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I worked in the masonry industry for 36 years and after making a thousand cuts in block we noticed how the blades would seam to get dull. I would get a clay brick and make a cut or two and than back to cutting block never thought of your idea man over all the years and diamond blades thrown out gerrr
I’m an old diamond blade guy from the concrete cutting world. The another way to quickly sharpen a glazed blade is to cut into an Carborundum wheel. This is how we “dress” new blades at the factory. Don’t over dress it, because you will waste diamonds. You want the stones to just be exposed.
I knew you would find some cool uses for the microscope. Really good explanation on the blades. I hope my friends miss this episode because I have been getting their old blades for years, even though I have explained it to them, they would rather buy a new one than sharpen the old one. Good for me. 😊Be happy, safe and stay healthy. 😷⚒
This was awesome! I didn’t know that the diamond blade could be sharpened and I wondered how the notch blade worked because I really couldn’t see diamond, but you just explained both, thank you😊❤️
I love it when you nerd out LOL I want to thank James too for giving you that microscope. I have totally been enjoying seeing all the cool photos that you've been able to get with it it's fascinating. This one hopefully will save people a lot of money.
Thank you man. I was cutting like 60 meters of pretty hard 2 cm ceramic tiles and after 2 hours, the diamond blade was done. Now it cuts maybe better than new one. 👍
I am sooo glad I haven't thrown away my old blades! I'm using a tile saw but the blades are similar in construction so I gave your trick a whirl! I'll be cutting rocks with one of my older saw blades this morning. I can definitely feel the difference in the edge on 3 blades that were almost tossed!!! Thank you!
Huh, interesting! Love seeing the microscope views👍👍 In another life we used MK Diamond 60 grit dressing stones on tile saws as instructed by my boss at the time. I didn't actually cut tile but he swore by them...and knew his stuff! That might be worth a test if you feel like trying different methods in the future. All you did was "cut" the dressing stone slightly to refresh the blade. If the method holds up under a microscope it could be a small dollar investment resulting in saved time....and another interesting use of the microscope and corresponding video. Totally random, that boss used to take the spent 14" concrete / asphalt blades and hang them for plinking.
Just did the dressing stone, (used a red brick as some old timer suggest) This was very large auto feed saw. We are new to this stuff, but the problem we had and figured out was this. During cutting the blade seemed to be getting pushed laterally and booging it down. After a lot of head scratching, figured the blade was dull and the feed was pushing the blade more than cutting it. Used red brick as a dressing stone. That took care of the cutting problem, the cut could keep up with the feed. Now going to get a proper dressing stone and also try the ping the blade. Anyway the blade could not cut at the rate of the feed. Did the sharping and not more problem.
Hahaha, I think I should take that down. I love cats and have two myself but I made a box and filled it with cat litter and that's what I throw all the rocks in that come off the oil saw but I stencilled NO CATS on it cause its a litter box for rocks. :)
@@CurrentlyRockhounding 😆🤣 oh that's hilarious... I totally get that. That's flippin great👍 lol I just had to ask... I love cats. I have a black cat named Ozzy
Thank you for showing this. I watched a video by another guy that said he was going to show how to sharpen the blades. He showed the file, then off-camera there was a bunch of banging. When he came back one he said that's how you do it. The video was worthless.
Outstanding Sir! Really appreciate the work you did here! Just purchased our first lap saw... and I thought the blade dull a bit fast! Your explanation makes tons of sense! Well done... and the microscopic pics really helped. Subscribed and liked!! My new favorite channel!
Yes dude! Nice lapidary sciencing! I watched the brick one all the way through because someone suggested it to me but I had to watch this one first. This is big brain blade saving. Really informative too. Jumpin back to the brick one and then the one suggested to me about the dressing rod thing 🤘
Welcome to the world of penny pinching lapidary! :) Try the file technique and you will love it! If you have two dull blades try the brick on one and the file on the other and test them back to back to see for yourself.
I timed using the timer old blade was right around 14 seconds new blade was right around 22nd don't know if it was the same thickness but that shows you not much difference
I should of picked something that was the same length of cut I think as well for that. Also a factor when cutting with a new blade is all the glue and paint kinda needs to work itself off.
I still have my old blades kicking around, after watching this video I'm very intrigued to test your method. If this in fact works for me, and in the long run saves me cash on blades, you will have earned my contribution to this channel. The science you provide, and the money saving experiments you show, truly need to be supported. I encourage anyone who has watched currently rockhounding videos and have saved money to definitely contribute to the cause. Thanks Jared!
Please go out and give it a try, I think you will be very happy with the results! Many of the videos that I make are both time consuming and costly to make. They're also not very algorithmically friendly so all of the community support I can get is very welcomed and appreciated.
@CurrentlyRockhounding I was actually out in the shop trying it and cut a beautiful plume agate with ease! That blade was dull, and now it is back to new! Wow man, thanks a lot! You're awesome!
Should have shown the cut surface of the stone under the microscope. You had one side of that trimmed off piece that was cut with both blades, sharpened and new. In metal working, a dull blade will tare the metal rather than cutting and you can see the difference on the worked surface.
That would have been good but I didn't think about that. When cutting stones you can see slight surface changes when cutting but its nothing that can't and won't be quickly polished out. There is a slight break in period when running a new or freshly sharpened blade as the metal burs get removed and paint comes off but that that seems to only take about 1" cutting until that stuff works away.
Good tips! I wouldn't have thought a little tapping could ruin the arbor, but I guess it wouldn't take much misalignment to throw everything in a tizzy. Another factor in the life of a blade is the kerf of the cut. If the diamondiferous area narrows to no more than the width of the rest of the blade, then the rock will rub against the steel of the blade leading to heating and binding. The chop file method works on sintered blade faces as well, but does not refresh the diamonds on the sides. Refreshing those with a bit of filing/dressing will keep your cut faces nice and smooth and reduce the amount of time you need to spend polishing later.
I think misspoke a bit there, hitting your blade while on the saw is transferring unnecessary load to the arbor and bearing and you could get them out of alignment which is a pain to realign your blade vs. just take the blade off which is just a single nut. As far as the side dressing of sintered blade I plan on testing that as well. I think most of the methods out there that people use for that is kinda bunk and its easy to test cause the proof is in the microscope you know. You are correct if the cutting area of the blade narrows to the same width as the rest of the blades core the n it will rub on the rock and heat up. I think the real question which is another thing I want to explore is does that really matter that much. I don't have a blade that worn out but I think I can ask around and get one, I'll then go and rent a FLIR Camrers and see how much more heat is generated. Should be fun!
