Cutting live rock

Badlands25 · 03/25/2014, 11:06 AM

What type of band saw would you recommend for cutting live/base rock? I want to silicone flat and small rounded pieces to my back wall. Will a regular band saw work with a specific blade? Thanks

davocean · 03/25/2014, 11:13 AM

You could rent a a tile wet saw that should do the trick for you, and keeping wet would avoid possible fumes from heat like a band saw may do.
If it is live, be careful of breathing any fumes caused by friction/heat.

Reefer54 · 03/25/2014, 11:14 AM

a diamond blade is going to go the furthest, BY FAR. If your rock is real porous like Marco Rocks, you can cut it with a grinder or even tile saw no problem at all and it will hold silicone real easy.

I used a sharp hand saw on some small pieces and that worked but it is cumbersome and easy to slip and crack the stone or cut yourself.

Show pics as you go. people love this stuff and always have questions.

clay12340 · 03/25/2014, 11:20 AM

In my experience it depends a lot on which rock you're trying to cut. Some types of dry rock are pretty easy to cut with just a hand saw, so I think you could probably get away with a lot of different blades. I bought some of the quarried rock and I could barely put a dent in it with my hand saw. That stuff is basically just limestone, so you'd probably need a specialized diamond coated blade. Might even require some kind of cooling system. I asked the company I bought it from how they do it and they said that they use a concrete saw to do their cutting.

If you don't already have the rocks you can request cut pieces from at least some of the dry rock companies. Marcos sells them as prime cuts, and I was able to get some cut from reef rocks.

Rognin · 03/25/2014, 11:48 AM

This is good to know.

Here's a question on the same train of thought. What kind of drill bit is used to drill live rock? Concrete?

Electrobes · 03/25/2014, 12:10 PM

Masonry Bit, but cutting wet rock is much harder the. Dry.

MSUschmidt · 03/25/2014, 12:17 PM

The quickest and fastest way to do this, is to get an Electric Chop Saw and put a Diamond Blade on them. Harbor Freight has cheap diamond blades if you don't know a Mason / Contractor.

Take it out of the water, toss it on the saw, BAM, cut it, put it back in the water.

Here's a link to the first one I saw on Google. http://www.rakuten.com/prod/new-dewa...FewRMwodXEIAFg

Any Saw like this will work. Depending on the size, you will need to cut it possibly from both sides.

If you have questions, PM me. I own an Limestone Fabrication Business. Cutting Stone is all I do LOL.

MSUschmidt · 03/25/2014, 12:26 PM

You can use a Gas Saw like this http://www.rakuten.com/prod/k760-5-h...FewRMwodXEIAFg Just not as easy if your not experienced.

You can use a Tile Saw, aka wet saw like Mentioned, but the problem is it Typically won't cut high enough for you depeneing on what size rock you want to cut

The nice thing about these little cheap Electric Chop Saws for bench top use is it really locks the rock in places when cutting.

Will get a smoother cut than using a free hand saw, but can be done too

davocean · 03/25/2014, 01:07 PM

If you do use a chop saw, make darn sure it is tight to the fence to avoid it sucking in at a significant speed that is sure to wake you up, and be careful once it is in half as well, it can launch pretty well if you are not careful.
And can't say enough, don't breath vapor/fumes from friction heat if you do dry cuts on living rock.
As for bits, yes, masonry bits, they are cheap, and oversize slightly, 3/4 bit for 1/2 rods if that is what you are using.

brad · 03/25/2014, 01:34 PM

I've tried to work with live rock. I haven't tried it on my wet saw, but I do have one. IMO most rock will not hold up to the saw and fall apart. The saw's blade might be too small, you probably want to split rock along the hardest dimension to split it (cutting it in half the short way probably won't work so well in the tank).

03/25/2014, 11:06 AM	#1
Badlands25 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 98	Cutting live rock What type of band saw would you recommend for cutting live/base rock? I want to silicone flat and small rounded pieces to my back wall. Will a regular band saw work with a specific blade? Thanks

03/25/2014, 11:13 AM	#2
davocean Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 14,655	You could rent a a tile wet saw that should do the trick for you, and keeping wet would avoid possible fumes from heat like a band saw may do. If it is live, be careful of breathing any fumes caused by friction/heat. __________________ There's a fine line between owning your tank and your tank owning you! Current Tank Info: SCA 120g RR Starfire, Tunze silence 1073.02 return, 40g sump w/ fuge, SWC Extreme 160 cone skimmer,Geismann reflexx 4xT5, 2x Panorama Pro LED strips, Vortech MP40QD

