Rock saw advice

[Twitch]

I've been collecting rocks for several decades and would like to start cutting some of them if I can. I figured if I got a tile saw from Lowe's or Home Depot I'd be able to cut them but they only would be able to cut stones less than 2". Today the family and I went out and found quite a few baseball to softball sized quartz or chalcedony geodes. My boys hammered a few of them open but I'd really like to actually cut them open. I know these are fairly large and that they're a very hard stone - that being said, what advice can you guys offer as where I can find a saw capable of cutting these in half / into slabs.

Thanks for the advice. I'm in the STL area if that matters.

 

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[stdenis_jd]

I'm very interested in getting into lapidary a bit, so I've been doing a ton of research. Do yourself a favor and look for a good deal on a combo trim saw/grinding wheel. I've seen quite a few online for sale, 7-10" trim saw plus an arbor with anywhere from 1-4 wheel attachments (I hear it takes a lot of time to change out grit wheels so I think its worth a little extra $).

Any rock you want to cut bigger than 4-5" in diameter will likely require a slab saw and you would be lucky to find a 14" slabber for anywhere near $1,000. The trim/arbor combos you can find for as little as $500 or so but you can get a pretty good one for 750-1,000

 

[old digger]

I bought a tile/brick saw from Harbor Freight and it does a pretty good job of cutting other materials, but you have to remember that it takes a little longer to cut. Most rocks are harder than your normal brick.

 

[austin]

Should be a rock and mineral/fossil shop somewhere around you. Give them a call or better yet, visit. They can fully answer your questions and may even help you get a good used one...

 

[Twitch]

Thanks for the advice and info everyone. I found a St Louis rock and mineral club that meets once a month. I'm going to bring a handful of specimens to the next meeting and see where that leads me. I'll post some pic's later if it's a productive path.

 

[meMiner]

Great advise on this thread. Some of the mineral or gem clubs have tools that you can use and for that reason alone are worth joining (not to mention the great people you will meet).

However, for quick and dirty (and cheap) cutting, a tile saw will work. They do have a rock size limitation, depending on the design. It does waste some material due to the thickness of the blade. I have never met a rock (yet) that my saw won't cut, including ones containing silver or nickel. One thing to consider is many people buy a tile saw for one home reno job and never intend to use it again. As such, there are a ton of nice ones for sale used.

 

[hvacker]

I've been using a 10 inch tile saw with a very thin diamond blade. The blade was bought from a lapidary supplier. I built several types of rock vices. To cool the cut I use an emulsion I buy from NAPA. It's diluted with water and is normally used to machine engines. I mix about 20 to 1. I made a gravity powered feed to propel the saw's sled.
I have no real problems with the setup. It's a lot of fun.

 

[Twitch]

Freakin' awesome! The wife bought me a 10" tile saw for my birthday. I didn't know how well it would work. I started with a fossil filled limestone slab figuring it was soft and would cut easily - it did. Ripped through it like it was wood. Then went to a quartz geode, a little slower than limestone but I can believe how easily it cut through it. We're going to cut up a ton of rocks tomorrow.

hvacker - you don't have a photo of your rock vice you could share?

Thanks.

 

[meMiner]

One tip is to change your water frequently, especially before cutting a nice stone. Nothing is worse than the pump clogging up half way through a cut. Some of the dirt is like a thick paste and can stop the impeller or fill the hose quickly. Also, a 10" is better than a 7" (no matter what people say ... LOL). The blade lasts longer and you don't end up getting jammed under the tile saw arm on a high rock.

Here is a video I posted earlier in the year using a 7" tile saw (yeah, yeah - LOL) to cut a slice of rock containing native silver:

I was wearing a GoPro camera, so did not get great close ups of the results, but you can see it went through the material like butter.

 

[Jenks Oklahoma]

I've been looking to purchase equipment as well but to get everything I want it's going to be expensive. I was looking for used equipment locally and found a rock hoarding group that has all the equipment, to used the laboratory it's $1.00 per piece on large saw. Also a $10 or $12 membership.

I've decided to start at the laboratory with practically no investment, check around your area could have similarlar resources available.

 

[hvacker]

I've been looking to purchase equipment as well but to get everything I want it's going to be expensive. I was looking for used equipment locally and found a rock hoarding group that has all the equipment, to used the laboratory it's $1.00 per piece on large saw. Also a $10 or $12 membership.

I've decided to start at the laboratory with practically no investment, check around your area could have similarlar resources available.

Good choice. The members will also have experience that would normally take a long time to learn on your own.

 

[hairygeodes]

I've been looking to purchase equipment as well but to get everything I want it's going to be expensive. I was looking for used equipment locally and found a rock hoarding group that has all the equipment, to used the laboratory it's $1.00 per piece on large saw. Also a $10 or $12 membership.

I've decided to start at the laboratory with practically no investment, check around your area could have similarlar resources available.

I am actually in Tulsa area and would LOVE to know where you have been going! I just got back from Oregon and have a bunch of rocks I need to cut open

 

[Jenks Oklahoma]

FYI the website isn't updated regularly they are working on this, hope this helps.