@@CurrentlyRockhounding I think I generalized in my comment, extrapolating from misalignment to ruined arbor. Your used sintered blade still had quite a bit of diamond exposed, though over time the metal could start shielding them just like the notched blade. Since filing/dressing takes off width of the kerf, regularly reversing the blade may be the best way to promote even wear. Like you say, there's a lot of bunk out there, and most people will swear by what they've always done, without having tried alternatives. I'm looking forward to your future mythbusting videos!
@@DonohueLabs @currentlyrockhounding. Peening the edge restores width to the cutting edge. The edge of the blade is the only place the cutting is happening. (supposed to anyway.) If you are wearing the sides of your blade cutting area, you have blade wobble that needs troubleshooting, repair and alignment.
Never thought of that. Great way to use your new tool, also gonna make old tile saw blades better for work. Thanks man, great ideas and content all the time.
I have been cutting a whole boule of green corundum. This video lets me do the actual cut. I purchased a 10in trim/slab saw and the blade is wide for a 10 in blade. I am using a spring to provide a light pressure to cut the boule. it takes forever. the boule diameter is about 1 and 1/2 inches, and the blade is about 2 mm wide. I found out that corundum is only 5 times softer than diamond itself. but redoing the blade everyday prior to the continued cutting the single 70mm cut of the boule lengthwise. I used to achieve 2 mm per 8 hour period of cutting. Now I achieve 4mm per 8 hour cutting period time. I am getting a 6in blade so that the cutting blade is only 0.020 mm wide or about. (the main problem is that the width of a 10in black is about 2mm, instead of a 0.020 6in gem blade) (I do wonder if I can stick a 6in blade on a 10in blade machine)? I hope to complete the cut cutting 8 hours a day for 8 days. I used to only cut quartz, and that was quickish. there are very few videos of synthetic corundum being cut. and they are only about 10mm width and 20mm wide and even those videos that cut take time. I do the file first, then use a dressing stone to clean up the blade of the excess metal.
Apologies for the delayed response here. There's almost far too much to address in this comment. Why are you cutting so slowly? 2mm per 8 hours is a glacial pace for cutting.
I have a dragsaw with a lapidary saw blade. The diamond cutter bits were welded on and 4 or 5 have been knocked off. I would like to replace them but finding replacement diamond bits has been difficult. Also I would like info on the welding process process. Do you or any of your followers have any info that can help me. Thanks Randy.
I do have a queation, I have a 10in trim/saw blade, but the speed of the motor has no adjustments, can I install a 6in blade and would that be safe, change the cutting of the trim/saw blade? I do know that the smaller distance actually creates a slower Speed, as the distance of the smaller diamond 6in blade actually travels at a smaller distance per sec. the radius being smaller changes the displacement distance at the circumference edge of the 6in blade, its actually slower speed; not faster. I was just wondering if people swap out a 10in for a 6in blade when cutting.
This is the origin story as I have read. In the early 14th century, the Duke of Northumberland would abuse tenants of his farms, who were late paying, by torturing their wives. During this time, he invented a number of tools to help him enforce his punishment for late payment, with one of those tools being commonly known as the bastard file. The Duke’s reputation spread far and wide, it even reached London and the king’s ear. Henry V had just returned from his jaunt in France and fresh from his celebrated battle of Agincourt and wanted to re-exert his influence over the dukes and earls in court. He called for the Duke of Northumberland, ridiculed him in front of his peers and used the now commonly known bastard file to remove the tip of the Duke’s nose.
Great video. Sorry to say the Bastard term on a file has nothing to do with the single cut vs. double cut, it is the “grit” or level of grooves, just like grits on sandpaper or grinding wheels. Bastard is right in the middle of the cuts, that is it, nothing to do with the single or double cut. You can get a single cut or double cut bastard file for example.. CUTS ROUGHEST TO SMOOTHEST Rough Middle Bastard Second cut Smooth Dead smooth CUTS Single cut Double cut others
TY. Now I know how my arbor girly bent. Two blades in a row have worn out unevenly since I hammered on my saw blade on my saw. The diamonds on one half of the circumference of the blade are gone so that now I only have diamonds on the blade in the shape of a C. The open part of the C has no diamonds left and the left side of the C shape has plenty of diamonds. I struggled explaining so you knew how weirdly it wore out. Can I replace the bearings or does the whole arbor need replace?
I think it depends on the arbor time. Some are fully enclosed sealed bearings and some are just pillow blocks with a shaft. If you want you can email me some photos of your arbor and I can let you know my thoughts on it. Email address is below this video and on the main channel page as well.
@@CurrentlyRockhounding thank you. It is an old machine, third owner. The entire arbor casing unbolts but the bearings are inside like a bicycle peddle gear
Thanks for the great info. and the before and after close-ups. Would be great to hear some discussion on blade speeds for the various sizes, maximum speeds, etc., and how it affects cutting different materials. Is there an ideal speed for most hard materials?
Yes but and this is a big one. Tile blades do not have nearly as much diamond in the matrix so compared to a lapidary saw blade they cut much slower. It is false economy because that thicker blade takes a lot longer to cut. A blade that is twice as thick takes 4 times as long to cut. You get what you pay for.
I'm using a microscope from AmScope, its a trinocular scope. If I post a link to it here TH-cam will think its spam but I can email it to you if you email me. currentlyrockhounding@gmail.com
@Currently Rockhounding: So if tapping works... By moving the metal matrix, so that the dull diamonds disappear at the next cut... Then wouldn't inverting the blade (on blades that are not directionally structured) not work in the same way? We stick to a given direction to retain the diamonds that have the metal matrix behind them (from the pov of the cutting direction), holding the diamonds in place. But if you flip the blade around, the metal will be taken away on the next cut, and a lot of the diamonds that depended on this metal matrix will vanish with them... I have started doing this on dremel speedclic blades today (on nasty cheap tiles), and while my feeling is very subjective, it seems to be working: dull blade, flip, sharper blade. I would love to see some microscope footage of what inverting the blade does :)
Cool and informative video Currently Rockhounding. I think the only way to go full science on improved performance would be to use a saw like my B&I with the gravity feed system, cut a rock and time it, then sharpen and cut again and compare. Thank you for showing us.
