When I purchased my used 16” slab saw the blade that came with it was not in the best of shape. I knew that I was going to have to replace it in the near future. Back in November I was cutting some Cripple Creek Jasper when a piece broke off and became lodged between the blade and slab catch tray. This damaged the blade beyond repair; I could not put off ordering a blade any longer.
After doing some research I found two blades on eBay that were reasonably priced at around $100. It took me a week to decide which blade to purchase. One was a tradition lapidary blade but I knew it was a Chinese blade (the same brand of blade that was in the saw to start with) that needs frequent conditioning using obsidian, fire bricks or silicon carbide grinding wheels to keep it sharp. The other was a heavy duty blade that had a 1/8” kurf to it. I decide that since I don’t cut a lot of expensive materials that the heavy duty blade was the way to go.
I ordered the new blade a week before Thanksgiving hoping to have it by the holiday. The vendor shipped it and sent me tracking numbers right away. Thanksgiving came and went and no blade came. It was over a week later that the postal service finally made the delivery. I don’t know what the delay was since I sent out packages that arrived to my customers within a couple of days during the same time period. Anyway, I was excited to finally have the new blade.
Within an hour of receiving the blade it was installed and cutting a piece of obsidian (this material is good for dressing a new or dull blade). The first cut was horrible. After another cut nothing changed. That’s when I realized the new blade wobbled just as bad as the old blade. “Oh no!” Did I buy a bad blade or worse yet did I already damage the new Blade? Next time I buy a blade I will be sure to check that it is flat before installing it. After the blade was removed I checked it and found that it was just fine.
New Saw Blade
Once I knew the blade was ok I took apart the bearing and shaft part of the saw. That’s where the real problem was. One of the bearings was so loose you could stick your finger in it and wiggle it. The other issue was on the shaft where it connected with the bearing. There was a grove in it that was almost a 1/16 on an inch deep. Replacing the bearings was easy but they did cost $40.00. The flanges were also replaced at this time. The shaft was a bigger problem. A new one was needed. Once again I turned to my friend Bill Solt who is a machinist. He was able to make a new shaft within a week. Thanks again Bill.
Old Parts
Once all the new parts were assembled and the blade was installed the saw was running very smooth and the blade did not wobble at all. I was very excited until I checked the first cut and found that it was very rough. Once again I felt a sinking feeling. Did I but a crappy blade? I then cut a few slices off an old silicon carbide grinding wheel before attempting another rock cut. The second cut was much better but still not where I wanted it. After a few more cuts things were looking very good. What a relief it was to know I didn’t waste $100 on a bad blade.
A couple of days later I set the saw to do a cut and went inside. All of a sudden a horrible screeching sound was coming from the garage. I ran quickly to the saw and turned it off. What happened was the rock broke and part of it jammed between the blade and the vice. Luckily when the rock was pulled out the blade popped right back in place; there still was no wobble. If the regular lapidary blade had been there I would have been buying another blade already. Buying the heavy duty blade was the right choice.
Feed Pulleys
A little wile after buying this saw I had changed the pulley on the feed motor from a 2” pulley to a 1” inch pulley. This slowed down the feed rate which was too fast for the old blade that was in it. This kept the saw from locking up while cutting large or very hard materials like agate. With the new heavy duty blade this was not an issue. I have been able to cut even larger stones than before without slowing down the saw at all even with the 2” pulley on the feed motor.
The following gallery shows some of the material I cut since replacing the blade.
