Has anyone used a tile saw for trimming rocks?

I have not bought one and wanted to know if it is worth it to purchase one.

I use a really old one (1960's era) on a regular basis. The biggest hassle is make sure you either do it in an area that you can clean easily or make sure there is a good shield around it because you will throw a lot of water around - make that muddy water. Get a larger blade just for versatility. I know some people take it a step further and use an abrader or dremel to mask the cut surface if it shows when you display it. Chris

I have a 10" MK that I got for free....works fine up to 6-6.5 hardness..jade or serpentine...been useing it lately to cut granite from kitchen counter tops, cuts like butter....will not cut agate or material harder than 6.5 very well...also cannot cut nice even slabs if that is your intent cause there is no vice.....Mike

guess it would depend on the blade u buy for it

hello all in this matter i use a lapidary saw which is equipped with a diamond saw bladecuts anything like butter tile saws can be used for the same purpose if you mount a diamond tipped cutting blade similar to ones used to cut concrete on the street they are available from about 4 inches to 24 inches in diameter a 6 to 8 inch blade will do most jobs and they are available from your local hardware store at least here in Australia you probably will be able to get them at those stores in most countries hope this helps you a little bit
regards

I use a tile saw all the time to trim my samples. Works fine and you can pick them up for $60 on sale.

Michael,

I've been designing diamond saw systems for rocks since around 1970.

I can assure you that there is no better value for rock people than one of the cheapie diamond tile saws you can buy at places such as Home Depot.

The blades are very sturdy and well made in every way. Plus, if you need another blade you can just stop in at Home and pick one up cheap and easy.

I use water as the coolant in my saws so I drain the mud slop out after every use. The tile saws are light and easy to manipulate. Don't forget to drain the slop into a bucket if you saw toxic materials. That way you can isolate the slop from your sewer system. You can saw for twenty years without needing to make a trip to the HazMat people. Or, if you are more casual, just dry it, bag it up, and put it in the garbage so that it can be with it's close friends the NiCd batteries..

I've made a gravity feed overshot diamond saw that don't throw coolant, but the one I use now also comes from a place like Home Depot.

I mounted a wood miter saw onto a specimen basin and platform with a coolent basin equipped with a little water pump and a "pop bead" adustable coolant delivery system. It is a "rock chop saw". Extremely quick and easy to use. When combined with some alignment jigs one can cut perfect cubes in minutes. This project is for the jury rigger only.

I also love my diamond wire saw. Those are pricey. $300 minimum, but you can cut a four leaved clover with one.

I once bought my saw blades and diamond laps from Alpha Faceting, formerly of Bremerton, Washington, but they went out of business.

Remaining inventory sits in the home of Tom Orme of "The Maple Tree" , but turn around for orders is slow.

Ameritool of Redding, California makes a lovely diamond trim saw. It's housing is of a one piece molded plastic. Easy to clean. I added a valve so that I can drain the saw after each use and avoid rust on the blade. The specimen table pops out and the cutting basin can be washed out with ease.

With a little jury rigging one can make a guide plane on the Ameritool saw, and produce thin slabs suitable for petrographic thin section pre-preps.

Bart

Any advice on hiding these saw marks once they are made? I'm trying to trim baryte specimens that are on an extremely hard matrix and it seems a saw cut in places will be the only way to trim some of them down...

I just purchased a 7" tile saw for trimming and cutting. The blade that came with it seems to make a pretty rough cut (blade marks). The blade that came with it is also a little thick, approximately 0.06". I have been looking for a 7" lapidary blade that is thinner, but having a hard time finding one in Canada. Everything lapidary is 4,6,10".... Does anyone know of a Canadian supplier of thinner 7" lapidary diamond blades. The only ones I can find are the MK303 but that is still a little thick at 0.05" Will a lapidary blade make a smoother cut? Any advice or opinions are appreciated.
Jason

Jason,

"Blade marks" are usually from an unsteady hand feed. Difficult to avoid when hand sawing. You can use a carbide engraving tool to lessen the the obvious saw cut. You can also make multiple cuts and pling the ribs away.

Ameritool is my choice for best price and prompt service. I think Lortone and MK are still in business. The thinner the blade the more likely you will warp the blade during a hand feed.

Bart

I use a 4" diamond tile cutting blade on an angle grinder to remove material ,but its pretty rough and butcherous.
For a better cut I use a 6" tile,diamond saw blade on a little lapidary saw. You can get quite good results using this, and the blade is so sturdy you can use it as a grinder as well. the blade just wont die no matter how much I use it.
Every different blade has its different use .
Cheers,
Andy