You are definitely the most informative rock hounding channel. Thank you for sharing your knowledge to some of us who mainly learn this skill from YT. When I started I knew nothing about lapidary and no one to ask on how to work the machine. There is still one thing that I’m curious about. What rpm are better for the blades? Specially for quartz material. Thank you.
So what am I doing when I'm dressing my blade? I'm running a dressing stone or obsidian every few cuts. Wondering if maybe I haven't been sharpening my blades at all...I have the same machine, and it takes me three or four times longer to cut the same material. 🤔 Totally going to try your way, thanks!
To be honest I really don't know what people are doing when dressing a blade. I plan on gathering all of the things people use and I will be testing those as well for a future video. My gut tells me that there's no way a dressing stone or anything like that can reproduce what you get from some light peening on a blade but the only way to know for sure is to test it out. The videos I post of my cutting those Jasper slabs were done in real time by the way.
@@CurrentlyRockhounding I've been using 2 different dressing blocks and an old brick. I will let you know how this peening method works. I have been using the blocks and not really noticing much of a difference... Hmmmm
@@CurrentlyRockhounding I've been looking at my order history but couldn't find them .. One was white and one was brick colored. Neither one seems to do anything as far as I can tell!
Thumbs Up!! Jared, Greetings from Guadalajara, Mexico. I just enjoyed to see you how you work cutting rocks. Probably I’ll do it some time in the future watching your videos.
I subscribed. Loved the content here as I have blades I need to do this with. I love cutting rocks. I started out cutting core in a core shack and had a couple saws. The core shack took a hit with a boulder the size of a garbage can and took out the whole corner. We were too close to the blast and the blast man was saying face the blast and dodge the rocks. HaHa. Later on had a core shack there with hired cutters and 4 saws as I was then project geologist and had a drill program going on. We drilled all winter to delineate the ore body and then in the summer started production using a heap leach process. I loved going up to the smelter and looking at the gold when they were doing a pour. The news came and took a photo of me one time holding a gold bar for the news paper. I was only 25 years old back then fresh out of university. I didn't have anyone telling me what to do. I just made it up as I went along. Making mylar draftings of the ore body using the drill hole data and the returning assay results every day. The drillers gave me a bottle of whiskey as a gift and I don't drink so I saved it. One night I broke it open and drank it with some friends and went to this bar where my friends from work had a band. I was up dancing and I don't dance. That was a fun night! One of the drillers whom I became close friends with died a few years back on Christmas eve. He was a gambling addict and I watched him and it was no different than being a coke head as he suffered great depression because of it and smoked like a chimney. I nicknamed him Rockin to make him feel proud. Rockin Randy Petland. He was a star goalie in soccer RIP. One night at work his father's fingers went missing. Blood in the snow.
I've watched numerous videos on sharpening diamond blades. By far I've learned so much more on your channel. Well done Jared! Thank you! I have 5 cats and saw your sign "no cats" lol
Thank you so much Jared because I just used your method for sharpening dull blades with the bastard file. It worked really well. I can now keep on cutting rocks without having to buy a new blade for a while.
Hello Brother, Wow Thanks for the heads up? Someone said you can take a red brick across the blade... Have you ever tried that? I do have a metal file, I'll use your technique... Awesomeness 🌲✨🦅🦉🦅✨🌲
Great video bud!!!..I was pitching my old blades like you said until I saw a video made by (you know them bastards),explaining the whole bastard file technique. But your video goes to a whole new level. The microscope details and explanation of the two types of blades is extremely important. I really appreciate the time you took to make this. I have a few old blades out in the garage destined to the the dump, that now will get the "bastard " treatment. Thanks for helping us all operate our saws to there maximum capability. U rock brotha!!
I'm glad you liked it. In the future I plan on trying some of the dressing techniques people suggest to see if they really work on not and we will be talking about what makes a good blade.
I look at your videos from Iraq and it is very informative and not published online so easy and clear, thank you bro👏👏👍👍👍👍 I will continue to see your vids🎊
I just used my 10” for the first time today. Thanks so much for explaining all about the blades and their upkeep. I knew nothing about them before and had no idea how long they lasted.
Love your channel. Are you tapping the top of the saw blade or the side? You mentioned side load but if you’re hitting the top, I don’t understand how that is sideload. What do you think about synthetic dressing blocks?
The tap on the edge of the blade and not the side. When I commented about side loading I believe I was talking about not doing that on the blade while mounted in the saw. The dressing sticks 100% do nothing for lapidary, I have tested it and it does nothing. The dressing sticks work great if you use them for what they are intended which is cleaning the glazing off of tile saw blade from cutting tile.
I’m super new to using any kind of lapidary equipment or tools in general, so my question will reflect this . if I only want to take a few millimeters off of a stone to make the bottom of the stone flat which machine is best for that ? I have the Hi Tech 6 in trim saw with the vice. I have tried to use the vice but the rocks seem to be to small and won’t stay put in that vice. I have tried to cut it by hand but they don’t come out even/ smooth (I know that’s probably the user since I’m super new ). I was wondering if a flat lap or the other machine you mention… I think it’s called a cabbing machine? could work? Thank you in advance for your time and advice.
You should be able to produce a nice flat cut with almost any saw and blade. Is the issue a little bit of chip out towards the end of the cut? A flat lap can help but progress on it can be slow when trying to remove a lot of material.
Thank you 🙏. I actually just just want to make the bottom of a tumbled rock completely flat but sometimes I only need to shave a few millimeters off the bottom of the stone. So when I saw you polishing some stones I was wondering if I did that but with the pad that did the grinding if that would work to just grind off a the bottom so it was smooth and flat? I want to attach it to make a night light. There isn’t enough to really cut off on the trim saw and when I try to do it by hand ( I can’t get the vice to hold it due to the stones size and shape ) it comes out kind of wavy and uneven if that makes sense? Thank you again!
Have you had any problems with sintered blades wearing down unevenly? Is there any way to restore those? It happens to me pretty regularly but wondering if it’s because of the amount of pressure I’m applying. To clarify, I’m talking about a blade wearing down unevenly by more than 1/8” on opposite sides, causing a very bad wobble and makes the rock jump while attempting to cut.
