Cutting Rocks?

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Una

Joined
Jul 28, 2015
Messages
28
Reaction score
15
Location
Weipa , QLD
Hello Everyone!
So I have absolutely no idea what equipment i need and would love some help with all of this..
All I want to be able to do at this stage is cut rocks into slices, nothing fancy..
I am not sure what the rocks are, they are nothing special.. just found out bush and caught my eye.. I actually thought they were at first cow pats hahaaaa
My other half has cut one of them using a 9inch grinder with a diamond blade (that's what our local Mitre 10 recommended doing).. but that really just doesn't seem all that safe and the slices are perhaps not as thin as I would have liked them and they require one heck of a lot of buffing to get the cut marks out..
Thanks in advance x
 
You can either buy a proper slab cutting tool from a lapidary supplier, but by the sounds of it your hubby can teach you how to use a wet tile saw cutter for $40 or so if you buy one. A slab machine can get expensive.

The blades cannot cut you too bad unless you press pretty hard on it. My fingers touch the "blade" all the time, time for my petticoat :p

Bunnings don't always give the most sound advice... But they were sort of close I guess ..

Welcome to P.A :)
 
A wet tile saw cutter, sounds more user friendly than the monster hubby was using.. I would have cut my head off If i had tried with that thing hahahaaa
Thank you kindly :)
 
If your not worried about accuracy they are fine to use. Make sure you use safety goggles as flying rock debris will blind you. If the blade guard gets in the way, hold it up with a free finger to cut a larger rock, beware of a splash of water in the face when its open!

Last one I bought was $15 second hand at a garage sale and it still does the job but time to order a new blade on eBay for me.

Feel free to share with us your finds too!
 
Hi Una, welcome to PA.

A wet tile saw as suggested by AtomRat is what you really want, you'll find it much easier to cut even slices than with an angle grinder and as the saw blades have no teeth you're not all that likely to cut yourself. Some rocks that look pretty ordinary lying around the bush can reveal much more interesting colours and patterns when a flat face or a slab off them is cut and polished. And once you can cut slabs of even thickness you can cut pieces out and fashion them into cabochons with a little practice, assuming you have access to the equipment.

No lapidary club in Weipa? Nearest one to you I know of is at Tolga but the Atherton tableland might be a bit much of a drive for a Friday night workshop :)
 
Hello Lefty and thanks for the welcome :)
Hahahaaa yeah I am slightly too far away from Tolga :p .. I wish there was a lapidary club here but there is just no interest..
I have put a shout out on one of the local buy sell and swap Facebook pages to see if anyone has a wet tile saw they want to part with and someone does which is exciting.. I will check it out tomorrow..
The stones I have picked up, I would love some help ID'ing what they are made up of.. What section would I post that in? They are probably just lumps of clay for all I know hahaaaa But i still really love them..
 
Gemstone, Minerals and Fossils -> Gemstone and Minerals

Make sure the blade is tightly held in the saw and that it is not wabbly or warped and ask how much use its had. If the machine looks fine, a replacement blade might be needed.

Also check the cable for any damage, cuts or bad wear. There will be water around and accidents so you want to make sure its safe. Hope it all goes well and you gain yourself a saw!
 
So excited!! :D
Today I purchased a second hand wet tile cutter :D
Thanks to everyone's advice here, I can now safely get to learning some very basic cutting skills..
The guy I bought it from demonstrated it first on a tile, and then on a bauxite rock.. the end result was soooo much nicer than my hubbys cutting attempt with the 9 inch grinder hahahaaaaa..
Seriously BEYOND excited!!
 
Hi Una,
Why dont you go for a drive across to the Archer.500 mtrs from the river on the lefthand side theres a turnoff to the quarry. You pass over a few small creeks/rivers.It granite country and might be worth a look. Id also take a pan to see what else is there.
Let us know what you both find.
regards
Mark
 
Excellent work Una! And very nice of the seller to give you a demonstration, mine was just left at the sellers front door.. :lol:

I'll post up some shapes I've made on the saw in the morn if you'd like Una
 
Yes Please! :)
I have had fun slicing some of my smaller stones in half..
I always look at stones, wondering whats inside..
Now I can find out!! :D
776d4521-5d5c-4d93-af09-0292e4c5d316.jpg
 
They have awesome patterns through them. A lady at the local gem club collects many rocks similar and is always making something out of them.

After cutting them, im sure youve found that some of the rocks are very soft, and some can take minutes.

Never press the rock into the blade too hard, let the diamond work into it.

Metho is used sometimes for cutting rocks too but becomes a stinky process.

Ill take some photos shortly, very sore from a walk i went on yesterday

Usually when collecting rocks, ill grab two that are very similar of each rock. That way I always have on uncut and another in half or chopped up.
 
Hmm.. Either I've left the container at the gemclub or my children have taken them for a walk.. I managed to find some things ive cut but not much :/ These have all had the saw used on them at least once. I'll have to go to the club and get the box o shapes I have, they are more similar to the pendant with slits in it

1438390952_img_20150801_104902.jpg


1438391010_img_20150801_110027.jpg
 
How awesome are they!! :D
Meh.... I wish my hubby wasn't sleeping at the moment (nightshift) so I could crank up the saw again..
The saw I got isn't able to cut larger stones sadly.. Hubby is keen do do some modifications to remedy that though hahahaaaa
Some of the stones were so incredibly hard.. I thought the saw wasn't going to get through them...
What purpose is the Metho used for?
 
I think it makes the blade last longer but I don't like the thought of flammable mist being near electronics..

Yes you have size limits. There are bigger wet table saws but see how you go with the small rocks for starters. Bigger machines are more mullah.

If you cut a quartz ( very hard, takes a while ) you will see it glow and spark inside if its dark or night, looks pretty cool

If on the odd chance you need to cut a big rock, your hubby either has one or knows a friend with a concrete cutter drop down saw and that should do the job too as long as its the diamond blade.
 
Ahh.. yeah I think I would rather just buy a new blade when needed if that's all its for..
I was outside last night cutting stones while the other half was at work.. I did notice all the sparks inside the stone.. mini fireworks display hahaaaa
I think I can see me getting a larger saw in the future, this is something that has fascinated me forever but I just didn't know how to go about doing it..
The cutter I have now has an 8inch blade.. not sure how big they get hahaaaa but yep I am more than happy with what I have got now to learn and practice with considering yesterday morning I didn't even have one.. Winning! :D
 
The gravel banks along rivers are often excellent places to pick up interesting rocks Una.

Just keep your eye out for those big snapping handbags!!
 

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