Will I lose fingers?

[Steve1236]

I bought a diamondback 10 inch wet tile saw and I need someone's help on if I bought the right kind of blade, I would really like not to lose any fingers? Also what about agates with a crack, is it still safe to cut or very dangerous? Any help from someone who slabs would be much appreciated, thanks.

Steve.

 

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[islamoradamark]

Add water it will cut hard stone and granite go slow you wont cut any fingers.

 

[smokeythecat]

What islamoradamark said, go slow, don't run out of water on the saw. I have a small one and never had a problem with it.

 

[Steve1236]

Thanks guys, just had to check, I watched a YouTube video and the guy was actually tapping the blade with his finger to show even if you accidentally nick your finger your all good, all I heard him say was diamond continuous blade but he didn't mention a brand or if it were a special blade for rock cutting, these saws are kind of intimidating and loud, I've never used one before so I really appreciate the help! What about if you find something you really want to cut but it has a crack, I find those all the time lol but walk away or will I be ok?

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

You could use resin to fill crack, then cut. That is what I would do, please if this is a bad idea someone speak up, I am just giving an idea not sure if it will work.

 

[Steve1236]

Thanks back-of-the-boat, that seams like a lot of work for agate I'll probably just stay away from the cracked ones, it's just sometimes I find really translucent agate with really cool inclusions that has some cracks but areas big enough for cabochons so that's why I ask, I was hoping I could cut them safely and worst case scenario maybe it just breaks but isn't dangerous I was hoping, I don't mind getting hit and it stings but a shark piece of quartz going real fast I'm thinking would do worse than just sting me, especially if it hit me in the neck lol, another problem is sometimes I find cool agate that's encrusted with host and I cant see if it has cracks. If anyone else has cut agate that didn't notice a crack let me know what happened...please, I'm setting it up and cutting tomorrow. Thanks,

Steve.

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

Please make sure to wear some safety equipment. Then show us some pictures of your cabochons.

 

[Steve1236]

For sure, I got a 3m ventilator and safety goggles.

 

[gunsil]

Well, if you have fun with the tile saw, get yourself up to the big gem and rock meet in Quartzite, AZ that runs the whole month of January with the most attendance the first couple of weeks. Rockhound Paradise!! LOTs of good used lapidary equipment for sale there most years. Often a couple hundred will get you a real 10" lapidary saw with auto feed and a hood to keep the oil spray off. They are really nice since it is easy to make multiple perfectly parallel slices from a stone. (oil is a much better cutting agent than water) Most use mineral oil in them, water is usually reserved for softer stones that would absorb the oil. You can cut the cracked agates safely if you just go real slow to a crack, then tap it to see if it is weak and falls off. If you are finding larger size agates with cracks just whack them with a hammer so they break along the cracks and cut the remaining solid pieces. If you are finding quality agates in quantity you could probably sell them at Quartzite and pay for a saw and maybe a used professional grade grinding/polishing machine. If you like rocks and cutting them you will love Quartzite if you have never been. Tuscon of course has a bigger show but more rough material and used equipment seems to show up at Quartzite.

 

[DDancer]

I'll second gunsil. Qaurtzite's swap meet is definitely a great place for all the reasons stated and its just down the road from ya Steve. Even if you dont go in January during the winter there are still plenty of cutters and collectors/sellers there most of the time. Used to be an all winter event until about 10 years ago but there are plenty of cool people who will talk to ya and even show ya a thing or two.

 

[Steve1236]

Great information, thanks gunsil and DDancer, I feel better knowing I'll be keeping my fingers, I looked all around online and even used 10inch lapidary saws were a 1000 or more, I payed 460$ total with tax and a years warranty plus three months that already comes with it so 15month warranty basically, maybe I can return it in a few months if I take good care of it idk, it does bum me out though knowing I could have gotten the real deal cheaper at Quartzite and not have to worry about straight cuts or injuries as much, as Frank says "that's life". Thank you again everyone.

Steve.