That's really shouldn't be happening. Why type of blade do you have? Also you can email me as well, sometimes photos will help with this sort of thing.
@@stormymountainrockworks Depending on how long it is you can email it or upload it to youtube as an unlisted video and email me the link at currentlyrockhounding@gmail.com
What sucks about some notched and continuous blades is that they tend to get a bit "skinnier" as the metal wears down not just vertically... but horizontal as well. A thinned-out blade can snuggle into a rock and then the cut is kinda stressed... and it will build more heat. I never get to use up a blade completely because of this...
Interesting! I always used an old grinding wheel or brick. Bricks kinda suck it's like your oil will turn red and stay that way. I'll have to try this.
@@CurrentlyRockhounding thx I just did. I think I only used brick one time and didn't like what it did to my oil. I've always used grinding wheels. I felt they made a difference imo but the next time I will def try this. Unfort the only dull blade I have right now is a 20" so starting out big lol. thank you!
I use sintered blades only so I have no experience with the newer blades. Depending on the blade I have always sharpened the blades by either cuttng a piece of cinder block with some blades and Quartzite or hard stone thru once or twice on other blades. If all else fails I use a 4” grinder with a diamond blade and cut notches in the sintered blade every inch around the blade. Basically making the continuous rim segmented but only much shallower. I wouldn’t cut all the way thru the sintered are, don’t need to and might compromise its structural integrity.
Hi Jarred, like most people starting out in this hobby I assumed that once these blades started to dull that that was the end of the blade. I took the time to read all the other comments so far and there is also some interesting views in the comments. Like most people I have heard of using a brick to clean the blade on your saw and as yet have not tried this, though I can understand it could have some merit. Thank you for the video on this subject, it is great to see that we can save dollars on the consumable portion of the hobby as some of these blades are expensive items. (There’s another video for you cheaper type blades verses some expensive ones, is there are difference in cutting & life span) Another good video and subject with some actual information & visuals behind it. 👍. Keep Safe & Keep Rockin
More money saved in the shop means more money for trips! I plan on trying out all of the different ways people suggest for blade dressing to see how it does, including the brick thing. I have my own theories about it but the proof is in weather or not cutting those things will expose new diamond and make it cut again. I plan on doing a test in the future between an expensive blade and cheap blade.
This is a topic I have touched on but pretty much notched blades have little notches cut into the edge of the blade, diamonds are put in and then the notch is closed up around them. Sintered has diamonds in a matrix that runs around the outside of the blade.
Did you enjoy this video and find it to be informative? You can help ensure that more videos just like this get made by supporting the project on Patreon. www.patreon.com/currentlyrockhounding
I worked in the masonry industry for 36 years and after making a thousand cuts in block we noticed how the blades would seam to get dull. I would get a clay brick and make a cut or two and than back to cutting block never thought of your idea man over all the years and diamond blades thrown out gerrr
I’m an old diamond blade guy from the concrete cutting world. The another way to quickly sharpen a glazed blade is to cut into an Carborundum wheel. This is how we “dress” new blades at the factory. Don’t over dress it, because you will waste diamonds. You want the stones to just be exposed.
If you found this to be helpful please drop me a thumbs up and consider subscribing.
Also this will work on tiles saw blades as well!
Thanks for the videos. You got another subscriber tonight. I'm new to this and your videos helps a bunch!!
Did this and it worked awesome! Thank you so much for your research into this. Much appreciated. This was incredibly informative.
I knew you would find some cool uses for the microscope. Really good explanation on the blades. I hope my friends miss this episode because I have been getting their old blades for years, even though I have explained it to them, they would rather buy a new one than sharpen the old one. Good for me. 😊Be happy, safe and stay healthy. 😷⚒
This was awesome! I didn’t know that the diamond blade could be sharpened and I wondered how the notch blade worked because I really couldn’t see diamond, but you just explained both, thank you😊❤️
I love it when you nerd out LOL I want to thank James too for giving you that microscope. I have totally been enjoying seeing all the cool photos that you've been able to get with it it's fascinating. This one hopefully will save people a lot of money.
Thank you!
I needed this video so bad thanks so much Jared I have blades I don't wanna throw away yet.
They likely have lots of life left in them!
Thank you man. I was cutting like 60 meters of pretty hard 2 cm ceramic tiles and after 2 hours, the diamond blade was done. Now it cuts maybe better than new one. 👍
Thanks for the tip, I have tossed a lot of blades that from what you showed still had a lot of life. wont do that again.
Yes, the blades seem to last forever.
Great content, thanks.
John
I am sooo glad I haven't thrown away my old blades! I'm using a tile saw but the blades are similar in construction so I gave your trick a whirl! I'll be cutting rocks with one of my older saw blades this morning. I can definitely feel the difference in the edge on 3 blades that were almost tossed!!! Thank you!
Huh, interesting! Love seeing the microscope views👍👍
In another life we used MK Diamond 60 grit dressing stones on tile saws as instructed by my boss at the time. I didn't actually cut tile but he swore by them...and knew his stuff! That might be worth a test if you feel like trying different methods in the future. All you did was "cut" the dressing stone slightly to refresh the blade. If the method holds up under a microscope it could be a small dollar investment resulting in saved time....and another interesting use of the microscope and corresponding video.
Totally random, that boss used to take the spent 14" concrete / asphalt blades and hang them for plinking.
Oh I plan on trying out all the dressing methods!
@@CurrentlyRockhounding Nice!!
Just did the dressing stone, (used a red brick as some old timer suggest) This was very large auto feed saw. We are new to this stuff, but the problem we had and figured out was this. During cutting the blade seemed to be getting pushed laterally and booging it down. After a lot of head scratching, figured the blade was dull and the feed was pushing the blade more than cutting it. Used red brick as a dressing stone. That took care of the cutting problem, the cut could keep up with the feed. Now going to get a proper dressing stone and also try the ping the blade. Anyway the blade could not cut at the rate of the feed. Did the sharping and not more problem.
Looks like a ripe vs a not ripe slice of watermelon
Please show us how you have the Pro-Flow water cooling system hooked up.
Very informative! Greatly done. 👍
I watched the whole video😄 and I only have one question... Why don't you like cats? 😼 lol
Hahaha, I think I should take that down. I love cats and have two myself but I made a box and filled it with cat litter and that's what I throw all the rocks in that come off the oil saw but I stencilled NO CATS on it cause its a litter box for rocks. :)
@@CurrentlyRockhounding 😆🤣 oh that's hilarious... I totally get that. That's flippin great👍 lol
I just had to ask...
