TheFossilHunter Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 I am looking for someone who can (or can recommend someone who can)make a stone saw for me. I need a stationary circular saw (either drop down or other design) that would cut up to 12 inches deep. They are very expensive in stores but I know that it is possible and not too complicated to make one. Looking for someone who can make one for me. Here is the offer: I know that the parts will cost around $400. I will pay cash for the parts. As to labor, i would prefer to pay with fossils. I am willing for give away fossils that are worth about $500-$1000 depending on the saw features but regardless of how long it will take to make the saw. Any ideas, suggestions? Thanks Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpbowden Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 First, I have built saws for other people, including two 36" ones that were controlled by Furnas CNC Controllers (ball screw drives). To get a 12" deep cut would require a 30" saw blade at the minimum. This is because you have to double the size of the cut, which would be 24" and add in the arbor washer,(the smallest would be 4" but would be better with 6". Forget about a drop, to big for that. I guess what you need to tell me is where you live cause it will be really heavy. This winter I will be going to my brothers shop to start one for myself, I have some fossil furn logs to cut. He lives in Conroe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkfoam Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Mike, I figure that if you want to make a stationary circular rock saw that will make a 12 in deep cut you will need a diamond blade about 30 inches in diameter (30 inches - 6 inch dia. stiffening collar = 24 inches / 2= 12 inches). This will take at least a 1 hp electric motor. I did some quick calculations on a MK diamond blade and a 1 hp motor from Grainger and I'm up to $800 + and I haven't figured in the cost of a sheet metal box to hold the saw , the vise to hold the rock and the feed mechanism to move the rock into the blade or the mandrel for the blade. What am I missing because I can't come close to your parts cost estimate. Have you tried to find a used saw. JKFoam The Eocene is my favorite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFossilHunter Posted October 1, 2008 Author Share Posted October 1, 2008 First, I have built saws for other people, including two 36" ones that were controlled by Furnas CNC Controllers (ball screw drives). To get a 12" deep cut would require a 30" saw blade at the minimum. This is because you have to double the size of the cut, which would be 24" and add in the arbor washer,(the smallest would be 4" but would be better with 6". Forget about a drop, to big for that. I guess what you need to tell me is where you live cause it will be really heavy. This winter I will be going to my brothers shop to start one for myself, I have some fossil furn logs to cut. He lives in Conroe. Hi Yes i realize that to get a 12 inch deep cut I will need a blade close to 30 inches diameter. About the drop thing - I asked someone who has built his own saw and he has a drop down which has even bigger diameter blade. I have a picture and will try to attach it here. I live in Brooklyn, NY. Where is conroe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpbowden Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 OK, 12" deep cut = 2X12"= 24" size of saw blade + size of shaft hardware to mount the blade = -4" = 20" divided by 2 = 10". This is not the depth of cut you want, so to get close to a 24" cut you need to add 4" instead of subtracted 4". So 24" + 4" = 28" which is a hard to find blade size. Now you need to know what type of materials you are going to cut, different blades for hardness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nicholas Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 A good solution may be to rent one from a heavy duty tools dealer, there are outlets for them all over Canada and I would assume the US as well. It will probably cost you 50 bucks + deposit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpbowden Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Ok, what are you going to cut. I have built both types of saws, you can build a 30" drop saw, that works fine for some jobs. But to get a precision cut and use a thinner blade it will not work. With the saws we have built, the blades show very little, and the cut require nothing else. Conroe is in Texas near Houston. (I hate this Keyboard, its on my wife's computer and is a MS split type) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpbowden Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 I don't know about renting one, I haven't seen any here in Texas, try the local rock club first. They may have a shop that's run by the club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpbowden Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Maybe I should draw up blueprints and post them somewhere? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 What an excellent idea! Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFossilHunter Posted October 1, 2008 Author Share Posted October 1, 2008 Mike,I figure that if you want to make a stationary circular rock saw that will make a 12 in deep cut you will need a diamond blade about 30 inches in diameter (30 inches - 6 inch dia. stiffening collar = 24 inches / 2= 12 inches). This will take at least a 1 hp electric motor. I did some quick calculations on a MK diamond blade and a 1 hp motor from Grainger and I'm up to $800 + and I haven't figured in the cost of a sheet metal box to hold the saw , the vise to hold the rock and the feed mechanism to move the rock into the blade or the mandrel for the blade. What am I missing because I can't come close to your parts cost estimate. Have you tried to find a used saw. JKFoam Ok aparently you are right. I was misinformed. That estimate was for 18 inch blade saw. You could be right with your estimate. Also I didnt realize how much the blade costs. I have to see if I am in the market for this. Maybe i should go with a 30 inch blade saw instead of 36 ..we should just discuss this. I dont know much about these kind of saws, even though I have 4 saws but they are smaller than what I need. so i guess everything is negotiable , i just need to talk to someone who knows what he is doing. my email is tell_mike@hotmail.com thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronbo Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Go to an equipment rental place I know they got some beast of a saw that you can rent,I see it all the time on job sites where they cut them big retaining wall blocks, you may still need to get a blade cause i dont know if they provide a decent one or you gotta have one. It made some pretty smooth cuts in some rough granite blocks that were about 18 inches in diameter, use a water saw for sure that dust will choke you down, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpbowden Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 One more thing, all of our saws are built using 1/8th or 3/16" steel plate that's cut to size using a plasma cutter we waste nothing. And after all of this you need a very good vice just to keep it still. What size saw's are needed here? I will draw up the prints. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFossilHunter Posted October 1, 2008 Author Share Posted October 1, 2008 Ok, what are you going to cut. I have built both types of saws, you can build a 30" drop saw, that works fine for some jobs. But to get a precision cut and use a thinner blade it will not work. With the saws we have built, the blades show very little, and the cut require nothing else. Conroe is in Texas near Houston. (I hate this Keyboard, its on my wife's computer and is a MS split type) Bear with me, computer too slow. trying to reply as fast as i can. i may go with 30" or 36" depending on budget. I am going to be cutting mostly sedimentary rock. Basically the main pupropse of the saw is to make some rock plates that i have thinner. so its non-precision cutting. However, i'd love it to be somewhat universal so that I can slab stromatolites, maybe cut geodes, corals...nothing extremely hard, bit would be great if ocasionally i cut also use it to cut something harder than that. I guess with TX something like this will have to m be mailed. No i havent seen saws like that being rented out.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimC Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 This may cut to rough but they make diamond chainsaws for cutting concrete you may try this. I believe they sell for $500-800 you can rent these and see if it will work. If it does you could probably build a relatively simple jig to cut consistant pieces. If you do rent one to try it make sure it has a good bar and chain as with any chain saw if these are not in good shape it is difficult to make a strait cut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpbowden Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 To do this on a shoe string budget, plan everything out, get all materials a little at a time. Hold on, I will get you a plan and prints together plus a material take-off. Get the stuff there and find a small machine shop and a good local welder who can do TAG welding and he should be your last stop. Plate, first, layout of plate, cut-out, weld. everything else should be bolt-up. If you want I will even throw in the plans to convert it to process feet, which is pretty cool, tell it how many parts cut and thickness and speed. All the same one after the other....... Just pm me here, find out if you can get someone there to print DXF files Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpbowden Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 The chainsaw want cut silica, agate, jasper ................ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFossilHunter Posted October 2, 2008 Author Share Posted October 2, 2008 The thing is to be really sure you want to get into the rock-cutting business quite a bit before you get a big saw. because after you cut a big rock with a big saw then you just have a rough-cut slab of rock. then what? If you were just cutting a flat on a cool display piece so it will stand up or something, then you're done. but if you want to make slabs and make them look pretty, then you need a bunch more equipment. I feel that anybody wanting to get off into really working with stone needs to get to somebody's shop who's already set up to do everything and see what it takes to make or do what they want to do. One of the things that surprised me was that a whole lot of the material I wanted to work with just wasn't worth working with. It's also a real treat to put a lot of work into something and then have it break on you. One thing I will say, though, having something cool that you made yourself out of rock is neat. And it's also funny after you've lived X number of years and thought about rocks just one way, and suddenly you start looking at them as raw material that you can work on and form, like wood. You start looking for the pretty rock inside the ugly rock.I kinda feel like large slab saws oughta be a group-owned thing, because everybody wants to use one some of the time, but very few people need to use one much of the time. Kinda like a big ladder. I totally agree with you. I kinda feel the same way. i am not really gonna be using for business. I just want to make some rock plates thinner and ocasionally slab other stuff. You are right, it would be better to rent, but it's really incomvenient to rent every time or to bring rocks somewhere to be cut. I guess its a compromise between convenience and price. i dont understand that you need to work with the surface. i own 3 saws froma 4 inch to 14 inch diameter and also a wet grinde that i use to polish rocks. it would be great though to see someone's shop before buying - you are right. so i'll just have to see how much this would cost me..i would totally group-own the machine if there were others in my area who would wanna do it.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpbowden Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 For me, a 30" saw is needed, I cut a lot of fern and palm, plus cycad. All of which is very hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Let's take up a collection and group-own one; I'll even volunteer to store it here! "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFossilHunter Posted October 2, 2008 Author Share Posted October 2, 2008 Let's take up a collection and group-own one; I'll even volunteer to store it here! I support this idea. but only if you move closer to where I am...and don't forget to bring your fossils too...I'll store them at my place for ya! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFossilHunter Posted October 2, 2008 Author Share Posted October 2, 2008 This may cut to rough but they make diamond chainsaws for cutting concrete you may try this. I believe they sell for $500-800 you can rent these and see if it will work. If it does you could probably build a relatively simple jig to cut consistant pieces. If you do rent one to try it make sure it has a good bar and chain as with any chain saw if these are not in good shape it is difficult to make a strait cut. Hmm I just havent seen chain saws used for this..i'll look into it..thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maryland Mike Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 It might be worth while to visit your local gem and lapidary club. They may well have members who have equipment like that and are willing to cut some stuff for you for a reasonable fee. If you are only going to need stuff cut occasionally, this might be an option. Carpe Diem, Carpe Somnium Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 For me, a 30" saw is needed, I cut a lot of fern and palm, plus cycad. All of which is very hard. Whoa! I'm having a vision of a 12" thick palm log! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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