Cutting Stone - What Do You Use?

[JamesDFarrow]

Well I think I will have to break down and do some of my stone cutting with a power saw. I did want to do the whole thing by hand but this stone I have is to hard and doing it by hand is taking forever.

I do have a "scroll saw" that I use for wood work but don't think the blades will cut stone very well. Are there any "stone cutting" blades for a scroll saw?

What kind of saw do you use?

Does it do both straight cuts and intricate (curved, etc...) cuts or do you use different saws?

Thanks,

James :)

[JamesDFarrow]

Came across a "GRYPHON OMNI-2 DIAMOND WIRE SAW". (wet saw)

Says it cuts glass and stone.

Anyone have one of these? Opinions? Comments?

Thanks,

James :)

[jvc stone]

Hi James
How about a few specifics? Like what kind of stone are you trying to cut? And what sort of cuts are you trying to make? A little more information, and maybe I can help out.
JVC

[JamesDFarrow]

Hi!

It's my own formula stone. Gypsum based with other ingredients to enhance the strength, hardness and chip resistency. It's very fine grain. Almost powdery. And marbled like Marble. Sorta feels like marble too. Holds razor sharp edges (detail) well. Originally I figured it to be about twice the hardness of regular gypsum but I think it is more than that.

Anyway, would be great if I could do some initial cutting (some straight, some curved) to save time in getting the pieces closer to the final sizes for finishing.

The wire saw looks like a good choice for the size of scuplts I am working on.

James :)

[JamesDFarrow]

Also, I am casting the blocks of stone between 1" and 2" thick. The length and width vary and are pretty well only limited to the size of my mold box.
I could make them thicker too but 1" to 2" is what I am working with at the moment.

James :)

[jvc stone]

James

One of those diamond wire "ring" saws might just be the ticket for what you are doing. Just make sure that the throat depth is enough to accept your thickest pieces.

Or, you could use a "mini grinder" 4 to 5 inch with a diamond blade or masonry cut off blade.
Or, you could try those carborundum grit blades made for jig saws and riciprocating saws.
Or you could use a masonry cut off blade on a circular saw.

Any of the above should do what you want.
JVC

[JamesDFarrow]

Thanks!

Yeah, the throat depth is what I am trying to find out for the Onmi.

James :)

[JamesDFarrow]

Doesn't cut thick enough.

I think the GRYPHON C-40 BANDSAW might be better.

Can take 3" thick material.

James :)

[JamesDFarrow]

After more investigation it's not really what I want.

The Gryphon Omni would be better if it wasn't for the vertical throat limitation.

Anyone know of any other brands of Diamond Wire Saws that have a larger vertical throat. Say 2" or more.

Thanks,

James :)

[bluedogshuz]

I have a gryphon for cutting glass and it wasn't worth it. Die grinder ( I have pnumatic) to reach interior curves with cone burrs and cone sand paper. I agree those body sanders with a small blade or a worm drive circular saw with a diamond blade. Its hard to tell without pics?

[JamesDFarrow]

I found a "Fret Saw". Couldn't really find a coping saw with a large enough throat. They were mostly between 4" and 5". The fret saw I found has a 12" throat and will take the same kind of blades. Even spiral ones.

James :)

[bluedogshuz]

James, Please show me a picture or better dicribe what you are doing. Do you have some kind of diamomd band that attaches to the fret saw. I'm very interested.

[JamesDFarrow]

James, Please show me a picture or better dicribe what you are doing. Do you have some kind of diamomd band that attaches to the fret saw. I'm very interested.

I was looking at saws to cut down larger pieces closer to the finished sizes of the sculpt(s) I am doing. I have been doing it by hand with files, rasps, chisels, etc... but it is very time consuming. Just think how long it takes to rasp away 4" or more of a corner. I was hoping there was a "power saw" that could speed up the process but the choices there were either not appropriate or too expensive (I can't believe what a replacement blade for a bandsaw cost). So someone suggested a coping saw or jeweller's saw. Checked out jeweller's saws but they seemed to delicate for what I want to use it for. Checked out coping saws but couldn't find one with a large enough throat. Then found that "Fret" saws are pretty well the same as a coping saw. And found this one (with a 12" throat) at Lee Valley:

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=45654&cat=1,42884,42902

They also sell blades. Regular (various TPI choices) and spiral. The spiral blades are not diamond wire or anything like that. Just metal blades as far as I can tell. But they should work O.K. for my gypsum based material.

Here is a pic of the spiral blades:

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=32920&cat=1,42884,42904

If you want to see the other choices of blades just use their search function and put in Fret Saw

James :)

[bluedogshuz]

Thanks James. I have been looking for a hand held diamond band kind of on the order of a chain saw so that you could cut out the inside of limestone or marble etc. sort of a small scale of what you might see at a quarry. Have not found it yet. It seems alot of the tools I would like are dangerous to operate therefore they never get made for liability purposes. I use all my saws without guards to get the depth and am vry careful.. also I never reccommend cutting stone the way I do but in Italy.... :D

[jvc stone]

Thanks James. I have been looking for a hand held diamond band kind of on the order of a chain saw :D
Hi Blue

Check out this link: http://construction.granitecitytool.com/cons/chainsaw.cfm

Might be what you are dreaming of. They do come with a hefty price tag though. :D

JVC

[bluedogshuz]

Stone, Thanks for the heads up! I will check the price I have 2 pieces of carrara 750lb ea. that have been sitting in my yard so long the are creating a sink hole! Damn the price mortgage the house! :)

[kzmfa]

you need a demolition saw.
the often sell them at the local concrete supply stores.
it will cut up to 12 inches at a time
oh yeah, you need a diamond blade not the carbon fiber (for metal)
if you want to do it right, it is the way to go
but, expect to pay
i do know it is simmilar to what they are using all around the world ( where they can get it.
it has a chainsaw-like body with a disc on the end instead of a bar.