I love cats. I have a black cat named Ozzy
We have two cats, one is chill and wants to relax, and the other is insane and runs around the house with crazy eyes like a wild animal.
Great video. Thank You.
I saw a video where someone said running a red brick through your blade, it can extend the life of the blade. Have you heard of this?
I have heard this and I plan on testing it in the future.
Share this video or Big Diamond wins!!
Dood, this is timeless buddy, good show ol chap
I wish I had a green suit covered in question marks. THE SECRET BIG DIAMOND DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW!
@@CurrentlyRockhounding I am not opposed to wearing costumes...
Great help! thank you so much
Where can I buy very good quality thin saw blades 6in dia. with a 5/8in hole? To cut Jasper
Have you looked at Kingsley North.
@@CurrentlyRockhounding thanks I will🙂
Thank you for showing this. I watched a video by another guy that said he was going to show how to sharpen the blades. He showed the file, then off-camera there was a bunch of banging. When he came back one he said that's how you do it. The video was worthless.
I'm glad you liked it!
Very good information!
Thank you Jared!
Thanks man, I'm glad you liked it.
Outstanding Sir! Really appreciate the work you did here! Just purchased our first lap saw... and I thought the blade dull a bit fast! Your explanation makes tons of sense! Well done... and the microscopic pics really helped. Subscribed and liked!! My new favorite channel!
I'm glad you like it!
Yes dude! Nice lapidary sciencing! I watched the brick one all the way through because someone suggested it to me but I had to watch this one first. This is big brain blade saving. Really informative too. Jumpin back to the brick one and then the one suggested to me about the dressing rod thing 🤘
Welcome to the world of penny pinching lapidary! :)
Try the file technique and you will love it! If you have two dull blades try the brick on one and the file on the other and test them back to back to see for yourself.
Great job, lots of good usable info. Can’t wait for what’s next!
I timed using the timer old blade was right around 14 seconds new blade was right around 22nd don't know if it was the same thickness but that shows you not much difference
I should of picked something that was the same length of cut I think as well for that. Also a factor when cutting with a new blade is all the glue and paint kinda needs to work itself off.
I still have my old blades kicking around, after watching this video I'm very intrigued to test your method. If this in fact works for me, and in the long run saves me cash on blades, you will have earned my contribution to this channel.
The science you provide, and the money saving experiments you show, truly need to be supported.
I encourage anyone who has watched currently rockhounding videos and have saved money to definitely contribute to the cause.
Thanks Jared!
Please go out and give it a try, I think you will be very happy with the results!
Many of the videos that I make are both time consuming and costly to make. They're also not very algorithmically friendly so all of the community support I can get is very welcomed and appreciated.
@CurrentlyRockhounding I was actually out in the shop trying it and cut a beautiful plume agate with ease! That blade was dull, and now it is back to new! Wow man, thanks a lot! You're awesome!
Should have shown the cut surface of the stone under the microscope. You had one side of that trimmed off piece that was cut with both blades, sharpened and new. In metal working, a dull blade will tare the metal rather than cutting and you can see the difference on the worked surface.
That would have been good but I didn't think about that. When cutting stones you can see slight surface changes when cutting but its nothing that can't and won't be quickly polished out. There is a slight break in period when running a new or freshly sharpened blade as the metal burs get removed and paint comes off but that that seems to only take about 1" cutting until that stuff works away.
Good tips! I wouldn't have thought a little tapping could ruin the arbor, but I guess it wouldn't take much misalignment to throw everything in a tizzy.
Another factor in the life of a blade is the kerf of the cut. If the diamondiferous area narrows to no more than the width of the rest of the blade, then the rock will rub against the steel of the blade leading to heating and binding.
The chop file method works on sintered blade faces as well, but does not refresh the diamonds on the sides. Refreshing those with a bit of filing/dressing will keep your cut faces nice and smooth and reduce the amount of time you need to spend polishing later.
I think misspoke a bit there, hitting your blade while on the saw is transferring unnecessary load to the arbor and bearing and you could get them out of alignment which is a pain to realign your blade vs. just take the blade off which is just a single nut.
As far as the side dressing of sintered blade I plan on testing that as well. I think most of the methods out there that people use for that is kinda bunk and its easy to test cause the proof is in the microscope you know.
You are correct if the cutting area of the blade narrows to the same width as the rest of the blades core the n it will rub on the rock and heat up. I think the real question which is another thing I want to explore is does that really matter that much. I don't have a blade that worn out but I think I can ask around and get one, I'll then go and rent a FLIR Camrers and see how much more heat is generated. Should be fun!
@@CurrentlyRockhounding I think I generalized in my comment, extrapolating from misalignment to ruined arbor.
Your used sintered blade still had quite a bit of diamond exposed, though over time the metal could start shielding them just like the notched blade. Since filing/dressing takes off width of the kerf, regularly reversing the blade may be the best way to promote even wear.
Like you say, there's a lot of bunk out there, and most people will swear by what they've always done, without having tried alternatives. I'm looking forward to your future mythbusting videos!
@@DonohueLabs Thank you! I just want real answers and not hear say. : )
@@DonohueLabs @currentlyrockhounding. Peening the edge restores width to the cutting edge. The edge of the blade is the only place the cutting is happening. (supposed to anyway.) If you are wearing the sides of your blade cutting area, you have blade wobble that needs troubleshooting, repair and alignment.
Great info! Thanks!
Never thought of that. Great way to use your new tool, also gonna make old tile saw blades better for work. Thanks man, great ideas and content all the time.
Oh man the microscope makes everything better I think.
Thank you so much for this. I am about start cutting rocks for the first time so this will help me maintain my blade a lot.
