Need tips on securing rocks in vise

[meviva]

I finally tried cutting a couple of slabs on my new rock saw.  I was really nervous about getting the rock secured in the vise before cutting.  I tried with a couple of whole Rios from Sabre52 but couldn't get them in there tight enough.  I ended up using the slab grabber on a rock that had a cut end and that worked great.  Any advice and pics of how you clamp in a whole/round/odd shaped rock would be great. 

Thanks,
Andrea

[QuailRiver]

A good assortment of small wooden wedges used to stabilize the rocks from slipping
helps a lot.

Larry C.

[Drummond Island Rocks]

small wedges and an assortment of different thicknesses of lumber. If I have a rock that is 3" thick but not very deep then I place a 3" long piece of wood at the other end of the vise to counter it. I think your vise is different then mine but have a variety of shims is the trick for all vises. On another note I will say that those RIO agates are one the rocks I hate to clamp. I cut most of mine with one cut in the center then cleaned them up and glued both halves to a board to slab them. A couple were so bad that I clamped 80 percent of the rock into the saw then just made a cut to take off the end cut then un-clamped it and glued the 80 percent portion to a board. I have never had a rock fall off of a board so any time there is doubt that's my method.

Chuck

[70karmann]

Many many hardwood wedges in various sizes and thickness will work.

[meviva]

Aug 22, 2016 19:03:30 GMT -5 Drummond Island Rocks said:

small wedges and an assortment of different thicknesses of lumber. If I have a rock that is 3" thick but not very deep then I place a 3" long piece of wood at the other end of the vise to counter it. I think your vise is different then mine but have a variety of shims is the trick for all vises. On another note I will say that those RIO agates are one the rocks I hate to clamp. I cut most of mine with one cut in the center then cleaned them up and glued both halves to a board to slab them. A couple were so bad that I clamped 80 percent of the rock into the saw then just made a cut to take off the end cut then un-clamped it and glued the 80 percent portion to a board. I have never had a rock fall off of a board so any time there is doubt that's my method.

Chuck

I have some Elmer's Carpenters Wood Glue Max. Would that work? How long does it have to set up before cutting it? Also, is washing the rock in soap and water good enough to get any oil off that may be on the rock before gluing it?

Thanks,
Andrea

[Drummond Island Rocks]

I have always used regular wood glue (not max). Might be because max is exterior and waterproof which means the end cuts will not come off after soaking in water. I use a generous amount of glue and I never rush the cure time. I always wait a full week before I cut. I use a sharpie and write the date I glued them right on the board to be sure. small rocks like your rio's I put a clamp on but large rocks have enough weight so I just set them on the glued board.

All of my slabs go into a bucket of oil dry to remove standing oil then into a bucket of warm water with dawn dish soap where they get scrubbed with a stiff bristle brush.

FYI - I also have a small squeegee that I use on the slabs while still in the saw so that some oil goes back into the saw and less oil to clean off.





Chuck

[Fossilman]

I use wooden wedges and soft 1x4's (cut) for a better grip on rocks...Works great on thundereggs too... Never a problem....
Gluing cut rocks onto 2x4's is a great way to finish of the rocks too....

[meviva]

Thanks Drummond Island Rocks looks like I need to run to Home Depot or Lowe's. I'm guessing the wood can only be used once for gluing. 

Andrea

[Drummond Island Rocks]

Aug 23, 2016 11:42:01 GMT -5 meviva said:

Thanks Drummond Island Rocks looks like I need to run to Home Depot or Lowe's. I'm guessing the wood can only be used once for gluing. 

Andrea

I do not try to save them. I would not trust glue sticking to wood that has been covered in oil. one 2x4x8 for $3 will get you at least 24 blocks. I cut a whole bunch at one time then keep them in milk crates.

Chuck

[johnjsgems]

An easy geode/nodule holder can be made using 1X3" or 4" scrap wood. Make an open ended rectangle. Place rock in open end and clamp in vise. Cut through wood and rock. Whatever method you use always use both hands and lots of force to see if you can get any movement at all. Don't cut if you can move it in the vise. Also, with clutch not engaged slide rock to blade and see if blade tries to deflect. Better to move cut a little than ruin a blade.

[QuailRiver]

Aug 23, 2016 11:42:01 GMT -5 meviva said:

Thanks Drummond Island Rocks looks like I need to run to Home Depot or Lowe's. I'm guessing the wood can only be used once for gluing. 

Andrea

Yes, once the wood is covered in oil, glue will not adhere well to it again so only use each piece once. To save money if you happen to live in one of those few areas of the country where there's still new home construction going on these days, stop by a job site and ask the job foreman if they mind if you have the cut-offs of any 2x's laying around that they were going to be throwing away. If they've been rained on just make sure they have time to dry out well before you use them.

