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Thread: What is best? diamond band saw; wire saw; ring saw?

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    Icon5 What is best? diamond band saw; wire saw; ring saw?

    I am looking for a nice saw to cut diffusers mostly. It would also be nice for dichro and maybe even rocks.

    I have seen a diamond band saw do a nice job, but i also see these other items available. Are they better, worse, or equal?

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    Default Re: What is best? diamond band saw; wire saw; ring saw?

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    Default Re: What is best? diamond band saw; wire saw; ring saw?

    Either a diamond bandsaw or a small lapidary trim saw will work best (I've used both). I have a Taurus 3 as well, but the "blade" is really, really thick.

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    Default Re: What is best? diamond band saw; wire saw; ring saw?

    does the Taurus Ring saw allow to use a thinner blade/ring? i've never used one, but thought of trying to get one cheap if i can. but the width/girth of the ring is what put me off about it.
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    Default Re: What is best? diamond band saw; wire saw; ring saw?

    Quote Originally Posted by istandalone24/7 View Post
    does the Taurus Ring saw allow to use a thinner blade/ring? i've never used one, but thought of trying to get one cheap if i can. but the width/girth of the ring is what put me off about it.
    Yes they have a thin straight blades just like a tile saw. I wouldn't be put of by the width of the original though, I think it looks thicker because it is round. I can get nice diffused cuts with it and the major plus is you don't have to worry about it snapping your piece because the blade can't catch the glass like a flat blade does.(that probably didn't make sense) It won't "snag"? the edge of the glass and chip or snap it off like the flat blade.
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    Default Re: What is best? diamond band saw; wire saw; ring saw?

    i think i see what you're saying. i don't really have a use for one (other then cutting down 5' lengths of simax 32mm rod, melting them in half kills my wrists...surgery years ago yada yada yada), although if i see a used one cheap i'm probably going to spring for it.
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    Default Re: What is best? diamond band saw; wire saw; ring saw?

    They also have a Mega blade for the Taurus as well. It has a teardrop shape so your cut (from the back of the blade, narrow edge) would be a bit wider at the surface and thin on the inside, like a "V". Might look cool, I haven't tried one yet.


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    Default Re: What is best? diamond band saw; wire saw; ring saw?

    So which offers the thinnest blades? Or are they about the same?

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    Default Re: What is best? diamond band saw; wire saw; ring saw?

    As much hate as there is on the Taurus I love mine and wouldn't trade it for anything. I will always have one in my shop from now on. The simple fact that you can cut from any angle is the part that gets the most use for me. However you can also take the cutting head off and use it as a hand saw which is amazingly handy too.

    Mike, also... if you are only planning on cutting 32mm rod I wouldn't go the Taurus route. It will cut through with no problem but I would imagine it takes a serious toll on the blade, plus cutting something that thick would be really hard to cut straight too. A cheap tile saw would be your best bet.
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    Default Re: What is best? diamond band saw; wire saw; ring saw?

    The thinnest blades I have seen are for a standard tile saw. Like 0.017 or something.

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    Default Re: What is best? diamond band saw; wire saw; ring saw?

    why would you need to cut a 32mm rod anyways? I mean scoring and snapping is so easy with rods and you don't have all the roughness you would later have to to polish up or remove.

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    Quote Originally Posted by FoggyMountain View Post
    why would you need to cut a 32mm rod anyways? I mean scoring and snapping is so easy with rods and you don't have all the roughness you would later have to to polish up or remove.
    Uh have you actually scored and snapped a lot of 32mm rod?

    I'm not saying it can't be done but on shorter lengths I think it would get dangerous.

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    Default Re: What is best? diamond band saw; wire saw; ring saw?

    Quote Originally Posted by somewhere View Post
    Uh have you actually scored and snapped a lot of 32mm rod?

    I'm not saying it can't be done but on shorter lengths I think it would get dangerous.
    If you got the large jaws it's no problem, but then ur spending $100 on something that only does that
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    Quote Originally Posted by ROGUE

    If you got the large jaws it's no problem, but then ur spending $100 on something that only does that
    The large jaws excel in breaking down large tubing. I wouldn't use them on rod that large. Not that they wouldn't leave a nice score I just like the tool to much to abuse it. Besides it's not the scoring part it's the breaking it after the score that bothers me.

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    Default Re: What is best? diamond band saw; wire saw; ring saw?

    well i suppose if you are doing short sections it would be hard to break.... still curious why you would need short sections of 32? why not snap to appropriate length and then punty up with a 12-15mm rod? From there use the torch to divide the rest up. I mean your not working a short section bare handed right? I guess unless you got a 32mm rod holder.....

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    Default Re: What is best? diamond band saw; wire saw; ring saw?

    For ring saws I'd recomonmend first the titan, Second taurus 2, and third the Taurus 3 for cutting slits. You can get a slim ring blade for cutting dichroic sheet glass or thin slits, but I'd recommend the mega blade it's wider and last longer. Belts and groments also wear out and need replacing after heavy use. They don't make the titan and taurus 2 anymore. The other way to cut slits is a tile saw with a resin bonded diamond blade. There are many options and few threads on saw aswell.

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    Default Re: What is best? diamond band saw; wire saw; ring saw?

    I think i am still looking for a band saw. I would imagine that the blades would last longer, and i have seen what it can do as far as diffusion slits. However what about dichroic glass? It it going to chip away the coating on the edges? I usually am using 1/4" dichro.

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    Default Re: What is best? diamond band saw; wire saw; ring saw?

    If you're cutting the dichro sheets in straight lines, learn to cut it like folks cut stained glass with a manual cutting wheel, a straight edge and a pair of running pliers. You get long, perfectly straight, clean cuts really fast. Get a 6" x 12" sheet of clear stained glass to practice on...

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    Straight or curved lines I don't think a carbide wheel cutter can be beat for sheet glass. Cut with dicro facing down on a clean cloth. If you cut dicro up you can chip the edges of the dico leaving a scuz line. No oil needed.

    Bandsaws are great for what they do. I just finished a job of 2,500 pieces that are blown, cut open on the bandsaw, polished and beveled. No other saw would have worked. Many people buy a wood cutting 14" bandsaw and run a readily available diamond blade on it. A 90 plus inch blade will set you back around $200 I found some for $125. You just need cover on the steel table and add a water feed. Some saws will require you remount the motor out of the path of water. All bearing are sealed on these saws and the wheel heads are made from aluminum. I machined riser blocks for my Delta to extend the machine up with a larger blade I can cut a 14" tube on this saw!

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