Had to pick between a rock saw and a tile saw for cutting my own slabs

I was trying to cut some agate I found near Tucson last month and my old tile saw just wasn't cutting it, literally. I had about $200 to spend and had to choose between a used lapidary saw from a local guy or a brand new wet tile saw from the hardware store. I went with the lapidary saw because it had a thinner blade and a slower speed. It took me a full afternoon to get it set up and aligned, but the first slab came out way cleaner with almost no chipping. Anyone have a good tip for keeping the blade from loading up with rock dust so fast?

2 comments

2 Comments

brown.tyler5d ago

Man, this is such a classic move. It's like when you finally stop trying to make the wrong tool work and get the right one for the job, even if it takes more setup. I see it all the time with people trying to use a kitchen knife for everything instead of just buying a decent screwdriver. That loading up problem is a pain, I usually just keep a little brush and a cup of water right there to clean the blade off between cuts.

the_sam5d ago

Exactly. A damp towel works better than a brush.