Has anyone tried this?

[elegantcabs]

I have a 10in saw and for about the last 2000lbs of slabs I've been on the same blade using laundry detergant as my "lube"..........its been working great on all the agates Ive been whackin........anyone else do this?

[Mark]

I've never tried it.  Are you slabbing or trimming?  I could see if for trimming, slabbing would be more of a strain with it.  Do you use it only or do you add it to the oil or water?  I have heard of people adding it to various systems for grinding or sawing.  Some people will also add things like WD-40 when slabbing stone like Tiffany.  Lots of things people have tried, i wouldn't be surprised to find that someone has used something like whale blubber, bear fat, or even possum grits.  Ya never know.

Mark

[elegantcabs]

Mark...just add enuff to the water to give the water that "tension free" feeling....plus, with my greasy hands, I get all clean after slabbin.....

[christopherl1234]

Jeff,

So you empty the water out of your saw after your done or do you leave it in there?

If you leave it in there, does the detergent inhibit rust?

[deb193]

Slab saw or trim saw? Is this a question about water or about some additive/detergent?

Many many people (and even manufactures) recommend water for 10" and smaller saws, generally with some additive. The metal alloy (i.e., stainless) of the blade is an issue. So many lapidary blades today have the same core as construction blades, and those almost always use plain water. The old days when lapidary blades were high carbon steel with diamonds notched into them are not today's lapidary situation.

The two most common additives are a wetting agent (e.g., a detergent) or a rust inhibitor. The former may improve the cooling/cleansing action during the cut, the latter reduces the need to drain the water after use. Somewhere in between are additive/mixers like RV-antifreeze which gives both wetting and  rust inhibiting.

Now, I do use oil in my LS10 saw. The saw box contains the mist very well, it is working very well, and I am not inclined to change. I get inexpensive light white mineral oil, and filter it as needed to make it last a long time. This saw is also very awkward to drain (a vote against water), and the vise carriage and cross feed present many parts of various metals that I need to protect from rust. I did use it for a few months with water when I had it on a friend's back porch and did not want to get oil on my friend's porch. It did not cut quite as smooth, but that could have been my old bearings/arbor, which I have since had replaced.

But, In my 10" trim saw, where I also cut slabbetts, and even make smaller 2-3" depth blocking cuts, I use only water. I partially flush it every 30 minutes or so because I am always spraying new water onto the table to clear off all the crumbs and residue. I like a clear/clean table. I open the drain and let out a half gallon of water whenever I spray a half gallon of new water onto the table. Sometimes I let a bit more run out and add a bit more new water until the water coming out runs more clear than cloudy. I cut a lot of jasper and some of it cuts very dirty!

I routinely make a couple of spritzes of a degreaser (g.e., Greased Lightening, low sudsing detergent) right after adding water. It makes the wet table table top feel more slippery and I can slide work onto the blade with greater control. (Getting rid of the residue on the table also yields greater control over sliding the work.) I do not do this for increased cooling purposes, since the water is doing a fine job of cooling. I use the spritzes of detergent to keep the work and table cleaner.

After a day's work, I do drain the saw. If I had an RV antifreeze in there I likely would not.

When I had only a 10" saw and used if with a vise and autofeed to do slabbing, I tried both oil and water. Too much spray/mist comes out of the openings in the plastic hood. Oil sheen got all over my workroom. I went to water with a little detergent, and just lived with the white soap dust that got on workshop surfaces when soap water mist dried. At the end of the day I would just lift the front of the table up a few inches to lift the blade out of the water. Worked fine.

[Mark]

I prefer water and use it with my 8" Genie Trim saw.  I use food grade mineral oil with my 14" slab saw.  I agree with Daniel, i have always heard that you use water with smaller saws like 10" and down and oil with bigger saws like 12" and up.  Still there are probably examples out there that stretch the boundaries.

Mark

[DonniesTreasures]

I have been using 20 Mule Team Borax in my 7" tile saw & it makes a big difference in cutting!

[Steve]

I have been using 20 Mule Team Borax in my 7" tile saw & it makes a big difference in cutting!

Same with my 6" trim saw...........it makes the water wetter..........

[christopherl1234]

Does the Borax inhibit rust also or must you empty it after you are done for the day?

[slabbercabber]

I use borax as a wetting agent, but just like detergent, soap and salt, anything that makes water wetter will also make it cling and increase corrosion.  For that reason I also add Sodium nitrite to inhibit rust.  It can be found at your grocery store as a food preservative, or in bulk for heat treating steel. Still I drain it at the end of the the day.  It's a fairly simple process to drill and tap the front of most reservoirs for a pipe thread.  Add a short pipe and pipe cap for a super simple drain.  As an aside, please do not use RV antifreeze in your saw.  The vapor is very hazardous.  My plastic covered ten inch slab saw is covered with a large plywood box hinged to the table and covered with towels to muffle the noise and stop oil mist.

[Steve]

I have a combo unit - Rock Rascal - there is only a small water reservoir so I empty it after each cutting and rinse the sludge out of the little tank.

[Alvin]

nice bike and my first site of a two wheel wagon. thanks for the information on all this water stuff. great information that I was not away of. still not sure why  you would use water if you had white grade food oil.

[Rockoteer]

Steve, I remember your original post you did of the construction of the BBQ/work table.

TOG

[Rocksnot]

I use Borax.  not only is the water wetter but it inhibits rust (and those dam wasps don't like the water either)
When I put a bit in our fountain this summer I was hoping to keep them wasps out and I found that the tank and pump and filter were slime free when I took it apart last week for the winter.  Last year I had to clean the slime out every other week *blecccch* what a messy job!

[Steve]

Steve, I remember your original post you did of the construction of the BBQ/work table.

TOG

Yes.....that's one of the photos from that thread..........she sure don't look brand new now...............