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[bgast1]

I have a 10" saw but it isn't big enough for a lot of rocks that I buy. Those of you that have slab saws, I am curious as to what  size is optimal. Can you cut slabs from smaller rocks with a larger slab saw? I figure if I got a 24" slab saw the rock would likely be too heavy for me to lift. Not sure though. Never bought a rock that big.

[vitzitziltecpatl]

Hmm. Smaller rocks on the bigger saw... . That's where you'd want to look at the thickness of the larger blade and decide if the extra loss from the width of the cut is acceptable to you.

Thinner blades on larger saws might deflect more, and possibly dish if pushed too far. Could use smaller blades on the larger saw if the blade will fit the arbor. Lots of possible solutions, but they all have trade-offs.

[Jhon P]

I feel that 18" is the best all around size. You can cut a good size rock and the blade is not  too thick
I will glue smaller rocks to a piece 2x4
My 24", the blade is thick so I only cut big rocks. I will make a big rock smaller to slab up in the 18" saw
 So I don't waste as much material besides I don't like cleaning the oil in the big saw it holds over 15 gallons of oil keep the 10" and use it for small rock.

[vitzitziltecpatl]

There ya' go! That's the perfect answer. Multiple saws!!! The 18" really is big enough for most of us, and MK-303 blades are listed as only being .085" thick. If that's the rim and not the core, it isn't much thicker than my 14".

Seriously, more saws is a wonderful thing. We have a 14", two 10", a 6", and a 4". One 10" has a gravity feed vise, the other 10" is used for trimming odd shaped rough for the 14" drop saw, or general freehand work.

If we ever find an old 18" for the right price we'll have one of those too. We just don't cut enough large rough to justify a large expenditure.

[Redrummd]

My 18 inch is my favorite saw for slabbing.....

[Mark]

I had a 14" slab saw that i really liked, but i often thought that i would have been much better off with two saws instead, one 10" and then one 18" to 20".  Of course that is so much more expensive than just one saw.  It would be optimal, if a company would make a combo slab saw that had a quick change blade and would take both a 10" and 18" blade.  I have always wondered why the oil resevoirs had to be so big.  Instead of being a large rectangular shape, why not be narrow and long, say like 8" or so wide so that you use a lot less oil. I don't think that you need all that oil for dissipating heat from the blade turning in it, but maybe it was so you could go much longer between cleanings as you would have a lot more oil to soak up rock dust from cutting.  Does anyone know why the oil tanks have to be so big and why you couldn't have a deep but narrow tank that could handle blades from say 10" to 18".  With blades with a wide variance in diameter, you would probably have to raise or lower the tank, so that the blade only goes so deep in the oil, but that doesn't sound like much of a design issue.  Sounds like a great idea to me, surely its been considered before.

[jha789]

My favorite saw is a 16" vintage home made saw that my father built in the early 50's. It cut tons of rock before I ended up with it, and is still going strong. 16" is a good compromise between the 10" and the larger saws. I must admit, there are times that I wish it were 18 or 24, but not that often. There is enough depth in the reservoir that I could use an 18" blade, but have not tried it yet. I am not sure whether reducing the volume and depth of oil would make for some problem I have not anticipated. I would appreciate any ideas on this issue from anyone who may have tried a similar thing. I also have a similar homemade saw that my father used a 6" blade on for years. I put a 10" blade on it, took out a lot of oil, and so far, it seems OK, but am not sure if the same thing would work on the larger saw.

[Slabbercabber]

My 24" saw always has an 18" blade mounted.  The 20" and 24" blades are pretty much never used.  Also the 18" blade is a really cheap Chinese blade that is very thin.  I use a separate cascade oil system with pump that keeps the oil volume down to three or four gallons.  It is easy to build and saves tons of time in cleaning.

[Back]

Hi All

Love the saw talk. I got my first slab saw last fall and was only able to cut slabs off two pieces of rough before it got cold

It is a 14 in Lortone drop saw. I do know that for my rough it is a monster. All my rough can be cut on a saw 10 in or smaller. After thinking all winter I need to make some brackets for the air cylinder I will be using for a speed control and get another blade.

First pic is the fun project. The second not so fun but sas to get done is making the beast live

Bless
Shawn

[fossilman]

I have a 14",it does what I want it to do........I wouldn't mind getting an 18" or 24",but the bigger the saw,the more cost per cut,plus oil,blades,etc....
I have friends with bigger saws,if I need a cut they will do some horsetrading with me to get a few cuts in.... All is good...LOL

[Grayco]

...................  I use a separate cascade oil system with pump that keeps the oil volume down to three or four gallons.  It is easy to build and saves tons of time in cleaning.

I would like to do that to my 20" saw.  I just did the paper bag thing for the first time.  I think I waited too long as I only recovered about 1/2 to 2/3 of my oil. 

I would like to have a pump that has enough head pressure that I could change a couple valves and use the oil (without the blade running) to spray down the sludge into my sump. 

I am also rolling a raisin around, trying to come up with a simple, easy to build inline centrifuge to remove the sludge as I go.  I have a few ideas but haven't come up with just the right one yet.

I know they are commercially available, but I could buy A LOT of oil for the price of one.

[Jhon P]

Hey Greyco, I am happy to recover 2/3 of the oil with the paper bag filter. I will let it set in the buckets and filter untill I need a bucket or I don't get anymore oil. You are going to
Loose some oil that is on the rocks you cut and some in the sludge.  One time I saved a bunch of sludge, put in in a large plastic bin, put about 50% water in it and stirred it up good. Let it set in the sun to warm up and stirred it a few times more. It set out there for a couple of weeks and I only got anouther half gallon of oil. I decided it wasn't worth my time.  I buy rock oil in 55 gal drum and split it with a friend.

[vitzitziltecpatl]

The oil and water thing works, especially if you live somewhere cold enough in winter to freeze the water. Then you just dump the oil off the top of the ice. How much sludge was mixed with water to reclaim the 1/2 gal. of oil?

[GatorGal]

I agree with multiple saws...I feel a "you might be a rockhound if you need one of every size saw! LOL! We have an 18" and a 14". I am sure I see a 10" in my future. Then there is the 6" for cutting cabs...I probable will end up with a 4" sooner or later. Right now, anything bigger than the 18" can handle, I just take it to our club workshop and have it cut down to fit into my saws at home.

[irockhound]

So many choices!  It really depends on the material you cut.  Last few years I have been doing so much Texas material that fits perfect in a 12" auto feed.  I have a 24" I have never used.  An 18 that I use only for bigger material since it still wasted too much if it is high end or small to begin with.  A 14" drop saw, 10" auto feed, 10" gravity, 6 inch trim that is my cabbing trimmer and a 4" trim just for things that don't like oil like Turquoise and Opal or very expensive material where waste is at a premium.  So many areas have been picked over for years and finding anything that would demand an 18" is harder unless you are collecting in Idaho/Oregon or the different Petrified Wood locations where size is still available.  I just rebuilt my old Lortone 10" LS-10 and it is working great to double the current cutting of small Texas biscuits.  I have to say that occasionally I have material that wants to get cut in the 12 but won't fit so the 18" trims to size for the 12".  I better put some aluminum foil over my head, I am starting to hear my own voice too much, Lol.