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Post by 150FromFundy on Apr 9, 2009 16:16:38 GMT -5
I've been having a lot of fun with my 7" wet tile saw, so needless to say, I'm always shopping for cheap replacement blades. Three questions. Maybe someone can shed some light.
Q1 - Price Range I have seen 7" continuous rim wet tile saw blades ranging from $20 to $60. Other than blade thickness (which doesn't concern me) is there a difference?
Q2 - Wet Verses Dry Blade I have always bought "Wet" tile saw blades, but today found an affordable "Dry Cut" blade that I intend to use as a wet blade. There is no visible difference from the wet blade. Am I setting myself up for disaster? I can return the blade, or simply give it a try and see how it goes.
Q3 - Continuous Rim verses Others I have seen some affordable blades that are not "continuous rim". The blades are somewhat serrated. Are these blades an option?
Thanks for any input from the group. It will definitely help me, and I'm sure some others may have the same questions.
150FromFundy
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Post by johnjsgems on Apr 9, 2009 21:08:22 GMT -5
Dry should be a plus because the bond has to be better to withstand the heat. The "dry" grinders I use on my wet polisher seem to last forever wet. Price is a function f how much diamond and how hard or soft the matrix is. Tiles are soft so the cheapest of lades will probably work. You should probably try buying up the ladder until you find one that works for you. The only 7" tile blade I've ever tried is one of those very high end ones. It cut like a lapidary blade only faster since saw speed was 5500 rpm. Most of the cheaper tile blades make better grinders than saws.
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docharber
has rocks in the head
Member since October 2008
Posts: 693
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Post by docharber on Apr 10, 2009 21:24:37 GMT -5
If you look back on Bikerrandy's podts for "Attention 10" saw owners" he gave a link several of us used to buy MK diamond "hot Dog" blades. i got 3 7" blades for $82 with shipping. Can't beat these for the price. the notched rim blades and thicker rim blades tend to vibrate a lot more and chip more. Continuous rim blades also help minimize chipping. The Hot Dog and some others have expansion slots but they are considered continuous rim. I recently had an experience with concerete glades that were so rough they cracked material being slabbed and chipped terribly. I had to hiold the material very firmly to feed it which resulted in more pressure and decreased blade life. Smoother is definitely better, and thin rim blades seem a lot smoother. I wouldn't try cutting dry. You don't want to breath silica dust from the rocks. The point about the bond being stronger in dry cutting blades is probably valid. There's no reason you couldn't use a dry blade wet I can think of. I suspect thqt most of these are for concrete and masonry, which are relatively soft. The diamond is probably coarse as the blade would clog very fast with finer abrasive. That means more vibration, and probably not as smooth a finish. i really don't think you can do better than the MK Hot Dog on your tile saw.
Mark H.
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Post by johnjsgems on Apr 10, 2009 22:34:09 GMT -5
The dry blades can be used in countertop and floor tile work in houses or other locations where water would be a problem. Definitely don't cut silica based rocks dry. The lazer cuts are mainly for cooling since blades are used with water in high speed saws.
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Post by catmandewe on Apr 11, 2009 19:13:57 GMT -5
I was looking for a bunch of diamond blades to bolt together to make a super grinder, and I ran across this auction on ebay cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=360096841114I got them today and he sent me ten 7" Work Force blades for about 45 bucks which included shipping. These blades are kind of thick, but they would do if you weren't worried about losing material, or if you wanted to do some shaping on the tile saw. I think they will be perfect for the super grinder application, and it is hard to beat the price. Tony
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docharber
has rocks in the head
Member since October 2008
Posts: 693
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Post by docharber on Apr 11, 2009 22:53:09 GMT -5
I don't think the laser-cut slots don't help cooling much, but they allow the blade edge to expand when hot without warping out of shaope. That's why woodworking blades have expansion slots of a similar nature. Mark H.
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