Hi, Everyone. I dearly love this forum, although I have not posted in a long time. You folks are so knowledgeable and always have such great suggestions.
Here is my situation. I make a small music accessory and need to build my own saw. Without going into all the details, I've been searching for a sawing solution for eight years. I've finally found the machine that will do the job, but even used ones are $4000-5000. I've made my own tooling before, so this won't be difficult. Thank you in advance for any advice and suggestions you may have.
I am knocking off a very expensive saw by a company named Buehler. Below is the link and specs and a photo. These saw used expensive diamond-encrusted blades that are water-cooled.
https://www.buehler.com/products/sec...igh-speed-pro/
IsoMet High Speed Pro Cut Operation Automatic, Manual, or SmartCut control Linear Blade Feed Units English and Metric Blade Movement Axis Horizontal and Linear (X, Y, Z) Display 6.5in LCD Display with LED Backlighting Controls Touch Screen; Precision Controllers Lighting 2 LED Strip Adjustable brightness Programming Retains Last Settings Serial Sectioning Laser Optional Green Laser Blade Position Settings Horizontal: 0 2in [0 50mm] Cut Length Range .01 7.25in [1mm 184mm] Cut Length Increment 0.01in [.25mm] Feed Rate Range .04 1in/min [1.2 25.4mm/min] Feed Rate Increment 0.01in increments [1mm increments] Blade Speed 1000-5000rpm Cut Capacity (Diameter) 2.8in [71mm] Coolant Systems Built-in Recirculating System, 1gal [4L] Flow Rate Wash Down Hose 2L/min Flow Rate on Blade 2.5L/min Wafering Blade Diameters 3 8in [76 203mm] Abrasive Blade Diameters 5 8in [127 200mm] Cut Chamber Size 9in x 20in [228mm x 508mm] Machine Dimensions Width: 24in [610mm]
Depth: 30in [762mm]
Height (Hood Opened): 36in [915mm]
Height (Hood Closed): 19in [483mm]Weight 157Lbs[71.2kg] Electrical Motor Power at 220VAC 2.68Hp [2kW] Main Power 100 240VAC, 50-60Hz, 1 Phase Noise Level 58dB Safety Features Interlock Hood Switch, Emergency Stop Compliance CE Directives
The bench unit I'm looking for is similar to the Harbor Freight model below, except I need a slower RPM and/or a variable RPM model. The features I need or will add are:
1) Water cooling. I can build a well for this.
2) Due to the water cooling, I need a unit with a long "throw" on the arms, to keep the blade as far away as possible from the machine. I will isolate and water-seal everything, but this feature will make the build easier.
3) 1750 RMP speed, or variable 1000-5000 range.
4) I always prefer to buy clean/used, so ideally the saw I buy is popular with many used ones in the market.
Lastly, if someone is familiar with the strange world of these saws and has a solution I haven't thought of, I'm all ears.
IMPORTANT: I am a tiny company with zero profit. I cannot and will not belly-up for a used saw at $3-4K, no matter how clean.
Sorry to write a novel.
Thank You,
Scott