Lapidaryforum.net
Gadgets, Gizmos, and Dohickeys => What Equipment to Buy and Where to Get it. => Topic started by: JHC210 on June 18, 2024, 03:44:32 PM
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Hello. I am new to the forum, recently retired geologist and looking for another hobby....like I need one but making polished slabs interests me now so I am going to run with this one. To get started I am looking for my first saw and a polisher. I picked up some sowbelly agate and other material and now looking to cut and polish. I have seen several saws ranging from $500 to thousands of dollars. Since this is new to me, looking to spend under a grand on the saw and hoping the same for a polisher. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Used in working condition would be nice too. Thanks.
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Welcome to the hobby!
I don't cut and polish things myself so I have very little advise on what to get.
That said there are quite a few folks here who will have advice for you on what to get. Just be patient as folks don't always pop on here every day to answer questions.
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Welcome. Used equipment may be the way to start the process. Tell us your general location in case opportunities arise that you could exploit without shipping. You can slab with tile saws etc. but there is nothing that will replace a slab saw. For polishing slabs you may be wanting a vibratory lap (oscillating lap). Several folks here occasionally sell used equipment, and certainly Craigslist and Marketplace can be useful if you are patient. Tom
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You need to decide on a size range for what you would like to do. Few cuts are perfect , many times there will be a slight nub on the slab where it parted. That requires some sort of grinding. If you want to polish fairly big slabs an excellent way if you are spry and healthy is an angle grinder type grinding and polishing system. Flex makes the best wet angle grinders .BB Industries has the widest selection of those type tools and accessories. If you live somewhere very cold that system will not be useful much of the year. To see a very good selection of standard lapidary equipment go to the Kingsley North catalog. Beware of some lapidary dealers, they are basically frauds.The people I mention are good to deal with as are a few others. Ask here for recommendation's. Pick a size range you are interested in working and we will have a better idea of what you need . Be aware that flat laps such as all-u-need are a decent way to do cabbing sized stones they do not work well on flat slabs . They hydroplane slabs easily and the front edge of the sanding surface- rock interface gets almost all of the cutting . It is a very slow process and the center of slabs are usually poorly finished. If you want to do a lot of slabs up to about ten inches a bull wheel polisher is your ticket but one would far exceed your budget. A vibrating flat lap would do many sized stones at once but as with all lapidary tools there is a steep learning curve and many give up on that option.
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I live in C. Texas. I did get a PM about equipment in Albuquerque and responded but have not heard back.
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Sorry for the late reply. With the jack in all prices across the board its hard to say what you can get for that price. To correct an earlier respondent it looked like your post was 500 to 1k for a saw and similar pricing for the grinder. For that unless you can get used which is usually doable you might consider a Harbor freight tile saw and use the "Agate Kutter" saw blade on it which will handle the high speeds of a tile saw. For the grinder again if used isn't available try an all in one unit like a hi tech that will definitely come in under 1k and you can always grow out of it. But what is best is to get into it at a decent price and then see if the magic holds and then upgrade later. My brother will probably never use the machine I bought him or the used 12" and I will check to see if he still has these. Might be about a month before I might have an answer though.