Search the Community

I recently purchased a Stihl TSA 230 battery powered cut-off saw. I know several people on here use Stihls so I was hoping to get some input. The battery fits in snug, but still dust accumulates inside the battery compartment during cutting. I can shake most of it out afterwards but there's always some stuck to the sides of the compartment and the battery. I wiped it all out of the compartment and off the battery the first time, but it took a while to do so thoroughly, and I was worried about even having a lightly damp rag near the battery. Is it a big problem to have some residual dust left in the battery compartment? Just trying to take care of this thing well from the start, it's my new favorite toy and was not cheap.

I have a small 4” tile saw, but and looking for something bigger. Given the blade can be changed for rocks, is there enough of a functional difference to justify buying a dedicated rock saw versus a tile saw? Is lack of power for bigger rocks a consideration at all on the tile saws? thanks

Ok, I proved it possible to make polished slabs of substantial size (ca. 50 cm2) without any machine, purely by hand, in an acceptable time and of good quality and with things I already had, especially flat plates. Grinding and polishing media had to be bought, of course. All of this can be done on a desk in an apartment, no serious noise or dust production involved, just some sludge . Only one problem remains - you need an as flat as possible surface to start with. Such flat surfaces are usually produced with rock saws. For rock cutting, I have only experience with professional equipment. However, such rock saws are expensive, heavy, noisy etc. What are the low-cost options for the occasional saw cut? First, forget the angle grinder. Second, what about tile saws? They are cheap, around 50-60 Euro, and far less than that for a used one. Quite lightweight and portable, about 10 kg. But they are made for cutting thin tiles, maximum cutting depth is about 35 mm. I am used to "rotate" specimens on the saw blade, so this can be doubled (Attention, this rotation can be dangerous if not done properly and results also in a surface not as flat as you might desire!) I don´t have experience with a tile saw yet, has anybody of you? And has someone used such a saw in an apartment? Has anyone tried to make parallel cuts with such a saw? Other thing: What about cutting specimens already in the field? Has someone done this with low-cost equipment? Maybe you can use a tile saw with an DC/AC converter connected to your car? I think, that´s all what I like to know at the moment . Thank you! Franz Bernhard

I love hash plates, but the problem is that they are usually big and heavy. I have tried to break them down a bit with a hammer, and though it works sometimes, I also do damage a fossil on occasion. So I usually either leave them at the site, or if I do bring them home, I put them in a tote and forget about them. Flash back to Black Friday and I was walking through a local chain Do It Yourself Hardware store and on an endcap I saw a small diamond blade tile saw for $35.00. I decided to buy it and see how it worked. Prior to putting it together, I decided to check the internet for reviews, and a lot were not good. But I think that was more geared to a person who was going to use it day in and day out. So I decided to keep it and try it out today. I have to say that I was extremely pleased with this little piece of equipment. It cut many Ordovician hash plates down to a size that makes the fossils easier to store. Many of the larger hash plates that I have in my collection have a lot going on, so I just trimmed them down a bit. Other plates that just had one fossil on it I cut the access off so the fossil was just left. If you are looking for a little saw that in my opinion works well, this is it. Here are a couple of individual fossils that I trimmed down.

As above. I am considering getting a Green River fossil. The slab is much bigger than the fossil, so I intend to cut it down. However, the seller declined to cut it, saying it was a thin slab, and he feared cracking into the actual fossil. Has anyone here done prep work on GR fossils? Can I use a hand saw, knives, or scissors to cut down thin-slab Green River fossils? Or are there other methods you would recommend?

Hi all, do you know if there is a type of hand saw that can be used for squaring off rocks? I know some are probably too hard, but thinking of Green River plates or maybe Utah trilobite shale. Thanks! Nathan

Hi ! I search a tool which can cut stones ... So for example a saw like this: http://onlineshop.real.de/Steintrennmaschine-RT-SC-570-L/0483921001001?adword=onlineshop/google/sales/PLA-S&adword=onlineshop/google/sales/02_Haus-und-Garten/(DE:SAD)_Heimwerken/&gclid=CKGPy6WGldACFZEW0wodHW8C8Q ? Is this a good tool ? It shouldnt be too big or too loud .... Thanks for your help !

Hi. I hope to buy a stone saw in a few months to cut my Carboniferous corals. Can anyone suggest a good stone saw which is not too expensive and will cut through rocks up to 10cm thick? Thanks, Daniel

In another thread Boneman indicated the following" "Consider this: A diamond bladed Riobi circular hand saw is VERY reasonable. (I have two in my garage). Get a couple of extra batteries and you will be amazed at what you can cut out with it! You can get the saw for $50 and the blade for $20ish. Well spent money, indeed!" Does anyone have any real world experience using one of these in the field? Would it actually work on the typical limestone we find up here in Ontario and northern New York state. Is it relatively safe to use. I just can't get my head around that this would really work...... I go to a quarry in the fall for isotelus and a saw there would really be invaluable. It is in a fairly hard limestone. I do not want to invest in a gas one and more of a deterent than the cost is that I am also a bit paranoid about the safety of any saw in the field .