using tile cutter wet saw for slabbing petrified wood?

mamabear · May 14, 2014

A friend suggested I look into using a wet saw for tile & equip it with a diamond blade. Would there be enough rpm to make it work, or would it burn out motor? It's her saw & I don't want to ruin it. Thanks

Eu_citzen · May 14, 2014

It works for sure. Just go slow and don't cut to large stones on it. I mean go slow as in letting the saw do the cutting without pushing it to hard.

Oh and do use plenty of water!

mamabear · May 14, 2014

Yay! but what is too big EU?
Oh & I hope my pudgy little hands aren't too offensive.; )

hvacker · May 14, 2014

I just started using my 10" tile saw for experimenting cutting. Keeping a rock stable seems to be the largest challenge. Use a rock vise if needed for straighter cuts. They are fairly cheap as are thin kerf blades. I started to break the surface tension of the water with some dish washer rinse. It makes water wetter.
You won't damage the saw. Any thing large is better done with a slab saw though. There is a place in town that has an 18" oil saw and I hear it's not too expensive for slab cuts.
A lot of rocks are as hard as a rock.

mamabear · May 14, 2014

Thanks Hvacker. I live in SE MO. have been trying to find someone that could cut it for me, but so far no luck. Will try the smaller piece with tile saw.

DDancer · May 15, 2014

I'm going to chime in with about the same thing Hacker said:

Tile saw with a thin blade and recirculating water system. About the only other thing you'll need is some sort of vise to anchor the piece in place. You will probably have figured it out however do use a blade large enough to do the job

A lot of tile saws have a spring that snaps the blade back to upright after a cut so unless you want to hold the saw the whole time you can rig a weight to the handle that is just heavy enough to apply a light amount of force to the blade and let the machine drop thru the work. Just be careful and wear eye protection

hvacker · May 15, 2014

Google "vice to hold rocks for slabbing" will come up with some clever home made devices that will keep your fingers safer.
One guy glues the rock to a board. OK.

curious kat · May 15, 2014

That sure is a pretty hunk you have there mamabear....why are you cutting it & be careful...wear goggles!

mamabear · May 15, 2014

Kat there are some amazing striations on the piece that broke off. I normally would leave it rough, but this piece will look dynamite when cut. I'd love to do a cab, but I think slabbing would show more of the beauty of the stone.

Eu_citzen · May 16, 2014

I use the water threwn off the blade as a guide for if I'm cutting straight. How large is to large depends on your saw.
A 10" is about fist sized ok, the rock shouldn't be higher then the blades height over the sawing table.

mamabear · May 16, 2014

EU do I need to be aware of weakness in the striations? It looks like they are of different material. It's all new to me. I have always kept the material rough. I wish I could get a better pic of the piece. but here are a few more shots.

Eu_citzen · May 17, 2014

Just try cutting it and see. You'll know if they are weaker then the rest when the rock hits the blade.
It is often a good idea to use eye protection, though.

Tigger · May 17, 2014

pretty sure that's petrified wood, same colors as what I find in AZ. you may find pockets of crystals, so go carefully. the striations are the wood pattern - are you going to cut across the grain or with it? (I'm hoping to start cutting soon, right now we're in collecting and waiting for retirement mode.)