trim saws...

Hi,

I'm looking to purchase a trim saw for cutting down large rocks. I'm a micromounter, so purpose would be to trim away unwanted matrix. Saw needs to be water cooled/lubricated.

I'm looking for a good quality, durable unit with as few bells & whistles as possible - for instance, power feed is not necessary, although a vise/clamp with hand feed might be nice. Want to handle rocks up to 6-8" across.

Any suggestions? Please refer to make & model number if possible.

Thanks in advance,

Hans

Hi Hans,

You will need a large unit to cut 8" stones, one with an 18" blade. These large saws use oil for lube, water would rust the blade/workings. I would look hard for a used saw as new they cost a ton. Some manufacturers that built very rugged heavy duty machines have gone out of business but their saws are still working away. Some of the old machines were really made to last!

I use straight mineral oil in my 10" saw, it is non toxic ... edible even. There are stainless steal blades in this size so I could cut with water, though I would need to drain and dry the saw unit daily to prevent rust.

Good Luck~!
J T



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/28/2008 06:01PM by John Truax.

Have you considered a large hydraulic trimmer. These would probably be a bit less expensive and are a lot faster in reducing a rock to pieces suitable for micromounting.

Word is you can go up to a 10" blade before you really need to use oil as a lubricant. Sounds like a big blade but it's not, you can go just over 3" deep or thereabouts. But that's fine, insert thin chisels into the kerf and she'll split pretty nicely.

I'd suggest finding a local lapidary supply company. Big saws are heavy, shipping adds hundreds to the bill. You definitely want a clamp system. Saws are often sold without motors, wiring, blades, or stands, so don't forget to include that in the cost, can come to many hundreds more. Lots of used saws out there but I'd suggest not buying used unless you know what you're doing and can diagnose and fix problems.

My RayTech 10" is a fine saw. Blades are $130-180. For the same price you could get a gas-powered concrete cut-off saw... a wicked collecting tool. Highland Park seems to be the number one saw brand. 10"ers are over a grand, new, and anything bigger is horribly expensive, which is odd considering that these are extremely simple machines.

Hope this helps a bit.