[kzmfa]

or you can drill holes and drive wedges

[Merlion]

It's my own formula stone. Gypsum based with other ingredients to enhance the strength, hardness and chip resistency. It's very fine grain. Almost powdery. And marbled like Marble. Sorta feels like marble too. Holds razor sharp edges (detail) well. Originally I figured it to be about twice the hardness of regular gypsum but I think it is more than that.

Anyway, would be great if I could do some initial cutting (some straight, some curved) to save time in getting the pieces closer to the final sizes for finishing. [snip]

James :)

I have two comments.

If your material is based on gypsum, do you mean it is mixed with water like gypsum plater before it sets hard? In that case, would you be able to cut and remove materials easily before it hardens completely.

Could you let us know more about your material. It is interesting if as you said this looks and feels like marble.

John

[JamesDFarrow]

I have two comments.

If your material is based on gypsum, do you mean it is mixed with water like gypsum plater before it sets hard? In that case, would you be able to cut and remove materials easily before it hardens completely.

Could you let us know more about your material. It is interesting if as you said this looks and feels like marble.

John

Hi! Yes, It is mixed with water. I start with a fine gypsum and add a few things to increase the hardness and chip resistency. Then it is cast in a mold box. Can pretty well cast any size block or slab. Only limited by the size of my mold box capacity.

Sets in about 1/2 to 1 hour but can't really be worked during that time. It pretty well stays watery and then just sets in an instant. Then takes 2 to 3 weeks to dry out completely. Comes out better than I expected. Quite hard and quite dense. Holds a razor sharp edge really well too.

I think it's because of the consistency (density) that it has the texture of marble. And I also get a marbled (black and sometimes white) affect throughout the slab.

The only negatives so far are: one, it's damn hard to cut. Scoll saw blades just break to often. The cost is not a concern but I don't like taking the chance of a piece of blade taking out an eye or whatever. A band saw might work but those blades are expensive, so won't experiment there. So I pretty well just use a fret saw or hack saw (spiral blades seem to work the best) to cut the slabs into managable pieces and then shape it using rasps, files, etc... And, two: sanding is a bit if a problem. The material produces such a fine dust that any sandpaper over, say 260 grit, just gets instantly completely clogged. May try wet sanding.

James :)

[TMon]

To all,

My name is Tom Monaghan and I am the Western Sales Manager for ICS. While the diamond chainsaws carry a healthy price tag they can save alot of time and material when roughing out your stone. I have attended several symposiums in the Pacific Northwest where there is a large population of sculptors who own them. They work well cutting all types of stone including marble, basalt, granite, etc...

Check out our website at ICS (http://www.icsbestway.com) to view the entire product line.

[Andrew Werby]

Hi! Yes, It is mixed with water. I start with a fine gypsum and add a few things to increase the hardness and chip resistency. Then it is cast in a mold box. Can pretty well cast any size block or slab. Only limited by the size of my mold box capacity.

[Then why do you need to cut it at all? Just cast it to the shape you want. A piece of shim stock (try a hardware store or roofing supply) bent into the shape you want will define the edge for you, just like a cookie cutter.]

Sets in about 1/2 to 1 hour but can't really be worked during that time. It pretty well stays watery and then just sets in an instant. Then takes 2 to 3 weeks to dry out completely. Comes out better than I expected. Quite hard and quite dense. Holds a razor sharp edge really well too.

I think it's because of the consistency (density) that it has the texture of marble. And I also get a marbled (black and sometimes white) affect throughout the slab.

The only negatives so far are: one, it's damn hard to cut. Scoll saw blades just break to often. The cost is not a concern but I don't like taking the chance of a piece of blade taking out an eye or whatever. A band saw might work but those blades are expensive, so won't experiment there. So I pretty well just use a fret saw or hack saw (spiral blades seem to work the best) to cut the slabs into managable pieces and then shape it using rasps, files, etc... And, two: sanding is a bit if a problem. The material produces such a fine dust that any sandpaper over, say 260 grit, just gets instantly completely clogged. May try wet sanding.

James :)

[If it's castable, you're wasting your time carving it. Make a mold, and pour the stuff into it. Nobody will pay what it's worth for carvings in plaster. If you want to carve, get yourself a piece of stone; it will look better and be worth more when you're done.]

Andrew Werby
www.unitedartworks.com

[JamesDFarrow]

[If it's castable, you're wasting your time carving it. Make a mold, and pour the stuff into it. Nobody will pay what it's worth for carvings in plaster. If you want to carve, get yourself a piece of stone; it will look better and be worth more when you're done.]

Andrew Werby
www.unitedartworks.com

Well I didn't get into it to make money. Then it becomes a job. And I have one of those. Don't want another one. I figure if I did sell anything it would be a bonus. I just like doing it.

James :)