 

[gunsil]

Steve, you are in a good area for used lapidary gear. Craigslist and ebay are good places to look. I got a nice condition 14" original Highland Park saw on ebay for $450 and a fine condition 18" Raytech saw for $750 on craigslist. I think one of my 10" saws with feed and hood was $350 on ebay. Anybody can sell at Quartzite so if you were to go up there in Jan. with a few five gallon buckets of nice agates and stay for a few days, especially weekends, you might do well. I'm surprised you only found used 10" saws at a grand, that is close to new price. By the way, never try to touch a spinning notched diamond saw blade, they will eat you up but the continuous rim blades will not hurt you.

 

[Steve1236]

Thanks gunsil, I only have that one blade that says continous diamond so I'm using the correct blade right? I got it all set up except the water but I have to admit I'm still kind of scared lol

 

[smokeythecat]

Wear eye protection and a mask designed to keep particulate matter out. Even though you are running it in water, dust particles or mud, whichever, can get into your lungs and cause silicosis, which will get you. Takes awhile and a lot of cutting, but still, it can be avoided.

 

[Steve1236]

I got the right mask, the mask itself I got on Ebay so it's probably made somewhere with lax standards but the filters I picked up at homedepot so I should be good. It got hot out so I'm gonna actually start it up in the morning, yeah yeah chicken I know lol but I'll get cutting tomorrow morning, I'll post some cuts when I'm done. smokeythecat thanks for the warning though, it's good when you and others speak up before someone hurts themselves, it's nice to see some people still care about others well being. Appreciate ya

 

[gunsil]

Don't worry about that continuous rim blade, it will not bite you unless you punch it or something. When it is running good annd wet slowly touch the front of your finger to it, when you prove to yourself it won't cut you you will feel a lot more confident using it. Dry it will possibly cut you, wet it won't unless you slip and really hit it. My 6" trim saw is hand fed and I have the rpms up on it and it doesn't bite with normal use. That mask will work just fine. Cut some rocks, have some fun!!

 

[smokeythecat]

One last thought, plug it into a ground fault circuit. Water and electricity mix well. I've had one for years, a smaller size, no issues ever. When done make sure all the water and sludge are out of the machine and oil the blade with something like WD40 or remove it and oil it. I left one in water too long at it was destroyed. Too long was defined as months.

 

[Steve1236]

I practiced on two stones I didn't care if I messed up, my knees are killing me so I really need a stand but I wanted to show I didn't chicken out lol...oh and thank you again everyone.

 

[KbNeurobotX]

I use a plain old tile saw (rigid) with much smaller circumference of blades. It has its own water tank that wets the blade, but we have used it on everything from corundum to Amazonite to tiger eye and labradorite.. even a small geode with calcite. It is my understanding that you can actually touch the blade with fingers and not get cut! (I haven’t tested but there are lots of videos online). Use protective eyewear or at least wear glasses, though. Sometimes you get a piece that has inclusions (cracks) that you wont see until you start cutting and then pieces fly off. Also things like labradorite or moonstone (feldspar) that have distinct cleavage planes - pieces can leave off and go flying. I just wear my glasses and it’s fine.

The one complaint I have personally is that the blade is pretty thick.. so I can’t cut a smaller stone into segments without risking wasting some stone (about 1/8”). This is a thing for me because I’m making jewelry with it. When you have a 20 carat potentially star sapphire and you have rounded it to find the star orientation, typically you would halve that to make 2 reasonable star cabs. If you are losing 1/8” of that you are potentially losing carats, but also losing depth of the dome (which can diminish the clarity of the star).

(Of course right now I’m just trying to get some experienced input before cutting it - I’d rather sacrifice half and still have a decent one than to just start cabbing and risk ruining the whole stone if I’m wrong 🤷*♀️

Eventually I feel I will need to get a more precision band-style slab saw. For now I’m just flipping a coin (metaphorically) and grinding away what I perceive to be the less desirable half.. 😖

 

[Steve1236]

Thank you for the info on what happens with a crack in the stone, calmes me a bit about it now. I have an idea for that sapphire, I've cut fire agate with a dremel and got pretty good at carving but to be honest the time it takes to finish a stone it's not worth the effort but I use these blades to cut through the host rock or chalcedony quickly, if you have a dremel you can get these blades and then clamp the dremel and cut it, the blades are pretty cheap on Ebay, again thanks for the info.