Stone Carving: Q&A + Gallery... - Tiki Carving

T Tamapoutini Member Aotearoa (New Zealand) Joined: Aug 30, 2006 Posts: 1530	T Tamapoutini Posted posted on Sun, Feb 18, 2007 12:10 AM Now this is what I like about jade carving. This is one of the magical times; cutting stone, finding out whats hidden within... (have you got a bargain or have you bought a 100lb lemon - eek!) My set-up is a very basic diamond trimsaw. It was originally put together by an old fella who passed it on to me. It came with a cradle that held a small block of stone & with the aid of a gravity-feed (weighted) system, slowly cut though the stone. Presumably while you went away & had a cup of tea? The only problem was that it only held a piece of stone about the size of a block of butter; no good to me. Lacking a larger drop-saw, this is all I got & need it to perform small miracles, so I ripped the cradle etc apart & now have much more room to play. I now manually push stone though the blade, often attacking a large cut from several sides. (nothing to be learned here; all very dangerous, probably. Illegal, possibly? Dont copy me or think that I recommend these practices. I just thought you might like to see - heehee Obviously working with a 90 degree cut face on the sawbed is preferable (jade must be cut 'with' the grain to achieve best strength & arguably, aesthetic) but the original rounded outer surfaces of rocks often have to be tackled. Wherever possible I scrounge use of friends larger saws & wham blocks down to a size that this saw can (only just) handle. Gratuitous 'slabbing' shots... (my water line is wrapped in copper wire so that 'adjustments' can be made. The wire simply loops over a small weight to hold the end of the hose against the blade. When not in use I peg the business end of the hose up high - gravity; you know, flows down & all that. Thats what we're here for... Paydirt... A large trim-out while Im at it... Working 'with' the grain, wherever possible; some grains are maddenly swirly & hard to work out; others are almost amorphous & can be cut in almost any direction. Im a bit wonky with this one but to correct would mean cutting a wedge-shaped slice & I dont want to do that. The danger is ending up with a large, shallow fracture running diagonally through the slab, in effect ruining the entire slab. (ps: the risk was worth it; very few fractures & a happy Tama :D Another large block being lopped in half for easier handling. I just shake my head in wonder & marvel at this old girl. It wouldnt surprise me if she lasted my career & was handed on again, awwww And at the end of the day there's a satifying mess behind me, to be hosed off another time, or next time it rains; which will probably be the case :lol: So there you go. Like I said nothing to be learned, I took most of the pics myself & didnt try to attempt anything educational. Just a party trick for your amusement. Hope you likee'ed. TamaTheTrimsawTyrant :wink:

Now this is what I like about jade carving. This is one of the magical times; cutting stone, finding out whats hidden within... (have you got a bargain or have you bought a 100lb lemon - eek!)

My set-up is a very basic diamond trimsaw. It was originally put together by an old fella who passed it on to me. It came with a cradle that held a small block of stone & with the aid of a gravity-feed (weighted) system, slowly cut though the stone. Presumably while you went away & had a cup of tea? The only problem was that it only held a piece of stone about the size of a block of butter; no good to me. Lacking a larger drop-saw, this is all I got & need it to perform small miracles, so I ripped the cradle etc apart & now have much more room to play. I now manually push stone though the blade, often attacking a large cut from several sides. (nothing to be learned here; all very dangerous, probably. Illegal, possibly? Dont copy me or think that I recommend these practices. I just thought you might like to see - heehee

Obviously working with a 90 degree cut face on the sawbed is preferable (jade must be cut 'with' the grain to achieve best strength & arguably, aesthetic) but the original rounded outer surfaces of rocks often have to be tackled. Wherever possible I scrounge use of friends larger saws & wham blocks down to a size that this saw can (only just) handle.

Gratuitous 'slabbing' shots...

(my water line is wrapped in copper wire so that 'adjustments' can be made. The wire simply loops over a small weight to hold the end of the hose against the blade. When not in use I peg the business end of the hose up high - gravity; you know, flows down & all that.

Thats what we're here for...

Paydirt...

A large trim-out while Im at it...

Working 'with' the grain, wherever possible; some grains are maddenly swirly & hard to work out; others are almost amorphous & can be cut in almost any direction. Im a bit wonky with this one but to correct would mean cutting a wedge-shaped slice & I dont want to do that. The danger is ending up with a large, shallow fracture running diagonally through the slab, in effect ruining the entire slab. (ps: the risk was worth it; very few fractures & a happy Tama :D

Another large block being lopped in half for easier handling. I just shake my head in wonder & marvel at this old girl. It wouldnt surprise me if she lasted my career & was handed on again, awwww

And at the end of the day there's a satifying mess behind me, to be hosed off another time, or next time it rains; which will probably be the case :lol:

So there you go. Like I said nothing to be learned, I took most of the pics myself & didnt try to attempt anything educational. Just a party trick for your amusement.

Hope you likee'ed.

TamaTheTrimsawTyrant :wink:

Post #286344 by Tamapoutini on Sun, Feb 18, 2007 12:10 AM