reply to query: Revolution XT, do you like it?

[seachange]

Disappointing that the dichro chips so badly with this saw. I was looking at it online today. Other than that , do you like it? Is it worth the money? Anybody else have one? I bought the original Taurus ring saw and it was junk. Little plastic parts that wore out FAST. Blades that broke no matter how slow I went . So I'm a little leery of Gemini products.

Hi Judith,

Have started a new topic, because I think you will get more replies to your question this way.

For me, the reply to your query is a bit difficult. It took me years to decide if I really wanted the Taurus 3, because of its quality issues. Got it in the end, and use it very little. Now i got the XT, not because I think the construction is much better, but because I need to cut curves on lots of 6mm glass (1/4"), and find the T3 excruciatingly slow with the fine blades. Have not bought the faster blades because all my work is with dichro, too much waste.

My personal thought about Gemini products is that the idea is good, the construction and quality are not. Within my possibilities, I like to invest in professional equipment, even if I have to wait a bit longer to pay for the extra quality.

With Gemini products, I am very clear that I am paying a lot more than I should, because I am only getting "hobby" quality. Can't say "I feel cheated", because I know this before I buy.

But it is the only saw that does the work. I need to do the cuts the XT does once in a while to expand my range of work. Unfortunately there are no other saws out there for this.

From my experience, can't imagine it would be great for precise straight cuts. I know people use it for this also, so others might chip in with their thoughts. Have a very good tile saw with a 10" thin blade and stabilizers. If I didn't, I would save for it, instead of buying the sliding tray for the XT.

Problems encountered already: there is a metal piece that sits on top of the blade (it is suppose to hold the top wheel up and tension it so the blade does not rattle). We had to increase the curve by bending it a couple of times, until it would sit properly without touching the blade. Fortunately my husband has strong hands, I couldn't do it by myself.

Tiny bits of glass drop into the wheel/belt assembly below the blade. In future we are going to remove the plastic cover and direct a stream of water directly onto the wheels and belt, so the glass bits are washed away.

One instructor that sells lots of these XT says "no chipping, absolutely no chipping". Well, I would not fuse the glass pieces until I have smoothed the edges with my 600 grinder, there is sufficient chipping there, at least for me.

Regarding the dichro, I still have to try a tip learned from tilers, this is similar to Mike Jordan's advice. I'll cover the surface with clear packing tape and cut through that.

Will take a while till I need to use the saw again, will report when done. As with every saw, there is a lot of cleaning and drying before it can be stored away, so it is better to have a pile of work to get through in one sitting.

Here is a link to a tiler's forum. I think the information might be a couple of years old, but still relevant. There is a lady in the forum that has some very bad complaints about the XT. I'd suggest to read through all the threads to get a balanced view.
http://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/sho ... hp?t=75966

Link to another tiler's forum http://www.contractortalk.com/f73/anyon ... saw-65334/

I bought the XT before reading these reviews. And, yes, would have bought it anyway after reading them. As many of the tilers comment, you just have to accept it if you need to get the work done.

You will find also comments about Diamond saws. I vaguely considered if they would be an alternative. "Vaguely" because they also have some quality issues.

In the tiler's forum there is also a mention of a German made band saw, Karl Dahm. They have a demo video...and prices are in Euros
Here in Australia I would have to pay 15% import duty plus 10% GST...and haven't found any reviews to justify to start dreaming about it.

It is always interesting that mileage varies for every user, with every tool. It seems to me that the answer to "do you like it" or "is it good" is seldom simple.

So, don't know if all the above is any help at all

Best wishes, seachange

[David Jenkins]

I have an XT, and find it nearly impossible to cut strips that are the same width at the start of the cut as they are at the end. I have tried every sort of damming/fencing arrangement I can think up, and have yet to figure out a foolproof method. I have tried adjusting the track the sliding table takes, but have been unsuccessful.

Anyone else have that problem? I have switched to a 10" tile saw, and so have a very good work-around, but just wanted to know if I'm missing something obvious.

For doing curves, though, it has been great. I only use it for max 6 mm stuff, however - not sure it would be productive at thicknesses greater than that.

[Andre Zunino]

I've had my Revolution XT for a couple of years now. While chipping has rarely been an issue for me, I agree with David about cutting strips. It always seems to be a challenge to keep the sliding tray perpendicular to the blade. If I'm trying to square up a piece I'm coldworking I usually have better luck marking the glass and feeding it by hand instead of using the sliding tray. That said, the quality of the cuts has always been great.