Larry C.

[captbob]

Aug 23, 2016 11:55:43 GMT -5 Drummond Island Rocks said:

Aug 23, 2016 11:42:01 GMT -5 meviva said:

Thanks Drummond Island Rocks looks like I need to run to Home Depot or Lowe's. I'm guessing the wood can only be used once for gluing. 

Andrea

I do not try to save them. I would not trust glue sticking to wood that has been covered in oil. one 2x4x8 for $3 will get you at least 24 blocks. I cut a whole bunch at one time then keep them in milk crates.

Chuck

Why not glue a rock to each side before it goes in the saw? Or is it not worth the effort just to save a couple bucks?

[Drummond Island Rocks]

Aug 23, 2016 15:49:15 GMT -5 captbob said:

Aug 23, 2016 11:55:43 GMT -5 Drummond Island Rocks said:

I do not try to save them. I would not trust glue sticking to wood that has been covered in oil. one 2x4x8 for $3 will get you at least 24 blocks. I cut a whole bunch at one time then keep them in milk crates.

Chuck

Why not glue a rock to each side before it goes in the saw? Or is it not worth the effort just to save a couple bucks?

I have done that before and with the small RIO nodules I have even glued both rock halves to one side of a 2x4 and cut 2 slabs per cut.

Chuck

[DirtCleaner]

Besides wood shims I use old hockey pucks. That bit of a squish you get sometimes seems to help.

[meviva]

Aug 23, 2016 5:49:13 GMT -5 Drummond Island Rocks said:

All of my slabs go into a bucket of oil dry to remove standing oil then into a bucket of warm water with dawn dish soap where they get scrubbed with a stiff bristle brush.


Chuck

How long do you leave your slabs in the oil dry before washing them?  

[Drummond Island Rocks]

Sept 5, 2016 9:13:52 GMT -5 meviva said:

Aug 23, 2016 5:49:13 GMT -5 Drummond Island Rocks said:

All of my slabs go into a bucket of oil dry to remove standing oil then into a bucket of warm water with dawn dish soap where they get scrubbed with a stiff bristle brush.


Chuck

How long do you leave your slabs in the oil dry before washing them?  

I am not very patient and many times I go from the slab saw to dopping and cabbing right away so I have a bucket full of oil-dri that I drop the slab onto then I basically push down on it while moving it back and forth between 10 and 20 times per side. The bucket of hot water and dawn dish soap sits right there and they get scrubbed in that with a stiff bristle brush on top, bottom and sides. I can dop with wax right after the wash and never have any fall off.

Funny that you asked that right now. I have been slabbing all day today.

Chuck

[meviva]

Thanks Drummond Island Rocks  I could have sworn I read that somewhere on here that someone else keeps them in the oil-dri/cat litter for 2 weeks...I've been keeping them in overnight but wasn't sure if that was long enough. 

Andrea

[victor1941]

Meviva, I will give you another method that does secure irregular shaped rocks securely for easy cutting. I use Loctite Fast Grab Premium PL 8X adhesive to secure irregular stones to 2x2, 2x4, and 4x4 inch blocks of wood that are then placed in the vise. I place a pad of adhesive on both the rock and wood and mash together while also positioning. Make sure the adhesive is smeared on both pieces for good bonding. I soak the remaining slab/wood in water with liquid dish washing soap until the slab comes off. I then use sodium silicate to attach the remaining piece to wood if the material is good.

[Peruano]

A 24 hr cure is adequate for any wood glue Ive used to hold rocks on stubs.
I got tired of soaking rocks to get the last piece (slab) off and thus I cut as close as possible to the rock slab with a hack saw. this leaves a thin layer of wood and glue through which the water will soak in an hour or overnight for sure. Glue once wet comes off easily, but a thick layer of wood keeps the wood away from the glue when you try to soak the whole stub.
I reuse my stubs (2x2s or other scraps) all the time. I merely use my chop saw or my table saw to slice off a thin scrap Or to even up the end that is now longer even because of my hacksaw extraction, and that fresh cut on the big piece is my next glue surface. Some stub links have been through the cycle several times and no problem of glue not adhering to a freshly sawn surface.

A few hours in oil dri (cat litter like) is plenty to remove 90% of mineral oil and then a quick rinse in soapy water gets the rest. If I'm in a hurry, I skip the kitty litter, but that means I change my soapy water much more frequently.

[Deleted]

At class I go from saw to oil dry. Manually scrub oil dry on the slab until the surface of the slab is dusty with dry clay. then into a bucket of simple green water mix. Then dry and u are ready to do whatever it is you wanna do.

5 minutes.

Home? I have slabs in oil dry for over a year now...