[Rockhounds] Color of Minerals (now: need saw blade recommendation)

[Kris Rowe]

Thank you, gentlemen! The MK sounds like the best idea with my "Queen of
Receipts" keeping me real, and perhaps there are properly sized bearings out
there that will fit my saw. It's either a homemade or kit saw, as far as is
detectable to these 50 year old eyes. Greasing the darn thing constantly
won't be a bother, since the "zerts" are vertical, so we'll see. Another
option might be to inquire of MK about the conversion, and see what they
say.
Any thoughts on using a water spray, rather than an immersion well? Pumps
are no problem, we have several from old carpet cleaning rigs, and a three
stage gravity separation filtration system would be easy to fabricate.
Perhaps a well, with this system? Any additional ideas are most appreciated.

In a slightly different direction, has anyone tried using a food grade
dimethicone (silicone) lube with water? I'm familiar with this as a paste
and dilutable liquid, and wonder if this has been tried?

Thans again,
                     Kris

On Wed, Mar 18, 2009 at 9:47 AM, Tim <nospam at orerockon.com> wrote:

> You are right on the money Don. I learned a few years ago that if you ask
> someone who cuts thousands of slabs a year what they use, it's a good idea
> to give it a try. I asked John Richardson (who at the time was probably
> making well in excess of 10,000 cuts a year with his saws) what blades he
> uses and the answer for all blades was MK Diamond
> (http://www.mkdiamond.com/lapidary/bld_00.html); for the 18" he uses only
> the MK-303. I converted one saw to the 303 at that time and have just
> recently converted the other saw as well. John said these blades will
> outlast him and I tend to agree; there is NO visible wear on the blade I
> have been cutting with for 4 years now (I would guess that I make up to
> 1000
> cuts a year on this saw). I know this because I put the old & new blades
> together and the rim looks identical (i.e., is not visibly worn).
>
> The Meteor blades that I replaced were supposed to be the choice of
> lapidaries for a quality blade but in my experience they have all the
> problems you mention, plus one really annoying problem, that is if they are
> used to cut anything softer than agate or jasper, the media rolls over the
> diamond fairly often, which has to be re-exposed by extensive filing and
> hammering and/or by cutting something hard and gritty like a grinding
> wheel.
> MK blades never need to be sharpened AFAIK. A Chinese blade would have been
> long dead by now (I don't care what they say about their wonderful blades).
> Quality control is not the same as the manufacturing process used, using
> the
> correct amount of diamond, the correct media for the diamond, the proper
> steel for the blade, thickness, balance, the list goes on...as with
> everything else, YGWYPF... I have also noticed that the MK blades are
> taking
> over the market for tile and stone cutting (at least among the pros, who
> are
> no doubt sick and tired of blowing out cheap foreign blades).
>
> As for using water in any lapidary saw, I stick with what Lortone says,
> which is that if you use any water in their saws (with or without
> additives)
> you void the their warranty, period, no exceptions, open bearings or not
> (IMO, open bearings could possibly be watertight, if they are designed as
> such (boat trailer bearings, for example), but are probably not watertight
> if they were not designed to be). I have heard many horror stories from
> people who used water, and none from people who had used the lubricants
> these saws were designed to use (this does not include such silly
> lubricants
> as peanut or soybean oil). The sole exception would be saws that were
> designed to cut with water as a lubricant, i.e. tile cutting or stone
> cutting saws, but I know of no lapidary saws of this type (but there may be
> a few out there). Using water in a lapidary saw is akin to saying "screw
> the
> manual, I am using oil in my car other than the type the engine was
> designed
> for" and voiding the warranty or risking serious engine damage (yes I know
> people who have done this and paid a high price for it).
>
> Tim Fisher
> Ore-ROCK-On!
> Email address at http://OreRockOn.com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: rockhounds-bounces at lists.drizzle.com
> [mailto:rockhounds-bounces at lists.drizzle.com] On Behalf Of DonH
> Sent: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 8:21 PM
> To: Rockhounds at drizzle.com: A mailing list for rock and gem collectors
> Subject: Re: [Rockhounds] Color of Minerals (now: need saw blade
> recommendation)
>
> Kris Rowe wrote:
>
> > I'm currently converting an 18" saw from oil lube to water. Thankfully,
> the
> > saw is equipped with greasable bearings, rather than sealed, and can be
> used
> > with water. A full circulation and filtering system is being installed
> and
> > will hopefuly work! (Mumbling my prayers ...)
> > I'd love to get some opinions and recommendations on blades for this saw
> > before spending the precious dollars. What say you, dear list members?
> Buy
> 1
> > top quality (expensive) blade, or start with cheap import blades and
> simply
> > replace more often?
>
>
> Greetings!
>
> First, by way of helping out, notice that I modified the subject.  You
> will definitely find on this list that not everyone reads every thread,
> and if you need help with a specific thing, it's a good idea to post a
> new message with a new subject... in this case, it would have been good
> to say "help needed with 18" saw blades."  There are several people on
> this list who have quite a bit of related experience!  I hope this logic
> makes sense and it is helpful to you in the future.
>
> Now, as far as blades, my experience is limited to 10" and less.
> However, I can say with certainty that I have always received what I
> paid for.  Now, I can't compare dollar-for-dollar and brand-for-brand,
> but in general, as groups, the name brand and more expensive blades
> perform better, last longer, and warp less than the cheaper ones I have
> bought.
>
> However, I can also say that quality control in developing countries
> such as China and India is improving by leaps and bounds.  It may well
> be true to that a Chinese blade of a certain edge style and kerf, though
> costing 1/3 less, may perform as well as one of the big names.
>
> The way to find out is easy, but will take some time.  That is, order an
> economy blade of your choice, perhaps one recommended by another list
> member.  Keep track of how many inches of rock it cuts before you need
> to discard it.  Then do the same by purchasing a more expensive blade.
> Compare the per-inch average cost of each blade.
>
> I cut hundreds of pieces of basalt and granite in the last 3 years,
> using a 5" water-cooled blade, and I chewed through several of them.
> When I bought the more expensive ones, they cut faster, lasted longer,
> and dished less.
>
> As far as converting your saw to water-cooled, others will need to
> advise on that.  All I can say, is be careful.  Also, I know from using
> a few water-cooled saws that it is good to use an anti-rust additive.  I
> also use distilled water, but I developed that habit when I lived in a
> place where the well water was brown and full of flavor.
>
> Good luck,
> Don
>
>
>
>
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