are designed with a hard matrix which works fine for the soft materials they are designed for. They also make them thick for durability and kerf thickness is not a concern as even expensive tiles are cheap compared to premium rock. If you can find a concrete blade that works well on rock and can live with the kerf loss you would have a long lasting blade.
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