Pat Chesney on mon 23 jun 97
This is a copy of a post I sent in reply to the question of cutting carbide
shelves.
--------------------------------------------------------------
We recently cut up 15 shelves like you have. We used a diamond wet saw. It
cut well. The blade cost $135.00 and it is still good for many cuts. If you
rent the blade with the saw, they usually charge $1.00 per thousandths
wear. I would imagine we used enough off our blade to have paid for it at
those prices. I would recommend buying the blade and having it for later.
Buy one that has extra cutting surface on it-shop around, they are
competitive about this. The prices are all similar but the amount of
cutting surface varies.
Don't rush the cut on Silicon carbide. It cuts slower than tile, but it
does cut well.
Good luck.
Pat Chesney
Pat-Chesney@easy.com
Waco, Texas
Paul Herman on sat 16 sep 06
Mudducks,
I can cut silicon carbide shelves on my Clipper masonry saw, 3 HP,
240 v, 14" diamond blade. Water squirts on the blade as you cut. A
generic blade costs $200. It's a serious machine.
I've probably cut about 20 of those 2' X 2' used shelves in half. You
have to go slow and make sure there's plenty of water, like Hank
says. Silicon carbide wears out the blade faster than hard firebrick.
I investigated getting a blade that was specially made to cut SiC,
but they were closer to $400. Since I rarely need to cut shelves, I
haven't gotten one.
If you have a friend who is a mason, they might have the right tool.
Best,
Paul Herman
Great Basin Pottery
Doyle, California US
http://greatbasinpottery.com
On Sep 16, 2006, at 2:15 PM, Mud Duck Pottery wrote:
> Has anyone had any success cutting silicon carbide shelves??? I
> have 18 - 25X28X5/8 inch shelves that I would like to cut down to
> 12X24 to use in my new Minnesota flat top kiln I'm building. I
> purchased a cheap diamond blade for tile cutting at local hardware
> and tried to make a cut. I tried to make small cuts about 1/8 an
> inch deep at a time. No go, the blade wore out in no time and just
> got hot and wanted to wobble all over the place.
>
> Any suggestions???
>
> Gene & Latonna
>
Fredrick Paget on sat 16 sep 06
I have heard, and I am not positive about this, that an industrial
water jet cutter will cut silicon carbide shelves. There is a water
jet place not far from the former location of our nearest clay and
ceramic supplies store in Richmond, California . I went in there a
few years ago and asked them if they could cut a carbide shelf for
me. They told me that there was a $75 set up fee and it would be an
experiment for them as they had never done it before.
For those who are wondering, water jet cutting is done with a thin
jet of water pumped out at 50000 pounds per square inch pressure and
it will cut just about anything cleanly. Since I was just asking out
of curiosity I never followed through on it.
I also heard in discussions at the Nanamio Tozan kiln site that they
had worn out two 16 inch diamond water cooled blades in cutting
carbide parts for the Tozan Noborigama when it was built. They
inherited a great many heavy carbide shelves and tall carbide posts
long enough to fire toilets in the Vancouver, B.C. Sanitary ware
factory that was torn down. Those posts made wonderful grates for the
dogie and the chambers that are side stoked. And the shelves served
for years in the firings. Some are getting a little long in the tooth
now. They are dropping boogers on the ware as result of ash
absorption.
Fred Paget
--
Twin Dragon Studio
Mill Valley, CA, USA
Still recovering from the death of my old trusty Mac Computer.
This new fangled operating system is supposed to be the berries but
it is driving me crazy.
Mud Duck Pottery on sat 16 sep 06
Has anyone had any success cutting silicon carbide shelves??? I have 18 =
- 25X28X5/8 inch shelves that I would like to cut down to 12X24 to use =
in my new Minnesota flat top kiln I'm building. I purchased a cheap =
diamond blade for tile cutting at local hardware and tried to make a =
cut. I tried to make small cuts about 1/8 an inch deep at a time. No go, =
the blade wore out in no time and just got hot and wanted to wobble all =
over the place.
Any suggestions???
Gene & Latonna
mudduck@mudduckpottery.net
www.mudduckpottery.net
Vince Pitelka on sat 16 sep 06
Gene and Latonna wrote:
"Has anyone had any success cutting silicon carbide shelves??? I have 18 -
25X28X5/8 inch shelves that I would like to cut down to 12X24 to use in my
new Minnesota flat top kiln I'm building. I purchased a cheap diamond blade
for tile cutting at local hardware and tried to make a cut. I tried to make
small cuts about 1/8 an inch deep at a time. No go, the blade wore out in no
time and just got hot and wanted to wobble all over the place."