03/25/2014, 11:14 AM	#3
Reefer54 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Avon Posts: 1,087	a diamond blade is going to go the furthest, BY FAR. If your rock is real porous like Marco Rocks, you can cut it with a grinder or even tile saw no problem at all and it will hold silicone real easy. I used a sharp hand saw on some small pieces and that worked but it is cumbersome and easy to slip and crack the stone or cut yourself. Show pics as you go. people love this stuff and always have questions. __________________ R54 Current Tank Info: 36 x 36 x 25 Cube, mixed reef, A360WE x 3, A350N x 1, 40GB sump, RDSB, Remote LR Cryptic, 2 WP-40's, ummm....

03/25/2014, 11:48 AM	#5
Rognin Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Quebec, Canada Posts: 387	This is good to know. Here's a question on the same train of thought. What kind of drill bit is used to drill live rock? Concrete? __________________ Fish Stock: N/A, starting over Corals: Want SPS, LPS with zoas Current Tank Info: Custom 145 gallon.

03/25/2014, 12:10 PM	#6
Electrobes Montipora type guy Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Fort Myers, FL Posts: 2,945	Masonry Bit, but cutting wet rock is much harder the. Dry. __________________ Christian Current Tank Info: 100G Half Cylinder

03/25/2014, 11:20 AM	#4
clay12340 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Bloomington, Indiana Posts: 312	In my experience it depends a lot on which rock you're trying to cut. Some types of dry rock are pretty easy to cut with just a hand saw, so I think you could probably get away with a lot of different blades. I bought some of the quarried rock and I could barely put a dent in it with my hand saw. That stuff is basically just limestone, so you'd probably need a specialized diamond coated blade. Might even require some kind of cooling system. I asked the company I bought it from how they do it and they said that they use a concrete saw to do their cutting. If you don't already have the rocks you can request cut pieces from at least some of the dry rock companies. Marcos sells them as prime cuts, and I was able to get some cut from reef rocks.

03/25/2014, 12:17 PM	#7
MSUschmidt Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Posts: 126	The quickest and fastest way to do this, is to get an Electric Chop Saw and put a Diamond Blade on them. Harbor Freight has cheap diamond blades if you don't know a Mason / Contractor. Take it out of the water, toss it on the saw, BAM, cut it, put it back in the water. Here's a link to the first one I saw on Google. http://www.rakuten.com/prod/new-dewa...FewRMwodXEIAFg Any Saw like this will work. Depending on the size, you will need to cut it possibly from both sides. If you have questions, PM me. I own an Limestone Fabrication Business. Cutting Stone is all I do LOL. __________________ I have 4 kids. Two Girls, One Boy, and one 100 Gallon Fish Tank

03/25/2014, 12:26 PM	#8
MSUschmidt Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Posts: 126	You can use a Gas Saw like this http://www.rakuten.com/prod/k760-5-h...FewRMwodXEIAFg Just not as easy if your not experienced. You can use a Tile Saw, aka wet saw like Mentioned, but the problem is it Typically won't cut high enough for you depeneing on what size rock you want to cut The nice thing about these little cheap Electric Chop Saws for bench top use is it really locks the rock in places when cutting. Will get a smoother cut than using a free hand saw, but can be done too __________________ I have 4 kids. Two Girls, One Boy, and one 100 Gallon Fish Tank

03/25/2014, 01:07 PM	#9
davocean Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 14,655	If you do use a chop saw, make darn sure it is tight to the fence to avoid it sucking in at a significant speed that is sure to wake you up, and be careful once it is in half as well, it can launch pretty well if you are not careful. And can't say enough, don't breath vapor/fumes from friction heat if you do dry cuts on living rock. As for bits, yes, masonry bits, they are cheap, and oversize slightly, 3/4 bit for 1/2 rods if that is what you are using. __________________ There's a fine line between owning your tank and your tank owning you! Current Tank Info: SCA 120g RR Starfire, Tunze silence 1073.02 return, 40g sump w/ fuge, SWC Extreme 160 cone skimmer,Geismann reflexx 4xT5, 2x Panorama Pro LED strips, Vortech MP40QD

03/25/2014, 01:34 PM	#10
brad Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Hudson, OH Posts: 1,347	I've tried to work with live rock. I haven't tried it on my wet saw, but I do have one. IMO most rock will not hold up to the saw and fall apart. The saw's blade might be too small, you probably want to split rock along the hardest dimension to split it (cutting it in half the short way probably won't work so well in the tank).