LAPIDARY SAW EQUIPMENT BASIC USE AND MAINTENANCE.
Proper use and maintenance of lapidary equipment can
increase the safety of users and the life span of the equipment, and of
supply’s (belts, saw blades, grinding wheels and such). It can also decrease
injuries, equipment failure, nonproductive time, and operations cost.
Disclaimer, this is a basic general guide always refer to
the manufacture’s operation and maintenance manual and follow all recommended
personal safety precautions, maintenance and operation, as stated with in the
manufactures owner’s manual. This is for information purposes only and we are
not responsible for anything you do with your equipment.
Trim Saws & Use
Trim saws are used for trimming slabs that have been
typically marked as an oval or other shape as chosen, then excess material is
trimmed off. This material is trimmed off to reduce the time to grind the
desired shape that was marked on the stone. Trim saws often use water to cool
the blade, sometimes oil may be used. Due to the hands-on use of a trim saw, oil
is too messy and should be avoided. (do not work around oil without eye
protection and respirator, also be aware of spark and fire danger!)
Always make sure you have water in the saw basin. Make sure
to turn the saw on to check that water is dripping off of the blade before cutting
any rock, you want to see a light stream of water coming off of the blade, this
will keep the rock and the blade cool as well as clean the blade and the rock
of cut material bits.
Pushing hard on the blade wears the blade down faster, it
causes the diamond solder to be removed prematurely as you create more fiction
and heat. Listen to your blade, it should be a light sound, if you hear it get
louder and see the blade slow down you are damaging your blade and pushing too
hard, let the blade do the work.
When you’re done, keep any bits that you can use on other
projects and dispose of the rest. Rinse and clean the deck or top of the unit.
Replace the water if it is becoming cloudy. If you are using an additive such
as a cutting fluid you can drain into a bucket with a cheese cloth on top, it
can be attached with wire, a bungee, or you can cut out a lid and use that to
hold the cloth on place. Another method is to just let the bucket settle for a
while and pour the cleaner water off the top. Always drain your saw basins and
dry the blade when you are done for the night, in fact if the top lifts dry the
saw and basin. Leaving water in overnight will cause your saw to rust and
shorten its life.
Larger saws
Larger saws are for cutting rocks into slabs, and for cutting
rocks into other basic shapes for the desired project.
Make sure the basin has the proper level of water, or oil.
The blade should be dripping with oil as you turn it, and the bottom of the blade should be in the oil or water, add as needed if it is low. If your saw also has
oil distribution pump, check to see that it is operating and adjust as needed
after your rock is securely in place. Remember to use gloves eye and
respiratory protection, also its good to have some oil clean up material
available in case of a drip or spill.
When placing your rock in the vice to be cut be sure your
rock will stick out from the vice, and make sure your vice will not be cut by
the saw blade. Every saw is different but with my 24” saw four turns of the
vice knob is about a ¼”. Make sure the rock will safely stick out for the
number of slabs you wish to cut.
It’s good to have a variety of wood wedges and sizes to make
a good contact between the saws vice and the rock to be cut. Carefully place shims as needed around your rock so the vice is
touching several areas. Rocks need at least 3 good contact points on each side
of the vice. As you tighten the vise, pull the rock vigorously to make sure its
tight and will not move. Be safe and go back and tighten the vice after this test
one more time. If a rock slips it can and likely will destroy your blade, large
saw blades are several hundred dollars to replace. A rock slipping could cause
serious damage to the safety of anyone in the area as well.
Make sure the blade is not touching the rock before you
start the unit pull the rock back and turn the blade to ensure its free and not
touching. Recheck for each new slab or cut.
Stay with the saw as its cutting. If the rock slips or the
saw jams you may be able to reduce the damage by shutting off the unit as soon
as something sounds or goes wrong.
When you are done throw away the rock bits that are unwanted
and save those that can be used. I find that kitty litter in a bucket is a
great place to put fresh cut pieces to help remove the oil. You may want to
wash your slabs and cut material in a bucket, so you do not damage or scratch
your sink. Simple green works well for this.
Belt speeds should be set to the slower speeds in most
cases, especially for harder materials and the blade will last longer.
Specialty Saws
Drop saws are great for cutting your rock into thicker block
type shapes as for book ends, or spheres. They follow the same basic guide as
the larger saws.
A Rock Rascal or thin blade trim Saw is usually for cutting
Turquoise or other more valuable materials, follows the guide for the trim saw,
however these blades will bend or warp or get damaged very easy, so a soft
touch is mandatory.
We hope this general guide will help you to be safe and
thrifty in your lapidary cutting!
Please let us know if you would like us to add any of your
ideas to this article.
Our Podcast look up Radical Rocks. YouTube and social Media look up Radical Rocks. All Links below
Check out the podcast at https://anchor.fm/shane495 Radical Rocks can be found on most podcast apps.
Thank you
Comments
Post a Comment
Thank you for your comment. I will review content for spam and such.