Precise wet disc cutter/tile saw?

[ChrisR]

It won't actually be used for tiles

It's for small bits of stone. If you imagine slicing up geodes & agates, that's the sort of thing.
I'll be using a fine disc designed for the job, 110 to 150mm disc machine would be about the right size.

The specialist "lapidary" machines tend to be still expensive like they were 20 years ago, when tiles saws were also expensive, but the latter have tumbled in price.
Here are some in the US, all Out Of Stock, http://www.therockshed.com/equipment4.html

I'd value something relatively quiet, and very low on vibrations. It would have synchronous motor, not something with a brush/"universal" motor which makes a racket like an electric drill or an angle grinder.
Some apparently spray water all over the place which could be annoying, but I could get over it..
Some have a large slot to allow for 45º cutting - definitely not wanted.
I'll need to make some fences/clamps to hold my stone - some tables would be better for that than others.

Recommendations?
Thanks

 

[ChrisR]

VITREX seems to be the brand of choice used by novice pebble fiddlers.
There's a nice Ameritools machine with a vice which comes to several hundred $ plus vat and shipping.
http://www.kingsleynorth.com/skshop/product.php?id=100664&catID=1036

And there's a similar, bit cruder but more reasonably priced one by Beech.
http://www.ukge.com/en-nz/Lapidary-Diamond-Saws__c-p-0-0-240.aspx

The Vitrex 750 is described as quiet, but the 650 isn't.
Does anyone know if the motors are similar, or have a 650 and can comment?
( have asked them - no reply yet)

The simple, probably adequate but noisy, cheapo option, seems to be Silverline.

And in case anyone asks, no, the minerals having "energy", stuff is all hogwash, imho.

 

[opps]

All of the tile saws that I have used have induction motors and accordingly idle very quietly, that is until you start cutting... The noise is the result of the blade cutting through the tile. (I have never used any of the really cheap machines though).

Expect to get wet, the water helps to prolong the life of the blade by cooling it, that said, some of the newer diamond blades can be used dry.

Another possible option would be to use a radial type saw such as this . The water flies away from you rather than at you. The fact that you are pushing the blade at the stone rather than pushing the stone to the blade may make life easier (or not).

How big are your stones, the above machine is rated at 18mm max depth of cut. I guess that the depth of cut is less important when the item being cut is very short.

Just out of interest, how will you clamp/secure the stone? the more wobble the poorer the quality of cut

 

[ChrisR]

Thanks opps

NB it's 18mm on the "Miter"= mitre! cut, 32mm straight.
That would do.


The slidy clamp on the USA 4" saw (a few $100s, cuts about 35mm) looks like this

$89
page is
HERE

These cheap camera rails have a rack and pinion which can move the head less than a millimetre quite well:
Ebay - pic as attached
Linky

I'd use a finer blade - they go VERY thin but 1mm or so probably OK.

Point taken about the soaking - I think they tend to overdo the water, in case you're cutting monster slabs at high speed.

In the US and Australia, size of rock is governed by what fits on the pickup truck
I'd be thinking of whatever I could attack first with a 9" angle grinder and cut down to an inch or two.
(Have you seen that Husqvarna 16" petrol saw )

So what it boils down to is how much the saw
1) vibrates/ wobbles
2) moves sideways if you have to move it to and fro between cuts (which you would). That makes the overhead rail ones sound less promising, but the Laboratory saws all work that way.

Question then - have you noticed a sideaways "slop" on the cutter?


------------------------
I got a reply from Vitrex. The 650 pro and 750 pro have the same type of motor, the 650 one is 6dB (four times, which isn't as much as it looks) quieter. Their reply said the depth of cut was the same, but I expect the 5mm difference quoted is due to the different table thickness they have. (750 is thicker so may cut less deep)

 

[ChrisR]

Couple of proper ones...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/RayTech-CS-...8802235&pid=100005&rk=2&rkt=6&sd=182076226333

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lapidary-30...226333?hash=item2a6496bb1d:g:jgwAAOSwx-9WzmyZ

 

[opps]

please do let us know what you eventually get, and how it works out. I am sorely tempted to pop in to my local park and try cutting a stone. Sadly, I suspect that picking one up might result in a fixed penalty notice these days.

 

[ChrisR]

You probably have ample specimens already.
Granite is one of the worthwile rocks to cut thin. Being hard helps. It helps if you know your plagioclase from your amphibole, but even quartz, mica and feldspar within it are "interesting". Coarse grained granite setts should be good. Some worktops have flecks of coloured minerals in them - ruby even (Corundum etc really) so I'll try a local slicerman.
The very edge of a thin wedge, polished, ( wet & dry papers, then paste) just about shows effects with crossed polarizers (sunglasses, camera filters, phone plastic cover sheets, etc).
No granite here but try this:
http://olympus.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/virtual/polarizing/index.html

The colours come much the same way as from petrol on water. The reflections from that are from layers around 1 wavelength of light thick.
The waves of light are slowed down, in certain directions in minerals.
When the wave with a phase shift, is seen recombined with the original, different colours get cancelled out (destructive interference) from the ROYGBIV spectrum, and you see the rest. As you rotate the specimen, the colours change. You can measure things and look things up and work out what mineral you're looking at.
If all else fails play with a CD box, and the cellophane they wrap it in.

 

[opps]

Thanks.

How do you polish them once you cut them though?

I don't have the time to find a new "distraction" but it does sound pretty interesting.

As I said, please do update us. I love the fact that that so many people use this forum to impart their knowledge/experiences.

It ranks pretty well on the search engines, hopefully your input will help others.

Regards

Opps

 

[ChrisR]

How do you polish them once you cut them though?

Several ways, but wet & dry paper works. You can get that stuff down to 3000 grit. Then there are many bottled elixirs, but if you think of T-cut or Brasso they're close.
When you get thin, you risk the whole thing washing away. You stop at 30microns, = ~ 1 thou of an inch. (It's glued to a glass slide by then)
Check ebay item 172149758805
Those are all views of a slide which looks colourless in ordinary light.

I'm retired gasman etc, so distract myself teaching free in a local school. Started with GCSE electronics, bits of micro photography, robotics, forensics, and am trying to get them to learn something about household plumbing and electrics, but those are much too hard apparently. Women!