Why the "no cats" stencil? 😆
I have been cutting a whole boule of green corundum. This video lets me do the actual cut. I purchased a 10in trim/slab saw and the blade is wide for a 10 in blade. I am using a spring to provide a light pressure to cut the boule. it takes forever. the boule diameter is about 1 and 1/2 inches, and the blade is about 2 mm wide. I found out that corundum is only 5 times softer than diamond itself. but redoing the blade everyday prior to the continued cutting the single 70mm cut of the boule lengthwise. I used to achieve 2 mm per 8 hour period of cutting. Now I achieve 4mm per 8 hour cutting period time. I am getting a 6in blade so that the cutting blade is only 0.020 mm wide or about. (the main problem is that the width of a 10in black is about 2mm, instead of a 0.020 6in gem blade) (I do wonder if I can stick a 6in blade on a 10in blade machine)? I hope to complete the cut cutting 8 hours a day for 8 days. I used to only cut quartz, and that was quickish. there are very few videos of synthetic corundum being cut. and they are only about 10mm width and 20mm wide and even those videos that cut take time. I do the file first, then use a dressing stone to clean up the blade of the excess metal.
Apologies for the delayed response here.
There's almost far too much to address in this comment. Why are you cutting so slowly? 2mm per 8 hours is a glacial pace for cutting.
I have a dragsaw with a lapidary saw blade. The diamond cutter bits were welded on and 4 or 5 have been knocked off. I would like to replace them but finding replacement diamond bits has been difficult. Also I would like info on the welding process process. Do you or any of your followers have any info that can help me. Thanks Randy.
I can likely help some, email me a photo of your saw and a close up of the blade.
SUBSCRIBING for your brilliant tests. thank you!
Thank you!
I do have a queation, I have a 10in trim/saw blade, but the speed of the motor has no adjustments, can I install a 6in blade and would that be safe, change the cutting of the trim/saw blade? I do know that the smaller distance actually creates a slower Speed, as the distance of the smaller diamond 6in blade actually travels at a smaller distance per sec. the radius being smaller changes the displacement distance at the circumference edge of the 6in blade, its actually slower speed; not faster. I was just wondering if people swap out a 10in for a 6in blade when cutting.
You can do that but why would you want to?
Thanks I m getting ready to rebuild my grandfathers saw and was going to buy a new blade
It might still have some life in it.
Thanks for the great info! Whenever I grab my bastard file I always ponder the name too.... WHY is it named this?!?!? lol
This is the origin story as I have read.
In the early 14th century, the Duke of Northumberland would abuse tenants of his farms, who were late paying, by torturing their wives.
During this time, he invented a number of tools to help him enforce his punishment for late payment, with one of those tools being commonly known as the bastard file.
The Duke’s reputation spread far and wide, it even reached London and the king’s ear. Henry V had just returned from his jaunt in France and fresh from his celebrated battle of Agincourt and wanted to re-exert his influence over the dukes and earls in court.
He called for the Duke of Northumberland, ridiculed him in front of his peers and used the now commonly known bastard file to remove the tip of the Duke’s nose.
@@CurrentlyRockhounding Oh man thats really savage! Thanks for that info too!
Great video. Sorry to say the Bastard term on a file has nothing to do with the single cut vs. double cut, it is the “grit” or level of grooves, just like grits on sandpaper or grinding wheels.
Bastard is right in the middle of the cuts, that is it, nothing to do with the single or double
cut. You can get a single cut or double cut bastard file for example..
CUTS ROUGHEST TO SMOOTHEST
Rough
Middle
Bastard
Second cut
Smooth
Dead smooth
CUTS
Single cut
Double cut
others
Thank you kind Sir.
Good job from lao
TY. Now I know how my arbor girly bent. Two blades in a row have worn out unevenly since I hammered on my saw blade on my saw. The diamonds on one half of the circumference of the blade are gone so that now I only have diamonds on the blade in the shape of a C. The open part of the C has no diamonds left and the left side of the C shape has plenty of diamonds. I struggled explaining so you knew how weirdly it wore out. Can I replace the bearings or does the whole arbor need replace?
I think it depends on the arbor time. Some are fully enclosed sealed bearings and some are just pillow blocks with a shaft. If you want you can email me some photos of your arbor and I can let you know my thoughts on it. Email address is below this video and on the main channel page as well.
@@CurrentlyRockhounding thank you. It is an old machine, third owner. The entire arbor casing unbolts but the bearings are inside like a bicycle peddle gear
@@doctorofart I'm not sure I can picture that. Shoot me a photo.
So you use the same technique for both types of blade? Did I miss something? I didn't see you demonstrate a separate technique for the centered blade.
Correct, it's the same for notched or sintered blades.
Awesome! Thanks!
Thanks for the great info. and the before and after close-ups.
Would be great to hear some discussion on blade speeds for the various sizes, maximum speeds, etc., and how it affects cutting different materials. Is there an ideal speed for most hard materials?
I will be making some more videos about blades that will touch on that very subject.
Is it possible to sharpen a sintered tile saw blade as well?
Yup! It's the same, just thicker to withstand the added speed.
Yes but and this is a big one. Tile blades do not have nearly as much diamond in the matrix so compared to a lapidary saw blade they cut much slower. It is false economy because that thicker blade takes a lot longer to cut. A blade that is twice as thick takes 4 times as long to cut. You get what you pay for.
Very interesting and informative video! What kind of microscope do you have and if I may ask, what do they go for?
I'm using a microscope from AmScope, its a trinocular scope. If I post a link to it here TH-cam will think its spam but I can email it to you if you email me. currentlyrockhounding@gmail.com
Cheers 🍻 love this video. Great info and awesome thought put into all of it. Dude 😎🤘
I'm glad you liked it man.
Very informative video Thanks
I'm glad you liked it.
Awesome videos…excellent explanations on all 3 videos
Thank you!
Great info!!! 👍
I'm glad you liked it.
So that was sharpen to a notched blade, Do you sharpen a sintered blade the same with a bastard file ? thank you.
Yes you can do this to a sintered blade as well.
What about tuning up the cantered blade? Is it the same way with the file?
If you mean a sintered blade it works the same.
Dude this is amazing!!!😎 Thank you so much for going in depth about this topic. I so badly needed this😄
Thanks man, I'm glad you liked the video. Go sharpen that blade!
Thank you so much for this video. Need to know information.
I'm glad you found it helpful!
great video, TOP NOTCH.
Ha! Top notch comment! :)
@Currently Rockhounding:
So if tapping works... By moving the metal matrix, so that the dull diamonds disappear at the next cut... Then wouldn't inverting the blade (on blades that are not directionally structured) not work in the same way?
We stick to a given direction to retain the diamonds that have the metal matrix behind them (from the pov of the cutting direction), holding the diamonds in place. But if you flip the blade around, the metal will be taken away on the next cut, and a lot of the diamonds that depended on this metal matrix will vanish with them...