Gene and Latonna -
We received a large quantity of those shelves some years ago, and cut most
of them in half. I know of no saw that will do it, although I am sure they
exist. We just used a very sharp cold chisel, scoring along a carefully
placed line on both sides - tapping lightly with the chisel along the line,
alternating sides of the shelf. Make sure that your marker lines are in
exactly the same location on both sides of the kiln - you can verify that by
holding the shelf vertically with the marker lines horizontal and sighting
along them with both eyes, one on each side of the shelf. When using the
chisel, just work your way back and forth along the line on one side, turn
the shelf over, do the same on the other side, etc. You don't have to hit
the chisel very hard. You're just slowly breaking down the structure of the
silicon carbide. This is a very reliable method, and I do not remember a
single one of our shelves breaking other than along the line. Always
cushion the shelf on a folded blanket or a piece of foam rubber while using
this method.
This will produce a shelf with a fairly rough broken edge. A silicon
carbide grindstone on an angle grinder or bench grinder will take off the
high spots and make it a little less hard on the hands, but don't try to
grind it smooth. That accomplishes nothing, and will just wear out a lot of
grindstones.
Good luck -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft, Tennessee Technological University
Smithville TN 37166, 615/597-6801 x111
vpitelka@dtccom.net, wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
http://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/
Hank Murrow on sat 16 sep 06
On Sep 16, 2006, at 2:15 PM, Mud Duck Pottery wrote:
> Has anyone had any success cutting silicon carbide shelves??? I have
> 18 - 25X28X5/8 inch shelves that I would like to cut down to 12X24 to
> use in my new Minnesota flat top kiln I'm building. I purchased a
> cheap diamond blade for tile cutting at local hardware and tried to
> make a cut. I tried to make small cuts about 1/8 an inch deep at a
> time. No go, the blade wore out in no time and just got hot and wanted
> to wobble all over the place.
>
> Any suggestions???
YEs, Gene;
Try a 16" diamond blade in a water-cooled masonry saw. I have had good
luck with such a setup. Go slow and carefully. Do NOT run out of water,
as that is why your blade failed from overheating...........just a
guess.
Cheers, Hank
www.murrow.biz/hank
Patrick Cross on sat 16 sep 06
Shot in the dark....maybe see if a nearby monument manufacturer could do
it...for a fee? May be less expensive to buy the size you want...or barter
with someone...trade.
Patrick Cross (cone 10soda)
On 9/16/06, Mud Duck Pottery wrote:
>
> Has anyone had any success cutting silicon carbide shelves??? I have 18 -
> 25X28X5/8 inch shelves that I would like to cut down to 12X24 to use in my
> new Minnesota flat top kiln I'm building. I purchased a cheap diamond blade
> for tile cutting at local hardware and tried to make a cut. I tried to make
> small cuts about 1/8 an inch deep at a time. No go, the blade wore out in no
> time and just got hot and wanted to wobble all over the place.
>
> Any suggestions???
>
> Gene & Latonna
> mudduck@mudduckpottery.net
> www.mudduckpottery.net
>
>
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William & Susan Schran User on sun 17 sep 06
On 9/16/06 5:15 PM, "Mud Duck Pottery" wrote:
> Has anyone had any success cutting silicon carbide shelves??? I have 18 -
> 25X28X5/8 inch shelves that I would like to cut down to 12X24 to use in my new
> Minnesota flat top kiln
Check out this site: http://www.ukam.com/hybrind_diamond_bond.htm
Contact them and ask them about the cutting process with their product.
I have not used their cutting equipment, just came across their site a while
back while searching for kiln furniture cutting blades.
-- William "Bill" Schran
Fredericksburg, Virginia
wschran@cox.net
wschran@nvcc.edu
Hank Murrow on sun 17 sep 06
On Sep 16, 2006, at 10:37 PM, Fredrick Paget wrote:
>
> Still recovering from the death of my old trusty Mac Computer.
> This new fangled operating system is supposed to be the berries but
> it is driving me crazy.
Patience, Fred, patience;
You will soon create new habits that will make your cyberlife more
enjoyable. I love OSX.
Cheers, Hank in Eugene
www.murrow.biz/hank
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