Welcome to the TRMS Workshop!
Established in 2007, the TRMS Workshop at Oral Roberts University officially opened in February of 2008. In conjunction with ORU's Elsing Museum, TRMS has dedicated time and effort to provide a host of opportunities to our members and to students of Geology and Earth Sciences at ORU. With the aid of Roger Bush, curator of the Elsing Museum, space has been dedicated to this ongoing endeavor near the Museum in the Learning Resources Center on the ORU campus. A suite of four rooms has been set aside for this purpose, and has been equipped with the necessary utilities to support the workshop environment.
2015 Shop Committee Chairman: Paulino Allande

TRMS and ORU Joint Lapidary Workshop Schedule This schedule is effective until further notice.
Lapidary WorkshopPlease call the shop supervisor for that session, at least 24 hours in advance, to confirm that you plan to attend: Paulino Allande, Shop Foreman, 918- 834-3405.
Note the change in Saturday shop hours, ending at 5 p.m. instead of 7 p.m.
First Saturday-- 1 p.m –5 p.m. Wayne Mouser (918-582-8700)
Third Tuesday-- 5:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Third Saturday -- 1 p.m. -5 p.m. Contact Leon Reeder (918-346-7299)
Directions: The workshop is located next to Elsing Museum in the lower level of the Learning Resource Center at Oral Roberts University, 81st and Lewis. Enter from the 81st stop light and take the first right turn, just after the guard shack. Across from the baseball stadium, drive into the parking lot of the Learning Resource Center and follow the path to the LRC north entrance. Go down on the handicapped ramp on the right of the steps, or use the lower set of stairs and hit the Handicapped Entry button for access. Inside, follow signs to Elsing Museum which will be one more flight down stairs. At Elsing Museum, go left down the hall to the shop.
Faceting Classes January 2015
Faceting Classes will be held at Elmer Kitchell’s shop on the second and fourth Saturday from 1 p.m. until 7 p.m. The address is 6545 E. 11th St., one blockeast of Sheridan on 11th. The building is turquoise green. Please enter via the side door. The phone number to schedule your session is 918-836-0341.

The shop will be under supervision at these times and open for club members. You must be a member of TRMS or student at ORU to use this facility. Others will be furnished with a membership application and dues may be paid at the shop. Such parties will be eligible to use the facility immediately upon payment of dues and are subject to all provisions of shop usage, including signing a liability waiver to be kept on file. Each member will be instructed on the basics of machine use and safety and is expected to follow all safety guidelines and utilize common sense while engaging in lapidary activities.
Necessary safety equipment will be provided and must remain at the facility. Further, the shop will be available to ORU Geology and Earth Science students under the supervision of Roger Bush or a qualified individual. Each person using the facility will be required to have a signed waiver of liability on file at the shop. You will be given an ID card that you must have on your person when using shop facilities. Shop facilities may only be accessed by authorized individuals designated by TRMS and ORU personnel. An authorized shop steward must be present when shop facilities are in use.
If you are interested in using the shop facility on one of these scheduled evenings: You need to contact the shop attendant of record for that evening at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled evening and let them know that you will be there. Shop attendants are volunteers, and as such are not compensated for time or expenses.


​

 

[gunsil]

You all rockhounds need to watch ebay and craigslist for used lapidary gear. I got a gorgeous 14" Highland Park saw for $400 on ebay with a hundred bucks shipping, got an 18" Raytech saw at an estate sale for $700. Got a sweet Baranca 10" saw with power feed and fine blade on ebay for three hundred. I have also found great deals on grinder/polisher units in fine used condition. I run used ATF transmission oil in my 14" saw, it can usually be obtained for free from automotive repair shops.

 

[DDancer]

Thanks for the update on this thread

 

[meMiner]

Here is another video of cutting some rocks with a tile saw. I got talked into the wrong blade, so learn from my experience...

 

[meMiner]

A really quick video of some small rocks that got sliced that have silver.

 

[DDancer]

Good stuff Placer I was chuckling a little when I saw the new blade and pretty much guessed the problem you had with it before ya described it. Chop blades like that are good for dropping down on the stone instead of feeding in like you demonstrate. The catching you experience at the end of the cut is just like a wood cut with to coarse a blade. Even dropping the blade will result in jagging at the end of the cut on the bottom front and back sides but it'll be less likely to kick the work and should minimize chunking big bits out. Same things happen in wood work. Your getting some nice cuts there however and it does not look like you will have to do alot of polishing.

 

[hvacker]

Freakin' awesome! The wife bought me a 10" tile saw for my birthday. I didn't know how well it would work. I started with a fossil filled limestone slab figuring it was soft and would cut easily - it did. Ripped through it like it was wood. Then went to a quartz geode, a little slower than limestone but I can believe how easily it cut through it. We're going to cut up a ton of rocks tomorrow.

hvacker - you don't have a photo of your rock vice you could share?







Thanks.

I just had a chance to take a photo of those vices I made except the vice grip one, That screws into the saw sled.

 

[formosa]

I've been using a 10 inch tile saw with a very thin diamond blade. The blade was bought from a lapidary supplier. I built several types of rock vices. To cool the cut I use an emulsion I buy from NAPA. It's diluted with water and is normally used to machine engines. I mix about 20 to 1. I made a gravity powered feed to propel the saw's sled.
I have no real problems with the setup. It's a lot of fun.

we did similar things when i was younger with my father. as i recall we just wired a small sledge hammer to put some pressure on it and left it to cut large rocks (15cm) over a few hours. we left a hose on low to keep it cool. we also cut geodes with it, and the finish was fine. my impression at the time was the blade was far more important than the machine spinning it.