I have started doing this on dremel speedclic blades today (on nasty cheap tiles), and while my feeling is very subjective, it seems to be working: dull blade, flip, sharper blade.
I would love to see some microscope footage of what inverting the blade does :)
That's a good question and something that could be tested.
I've heard it said that a sintered blade won't cut you. Is that true and then will a notched blade cut you?
None of them really cut you, the notched blade is a little rough when you first run it but before you know it they all feel pretty smooth.
Interested in what size blades you think are the most useful?
It really depends on what you're doing. In this video I was showing a 6" trim saw blade but I also have my much large slab saw.
Cool and informative video Currently Rockhounding. I think the only way to go full science on improved performance would be to use a saw like my B&I with the gravity feed system, cut a rock and time it, then sharpen and cut again and compare. Thank you for showing us.
Than you!!
How do you sharpen the red hi tech blade? Forgot what they are called!
You do it exactly as this one here, same process.
cool man!...
Thanks for the video. It's not even Saturday on "The Channel where we look at EVERYTHING Rockhounding related". More great content!
Hahaha : ) Thank you.
You are definitely the most informative rock hounding channel. Thank you for sharing your knowledge to some of us who mainly learn this skill from YT. When I started I knew nothing about lapidary and no one to ask on how to work the machine. There is still one thing that I’m curious about. What rpm are better for the blades? Specially for quartz material. Thank you.
Thank you!
As for the blade question it depends on many factors, blade type, saw type, water or oil, and what you are cutting.
I just bought two new blades yesterday! I think today I'm going to try to rejuvenate my old blades thanks!
I would love to hear how it goes for you.
👁👁 🍺🥜🥜🥜🍺⚙️⚙️⚙️😎
What a wonderful video! Thank you so much!
Absolutely
So what am I doing when I'm dressing my blade? I'm running a dressing stone or obsidian every few cuts. Wondering if maybe I haven't been sharpening my blades at all...I have the same machine, and it takes me three or four times longer to cut the same material. 🤔
Totally going to try your way, thanks!
To be honest I really don't know what people are doing when dressing a blade. I plan on gathering all of the things people use and I will be testing those as well for a future video. My gut tells me that there's no way a dressing stone or anything like that can reproduce what you get from some light peening on a blade but the only way to know for sure is to test it out. The videos I post of my cutting those Jasper slabs were done in real time by the way.
@@CurrentlyRockhounding I've been using 2 different dressing blocks and an old brick. I will let you know how this peening method works. I have been using the blocks and not really noticing much of a difference... Hmmmm
@@kksrocks5204 What are the other dressing blocks? I'm looking for some to test.
@@CurrentlyRockhounding I've been looking at my order history but couldn't find them .. One was white and one was brick colored. Neither one seems to do anything as far as I can tell!
I did the dressing thing with my old blade. Didn’t seem to help. Now I’ll try the knocking. Very good guide. Thank you 😊
I was like, What! I can sharpen those! Great topic
I'm glad you liked it.
Thumbs Up!! Jared, Greetings from Guadalajara, Mexico. I just enjoyed to see you how you work cutting rocks. Probably I’ll do it some time in the future watching your videos.
Thanks for this video! Your channel always seems to teach me something right when I need it! :)
That's awesome! I just want to spread the word about these things.
I subscribed. Loved the content here as I have blades I need to do this with. I love cutting rocks. I started out cutting core in a core shack and had a couple saws. The core shack took a hit with a boulder the size of a garbage can and took out the whole corner. We were too close to the blast and the blast man was saying face the blast and dodge the rocks. HaHa. Later on had a core shack there with hired cutters and 4 saws as I was then project geologist and had a drill program going on. We drilled all winter to delineate the ore body and then in the summer started production using a heap leach process. I loved going up to the smelter and looking at the gold when they were doing a pour. The news came and took a photo of me one time holding a gold bar for the news paper. I was only 25 years old back then fresh out of university. I didn't have anyone telling me what to do. I just made it up as I went along. Making mylar draftings of the ore body using the drill hole data and the returning assay results every day. The drillers gave me a bottle of whiskey as a gift and I don't drink so I saved it. One night I broke it open and drank it with some friends and went to this bar where my friends from work had a band. I was up dancing and I don't dance. That was a fun night!
One of the drillers whom I became close friends with died a few years back on Christmas eve. He was a gambling addict and I watched him and it was no different than being a coke head as he suffered great depression because of it and smoked like a chimney. I nicknamed him Rockin to make him feel proud. Rockin Randy Petland. He was a star goalie in soccer RIP. One night at work his father's fingers went missing. Blood in the snow.
I've watched numerous videos on sharpening diamond blades. By far I've learned so much more on your channel. Well done Jared! Thank you! I have 5 cats and saw your sign "no cats" lol
Thank you!
The no cats stencil is for a box of litter that I have in the shop for getting oil off rocks, I don't want any cats using it!
Thank you so much Jared because I just used your method for sharpening dull blades with the bastard file. It worked really well. I can now keep on cutting rocks without having to buy a new blade for a while.
I'm glad it worked for you! :)
Hello Brother, Wow Thanks for the heads up? Someone said you can take a red brick across the blade... Have you ever tried that? I do have a metal file, I'll use your technique... Awesomeness 🌲✨🦅🦉🦅✨🌲
That is something that I have tested here on the channel and I have a video up showing the results. Check out the lapidary blade playlist.
@@CurrentlyRockhounding lol I did see it your other video... The next day I believe... Thank you kindly 🦅🦉🦅🕊👽🕊
Great information, sketches and microscopy!
Thank you.
Great video bud!!!..I was pitching my old blades like you said until I saw a video made by (you know them bastards),explaining the whole bastard file technique. But your video goes to a whole new level. The microscope details and explanation of the two types of blades is extremely important. I really appreciate the time you took to make this. I have a few old blades out in the garage destined to the the dump, that now will get the "bastard " treatment. Thanks for helping us all operate our saws to there maximum capability. U rock brotha!!
I'm glad you liked it. In the future I plan on trying some of the dressing techniques people suggest to see if they really work on not and we will be talking about what makes a good blade.
Interesting thank you for sharing and education on this topic 💙
I'm glad you liked it!
