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I'm having a problem when I cut the rim off a dropped bowl. Too much chipping going on. I took Brad's class and I use his firing schedule. I'm not going to list it as it could be giving something away that he makes money on- and I wouldn't want to do that. But he developed it so let's assume that's not the problem. I'm using a Chicago Electric 2 hp wet tile saw with a new Rigid blade- 10 inch- appropriate for the saw. I rise it off after use and I've only cut 4 bowls on it. When I have an area of black and even some other colors and actually even clear, I can get chips 1/16 to 1/8! That means way more time experiencing the "joy" of cold working that I want. I've spoken with some people and I've heard different things. 1) the water needs to be really cold. She even suggested putting ice in it. 2) I spoke with Steve (?) at ASW who suggested putting a few drops of dish soap in the water. He did not think it was the blade. I would really like to know how to get less chipping so I can have less cold working. thanks

My experience is the better the blade the less chipping. Not all blades are created equal.

I've never heard about using colder water, not sure if that would make a difference. Personally, I prefer warmer water because it's more comfortable on the hands. I'm not sure that dish soap is the answer either, but that shouldn't hurt anything.
Did your results get any better with either of those suggestions?

Normally chipping is caused by going too fast, a bad blade, or the saw vibrating too much. I'm not familiar with Rigid blades -- can you tell us which one you have? Is it made for glass?

Do you have the chipping when cutting other things in other ways, or just when cutting the rims off dropped bowls?

My Rigid diamond blade is CP10P- labeled professional diamond tile saw blade. I'd like to know what blade you recommend. I can try to tighten it down and try cutting tomorrow. I do get a little chipping when cutting pattern bars. There is a little chip left on a piece. Imagine a small triangle still attached to the larger triangle. And 3 other people who have used the same mold and different saws also get the same problem. So I wrote that one off on the firing schedule. Thanks

Ice in the water! I'd like to hear the science behind that one. Maybe some vodka and a twist too?
I have heard of surfactants being used in industrial applications.

Seriously, if you're getting enough water at the right spots (I'm with Brad- warm water) it's the blade. Get the Result blade from HIS Glassworks.

Indigo S wrote:My Rigid diamond blade is CP10P- labeled professional diamond tile saw blade. I'd like to know what blade you recommend. I can try to tighten it down and try cutting tomorrow. I do get a little chipping when cutting pattern bars. There is a little chip left on a piece. Imagine a small triangle still attached to the larger triangle. And 3 other people who have used the same mold and different saws also get the same problem. So I wrote that one off on the firing schedule. Thanks

I think you need a diamond glass tile blade. Home Depot for about $25. there is a difference between a tile saw blade and a glass tile saw blade.

Go to HIS glassworks and get the Result blade by far the best Glass blade i have used. I am waiting on some Diamond Cut-Off wheels for my Dremel to try a different method of cutting the rim on a drop out. Basically place the piece on a turntable and use the screw that holds the wheel on as guide(rest ir on the surface)..gradually cut the rim as you turn it on the carousel..I,ll let you know how it works. I expect it to take much longer than the Saw but on thin pieces I think the damage will be less.

Before I drop $93 on a Result blade- does anyone else LOVE it? I know you usually get what you pay for in life but maybe a less expensive option thanks

This is the blade I use - MK Diamond 153696 MK-303 Professional 10-Inch Diameter Lapidary Blade by .040-Inch wide by 5/8-Inch Arbor. Available from Amazon for $61. Cuts quick, does not eat up much glass, very little chipping and leaves an edge that does not require much cold work. My only complaint is the blade is thin (actually a good thing!) and could use some stiffening.

check out the blades at www.lopacki.com . I've used them for years and he has some that are ultra thin and if sawed slowly will give very few chips if any. Dan's prices are very reasonable as well.

I've been using the Result blade from HIS for years and am very pleased. However, I don't do drops so I have not used it in your situation.

Jim "The Hobbyist"

I agree, the quality of the blade is hugely important. I prefer both Husqvarna and Results blades, but don't rule out the saw itself causing your problems. Have you had excessive chipping when using this saw for other glass cutting tasks? I recently bought a Chicago Electric 10" saw to replace my old Kobalt and I am about ready to dump it! The motor is plenty powerful and the table/stand is great, but the vibration it throws is totally unacceptable and as a result chipping is a huge problem. I suspect cheap bearings were used in the motor manufacture. It's a shame, as otherwise the saw is well made and seemed a great bargain. I doubt my skill level is up to the task of replacing the bearings and so I'm once again saw shopping and trying to decide which MK I should spring for.

Sharol

I have had this exact problem.
To make a very LOOOOONG story short, I finally put on a blade stiffener.
Cured ALL of the chipping as well as tracking problems.
The other Jim

Hi Jim.

Could you please let me know the type of blade stiffner you used. Thanks

I don't know. I bought it from H.I.S. glassworks .
Jim

Somewhere, on one of the threads about saw blades, is a post recommending using two smaller, used (or new, I suppose) saw blades as stiffeners.....cheap and possibly free. Haven't tried it but it sounds reasonable. Jen

The original post reflects my experience with the same economy saw, chips sometimes and little outdented triangles at the tip of triangle bar slices. In my case the triangles were resolved by running the bar completely past the blade so it grinds them off. I get chips with the thin Result blade so think stiffeners may help, probably wont hurt. I contacted with His Glassworks, they no longer carry blade stiffeners. They said I can just use any stiffeners, some people just use 2 cheap blades. I am looking into generic blade stiffeners now, any suggestions appreciated, thanks.
Leslie

the quality of the blade is key.
I have the Result blade from HIS glassworks, and it is a very good blade. But my favorite for glass is the MK Diamond- MK 303 Wet Cutting Diamond Lapidary blade- 10"- you can get it on Amazon both 0.04 and 0.05 inches wide, and is about $20-30 cheaper than result blade. And my cuts with the mk 303 are better than my cuts with the result blade. (of course, your results may vary....)
For both of these thicknesses above (0.04" and 0.05") I use blade stiffeners- just 2 cheap blades that are 6" diameter, one on each side of the glass blade -(my stiffeners are $3 plywood blades)-- just get whatever the two cheapest blades are on amazon or at the hardware store that are about 4" diameter less than your glass blade because you want to have several inches of your glass blade exposed if you need to make deep cuts for pattern bars, etc. (remember that the radius is half of the diameter, so if your stiffeners are 4" less in diameter than your blade, that gives you slightly less than 2" cutting height... if you need 2"- 2.5" cutting height, get stiffeners that are 5" diameter less than glass blade, but remember- the smaller the size of your stiffener blades, the less stiffening they do)
the narrower(0.04") blade will waste less glass, but is easier to 'bend' slightly while cutting if you go too fast, even with stiffeners on. be patient, use lots of water, and the 0.04 inch wide mk303 blade with stiffeners will result in great cuts.
i also have the husqvarna superlok glass+ blade, and it is sooooo slow. i find i can get the same (or better) cut with the mk303 blade in much less time.
wendy