Ways to cab/cut with existing gear?

[medusa]

Has anyone got any experience of cutting/cabbing rough using a flex shaft? I have kind of cut and cabbed an opal from rough but it was awkward and is not a great result (that said I didn't grind all the fire it had out and it didn't break up into tiny pieces!). I used a mix of the radial wheels and abrasive tips I had to hand but I was frankly guessing and experimenting. I'm not ready to even begin to think about investing hundreds of quids in trim saws and lap wheels, but I do want to have a bit more of a go. Any advice or suggestions?

[Goldsmith]

I have used my flex shaft to trim flat agates when restoring agate covered antiques. I cut the stone using diamond wheels that I purchased from here; http://www.eternaltools.com/diamond-...slitting-discs but if any polishing is required I use my old M.L.Beach stone polisher, the only must is to have running water when polishing, for cutting with the flex shaft and diamond wheels I cut in a tiny tray of water on my bench with a splash guard to keep me from getting soaked.

My bench splash guard and eye protector used when cutting and grinding stones and my stone polishing machine, there are attachments change the polishing end mop into a simple trimsaw machine which I never used as I had an old Lortone stone saw which I sold last year.




James

[medusa]

hmmmm a better set up than I used the other day.

For cutting, I used a largish disk in a mandrel (not sure what kind, I tried experimenting with slitting disks (not the diamond ones you linked, though they look similar, I got a box full for about a tenner) and ended up with a fibreglass one which did the job ok although I sprayed water everywhere. I need something to keep my work area dry because I ended up doing it outside.

Do you think the vertical wheel types are better than the flat lap wheels? I've read conflicting opinion on them.

[Goldsmith]

I like the standard vertical wheel set up as I use it for other jobs, it's good for sharpening hard tools and another job I use it for is when altering standard shape watch glasses to fit inside odd shaped miniature photo frames. I have had no experience of using a flat stone lap, I always assumed they were more for facetting stones.

James