I look at your videos from Iraq and it is very informative and not published online so easy and clear, thank you bro👏👏👍👍👍👍 I will continue to see your vids🎊
I just used my 10” for the first time today. Thanks so much for explaining all about the blades and their upkeep. I knew nothing about them before and had no idea how long they lasted.
Do I do that to a sintered blade to make it sharp again?
Correct
Nice video my friend!!
Thank you.
Love your channel. Are you tapping the top of the saw blade or the side? You mentioned side load but if you’re hitting the top, I don’t understand how that is sideload. What do you think about synthetic dressing blocks?
The tap on the edge of the blade and not the side. When I commented about side loading I believe I was talking about not doing that on the blade while mounted in the saw.
The dressing sticks 100% do nothing for lapidary, I have tested it and it does nothing. The dressing sticks work great if you use them for what they are intended which is cleaning the glazing off of tile saw blade from cutting tile.
@@CurrentlyRockhounding thank you!!
I’m super new to using any kind of lapidary equipment or tools in general, so my question will reflect this .
if I only want to take a few millimeters off of a stone to make the bottom of the stone flat which machine is best for that ?
I have the Hi Tech 6 in trim saw with the vice. I have tried to use the vice but the rocks seem to be to small and won’t stay put in that vice. I have tried to cut it by hand but they don’t come out even/ smooth (I know that’s probably the user since I’m super new ).
I was wondering if a flat lap or the other machine you mention… I think it’s called a cabbing machine? could work? Thank you in advance for your time and advice.
You should be able to produce a nice flat cut with almost any saw and blade. Is the issue a little bit of chip out towards the end of the cut?
A flat lap can help but progress on it can be slow when trying to remove a lot of material.
Thank you 🙏. I actually just just want to make the bottom of a tumbled rock completely flat but sometimes I only need to shave a few millimeters off the bottom of the stone. So when I saw you polishing some stones I was wondering if I did that but with the pad that did the grinding if that would work to just grind off a the bottom so it was smooth and flat? I want to attach it to make a night light. There isn’t enough to really cut off on the trim saw and when I try to do it by hand ( I can’t get the vice to hold it due to the stones size and shape ) it comes out kind of wavy and uneven if that makes sense?
Thank you again!
Have you had any problems with sintered blades wearing down unevenly? Is there any way to restore those? It happens to me pretty regularly but wondering if it’s because of the amount of pressure I’m applying.
To clarify, I’m talking about a blade wearing down unevenly by more than 1/8” on opposite sides, causing a very bad wobble and makes the rock jump while attempting to cut.
That's really shouldn't be happening. Why type of blade do you have? Also you can email me as well, sometimes photos will help with this sort of thing.
@@CurrentlyRockhounding I took a video of it. how do I go about emailing you? They’re standard RIDGID blades.
@@stormymountainrockworks Depending on how long it is you can email it or upload it to youtube as an unlisted video and email me the link at currentlyrockhounding@gmail.com
Did u ever find out a solution to this problem?
Im having similar issues with a lap blade and wondered if any way of saving it as it's almost new
What sucks about some notched and continuous blades is that they tend to get a bit "skinnier" as the metal wears down not just vertically... but horizontal as well. A thinned-out blade can snuggle into a rock and then the cut is kinda stressed... and it will build more heat. I never get to use up a blade completely because of this...
Interesting! I always used an old grinding wheel or brick. Bricks kinda suck it's like your oil will turn red and stay that way. I'll have to try this.
I also have a video about using the brick which you might want to watch.
@@CurrentlyRockhounding thx I just did. I think I only used brick one time and didn't like what it did to my oil. I've always used grinding wheels. I felt they made a difference imo but the next time I will def try this. Unfort the only dull blade I have right now is a 20" so starting out big lol. thank you!
I use sintered blades only so I have no experience with the newer blades. Depending on the blade I have always sharpened the blades by either cuttng a piece of cinder block with some blades and Quartzite or hard stone thru once or twice on other blades. If all else fails I use a 4” grinder with a diamond blade and cut notches in the sintered blade every inch around the blade. Basically making the continuous rim segmented but only much shallower. I wouldn’t cut all the way thru the sintered are, don’t need to and might compromise its structural integrity.
The process shown here works on all types of blades.
@@CurrentlyRockhounding I like the method. I’ve never heard of it. Thanks for sharing.
how much does a machine like this one cost to cut the stones
You can go to their website for current prices.
Jared you’re a rockstar and everyone in the rockhounding community attest to this. I too would be curious about the 180 grit flat lap
Thank you! I will do a comparison I think and show the flat lap discs.
Thank you, you are a excellent teacher, thanks for sharing. 😊
What about the sintered blade?
It's the exact same process.
Hi Jarred, like most people starting out in this hobby I assumed that once these blades started to dull that that was the end of the blade. I took the time to read all the other comments so far and there is also some interesting views in the comments. Like most people I have heard of using a brick to clean the blade on your saw and as yet have not tried this, though I can understand it could have some merit. Thank you for the video on this subject, it is great to see that we can save dollars on the consumable portion of the hobby as some of these blades are expensive items.
(There’s another video for you cheaper type blades verses some expensive ones, is there are difference in cutting & life span)
Another good video and subject with some actual information & visuals behind it. 👍. Keep Safe & Keep Rockin
More money saved in the shop means more money for trips!
I plan on trying out all of the different ways people suggest for blade dressing to see how it does, including the brick thing. I have my own theories about it but the proof is in weather or not cutting those things will expose new diamond and make it cut again.
I plan on doing a test in the future between an expensive blade and cheap blade.
Nice going Jarred, I will take particular interest in those videos.
Very late to the party. Also tilesaw user here/previously grinder.
What is the difference between notched and sintered?
This is a topic I have touched on but pretty much notched blades have little notches cut into the edge of the blade, diamonds are put in and then the notch is closed up around them. Sintered has diamonds in a matrix that runs around the outside of the blade.
@@CurrentlyRockhounding I meant more like performance wise/result wise .
Would love to see microscope pics of the blade after pinging then a few rock cuts. I’d like to see what happens to the loosened metal.
The loosened metal just comes right off when you start cutting.
@@CurrentlyRockhounding Your the best…. Thank you for such a quick reply
❤❤❤❤🎉
Really Cool! Thank you.
I'm glad you liked it.
Hi I make a cut into an old house brick to refresh the edge, works every time
I will be testing that in the future.