The couple of times I have experienced any chipping it was caused by not having enough water in the resevior. As soon as I added more water the cuts went back to being buttery smooth.

[seachange]

Hi Andre,

I am curious about the issue of chipping, perhaps there is something I can improve on.

Do you think your blade runs really firm, with little or no vibration? We have adjusted wheels and belt to the maximum tension, as per installation instructions. However, I am surprised at how much the blade vibrates, when compared with my 10" tile saw.

But the mechanics of both saws are so different, it is really comparing apples with oranges.

Unfortunately I don't know of anyone else in Tasmania that owns an XT, so can't see another saw in action.

I know the amount of water was not an issue. Kept topping up the reservoir with a hose very frequently. Thought the amount of water loss was quite high, so kept an eye on it.

Many thanks, seachange

[Andre Zunino]

Hi Seachange,

I'll take a closer look at my saw on Monday. I really haven't done much in the way of any fine tuning, probably something I should do anyway. To answer your question though, I do see a considerable amount of vibration/wobble in the blade until it starts to bite into the glass. Then it settles down and I don't see any further vibration through the cut. It is definitely not rock solid stable like a standard tile saw unless it is actually cutting through material. The cuts are usually extremely clean.

I found your comments about adding water interesting. I will usually check if there is enough water in the reservoir at the beginning of the day, then not worry about it further. There is usually only a very fine mist of water coming off the blade. Generally my water loss is more from evaporation between usage than actual saw usage. I rent out time in my studio, and had a local artist in a couple of weeks back that must have spent 1-2 hours cutting fused dichroic pieces of jewelry almost continuously on the saw. There was still plenty of water left in the reservoir. Could you possibly be losing water from the rubber plug or a crack in the plastic?

I should probably go back and reread the manual. I purchased my saw used from the estate of a local glass artist that passed away a few years back. Other than washing/cleaning the saw and replacing a broken belt I really didn't do much in the way of adjustments. I'm going to have to go back and double check to be sure I even have the manual. Let me get back to you after I've had a chance to go over my saw.

Andre

[Andre Zunino]

Seachange,

Did you get the keel with your Revolution XT? I completely forgot about that when I posted earlier. I will sometimes use this if I am doing lots of straight cuts, and it does help to steady the blade and feed the glass somewhat better. Also there are references to a "carriage kit" for the XT. I couldn't find it on their website, but googling it I did find some images. It looks like it replaces the triangular runners that the sliding tray rests on with metal tubes instead. Looks like it might be more industrial strength than the standard setup. My gut feeling after seeing the images of it is that the sliding tray would stay better aligned to the saw blade with this setup. That and the keel together would probably give you more consistent straight cuts.

I might be tempted to do some mods to my saw after seeing this.

Andre

[seachange]

Hi Andre,

Thank you for looking it up. Haven't ordered the keel and sliding table, because I only want to use the XT for curved cuts, mainly jewellery, but also some larger pieces.

For straight cuts I like to use the tile saw. Your reply might help David Jenkins with the alignment of his sliding tray.

Following your comments regarding the water, I am sure I am having some issue with this, because the water was pooling on the table towards the back right end of the saw, then pouring onto the floor.

None of this happens in the Gemini demo videos on their website. I didn't check it much, was wanting to finish the test pieces before it got dark and too cold outside, so just kept filling it up.

Regarding the vibration of the blade, I noticed the same as you mentioned. One cannot say that the blade is rattle free. But it gets a lot better once it starts cutting the glass.

Have you ever noticed any damage to wheels and belt from small bits of glass falling through and getting caught?

Have recently checked the Loc Line system, it is available in Australia (Hisglassworks sells it in the US). Intend to use this to deliver clean water to the XT blade and also keep the bottom assembly rinsed.

Will also set this up for my tile saw. Remember reading here a long time ago that with the fine blade and thick glass it is better to deliver water to the blade on both sides.

Well, it is all a process, and very interesting

Best regards, seachange

[Judith Andre]

Thanks for the input. Guess I'll do some more reading and head scratching. Seems like a lot of money if it doesn't deliver as promised. I have an 8" tile saw for straight cuts of thick glass so I would only be using it for curves.