tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Mar 22, 2014 0:11:18 GMT -5
I have a two year old QEP purchased at the Homey Depot....Not the master cut but a more basic version. Decent saw IMHO and blades are relatively inexpensive. The one I have is a standard arbor size, usually get blades at Menards as they are a bit lower on price.
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rocpup
spending too much on rocks
Pink Limb Iris
Member since March 2011
Posts: 465
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Post by rocpup on Mar 22, 2014 8:55:08 GMT -5
John, For speed and cost, I find it hard to beat the old cheapo water cooled tile saw I use. Using cheapo tile saw blades at about $10 each works fine once you are used to it or, you can go for a true lapidary grade blade for smoother, faster cuts still. I get me a nice hot day and set up in the yard and with the tile saw can trim enough preforms for a year in a couple of hours. You can even use the edge of the tile saw bade to grind off the little spurs and such or go closer to the line if you like....Mel What Mel said works great. It seems the people with the bucks try to justify there purchase and have never used a cheapo tile saw. I have trimmed several hundred preforms with my ten inch trim saw long before the cheapo four inch tile saws become available. I bought a plastic base tile saw years ago and for making preforms and it still works well on a $7 blade that lasts a long time. I installed a spray guard in front and I stay dry. I have a seven inch tile saw from Harbor Freight that I have never used because the spray and water does not drain back into the sump and will make a big mess. Do what you must with your budget . Get it done. Don
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jspencer
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2011
Posts: 929
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Post by jspencer on Mar 24, 2014 23:27:05 GMT -5
Check Craigslist John. So many people buy a tile saw and use them to do one room then put it in the garage till the wife says get rid of it. You can find at least 10 of them on any given day here on the list. I paid $50 for a 10" professional tile saw with blade and $20 for a 7" tile saw used once. Then $140 for a 14" Hilquist lapidary saw with blade still in use 3 years later.
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Post by bobby1 on Mar 27, 2014 12:16:10 GMT -5
I've been using a Lortone 8" trim saw with a .025 thick Pro-slicer blade and oil coolant for many years. I don't like the tile saws because the generally available blades are too thick and waste too much material. The Pro-slicer blades are definitely not for slicing through 2" to 4" diameter rocks! Bob
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Post by Tonyterner on Apr 1, 2014 13:32:44 GMT -5
John, we have two 7" Workforce saws, a 6" Lortone trim saw, a 4" HF trim saw, and an MK 4" saw. I do use them all and use water as a coolant. I do the same thing as Mel if I want to sit outside and enjoy the day. The WF can really knockout some preforms. For the shop I prefer the MK as it has very good power for the size. Our HF doesn't get much use since we bought the MK as its a much better saw but I do keep a thin blade on it for cutting things like opal. The Lortone works well but mine is old and needs some work, the belt slips, so I don't use it as much. If I had to buy one saw it would be the WF.
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Post by rockmanken on Apr 4, 2014 12:18:59 GMT -5
We have 2 Workforce (Lowe's) tile saws. The 7" QEP Black Widow blade at Amazon is about $10. They work great. I bought an arbor from Grizzley and built a 'gang' saw. Put 4 of the Black Widow 7" blades on it and used flue tin to make a splash pan and an aquarium pump and hose and made a spitter out of a chunk of brass. Wow! About a 20-30 grit grinder/preformer after it is trimmed to shape. I also have a 10", old, Brad's Rock Shop trim saw used with water for trimming. Use a 10" QEP blade on it. Super.
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herchenx
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2012
Posts: 3,360
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Post by herchenx on Apr 4, 2014 13:41:30 GMT -5
We have 2 Workforce (Lowe's) tile saws. The 7" QEP Black Widow blade at Amazon is about $10. They work great. I bought an arbor from Grizzley and built a 'gang' saw. Put 4 of the Black Widow 7" blades on it and used flue tin to make a splash pan and an aquarium pump and hose and made a spitter out of a chunk of brass. Wow! About a 20-30 grit grinder/preformer after it is trimmed to shape. I also have a 10", old, Brad's Rock Shop trim saw used with water for trimming. Use a 10" QEP blade on it. Super. That is cool. I've thought about trying to make a gangslabber which I was thinking for reducing large chunks but I'd guess it has to be for smaller stones like end cuts, which makes sense. Cool idea, any photos of that guy?
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robertm
off to a rocking start
Member since February 2013
Posts: 18
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Post by robertm on Apr 4, 2014 14:13:43 GMT -5
I do have a cover hinged at the back........not visible in the pic! It runs at about 1400 rpm and, like the tile saws, the blade is a heavy ind type that I use to shape my preforms.
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herchenx
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2012
Posts: 3,360
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Post by herchenx on Apr 4, 2014 14:56:10 GMT -5
I do have a cover hinged at the back........not visible in the pic! It runs at about 1400 rpm and, like the tile saws, the blade is a heavy ind type that I use to shape my preforms. That makes sense. You got a nice machine there robertm
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Post by pauls on Apr 4, 2014 16:04:28 GMT -5
I use proper trim saws at my club and they are not much better than my tile saw. The blades are probably a lot more durable than tile saw blades but you get what you pay for don't you. After getting soaked every time I used it I have changed the way my tile saw works very slightly, I have removed the bung from the bottom of the tray and fitted a drain hose. I drilled a hole in the plastic saw guard and fitted a bit of quarter plastic hose from my water feed tank. So now instead of needing to set up outside I can comfortably saw inside without getting soaked to the bones. I have a bit of vinyl on the bench to make it easy to clean up after.
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Post by johnjsgems on Apr 4, 2014 18:48:53 GMT -5
I'm glad someone else mentioned the MK 4" tile saw. I sell saws but am too cheap to spend much for myself. The MK145 (4" tile saw with MK/BD 4" X .020" 303C) will out perform any trim saw I've ever used. Fast, powerful, not messy if not over filled. Blade height is about 7/8" but even with new math that is taller than the 1/4" slab. With 5500 rpm, 1/2 hp you can run very thin blades (which you can't do with the 7" tile saws) if you have really expensive rough. Cost is pretty good considering the tile blade and 303C blade that comes with it. Noisy motor is biggest negative.
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