My new toy!

I have needed a new rock saw for a very long time.  My old Lortone combination unit was used when we bought it 25 years ago, and it was just plain falling apart.  Its 6-inch saw blade worked fine for trimming out cabochon blanks from slabs, but for slicing even small angel feather nodules it was just barely adequate.  Agates and jaspers wore out those little blades in a hurry, too.

About three years ago I began saving up for a new saw.  I would have preferred a slightly larger one, but opted for the Lortone 8-inch stainless steel trim saw. 

Full disclosure:  As I have stated in reviews of other products and in my book Really Neat Rocks I am not compensated in any way for my comments on the Lortone saw.  I paid full retail price for it from an independent supplier (Kingsley North).  I do not know anyone at Lortone nor have I had any communication with the company regarding their equipment.  In addition to the used combination unit and this saw, I currently own two Lortone tumblers with which I have been more than satisfied.  Again, those were purchased at full retail price.  I have received nothing from Lortone ever.

The saw arrived fully assembled except for installing the blade.  That process was a piece of cake.  The most difficult part for me was just lifting the 60 pounds of saw and motor out of the box and hoisting it to the workbench.  It wasn't all that heavy, but I'm too short to get good leverage!  Still, within just a few minutes it was in place, and the blade was installed.  All it needed then was lubricating oil . . . and rocks!

Now, you may think I had some difficulty finding a rock to cut.  You would be totally wrong.  I have lots and lots and lots and lots of rocks.  The real problem was deciding which rock would be the first!

I probably should have taken a picture of the very first rock cut on the new saw, but the truth of the matter is I got so excited at how beautifully it cut that I didn't stop to take any pictures at all.  By the time I did take a break and cleaned up enough to grab the camera, I had a whole tray of new little rock slices.

And another

And then I was more interested in cutting than taking pictures!

After two weeks and several sessions on the saw, I can say I'm 95% satisfied with it.

Why not 100%?  Two reasons.

First:  The plastic/Plexiglas splash shield is very effective, but it's also easily scratched by the fine particles of stone.  There's no way to clean it without scratching.  That means it will probably need to be replaced at regular intervals through the saw's life.  I'm not sure that there's any other solution to this, but it does make for a less than perfect experience.

Second:  The so-called instruction manual is woefully inadequate as well as inaccurate. 

Inaccurate:  There's no way to install the blade by sliding it through any slot, slanted or otherwise.  The cutting table has to be removed to install and change blades.  This should be obvious to anyone who takes a mere glance at the equipment.  To suggest the blade can be removed or installed just by sliding it through the table is ridiculous.

Inadequate:  There are two slight oil leaks from where the shaft bearings are attached to the tank assembly.  There is nothing in the manual about this, which means I will have to call the company to find out whether this is normal or if it's something that needs repair. 

The manual is only four pages long and basically assumes the user already knows how to use the machine.  To me, that's a very dangerous assumption.  Lortone has repeatedly expanded the instruction manual(s) for their tumblers, so that with my most recent purchase on a new one just last year (2014), I learned via the "Instructions and Parts List" that there is a very easy adjustment for belt tension that was never mentioned in any of the previous manuals.

I haven't even tried to assemble or install the supplied vise; the instructions are insufficient to make me confident I'll do it correctly and not ruin the machine.  I don't need the vise anyway for the small items I cut.

Even with these shortcomings, I'm delighted with my new saw.  I have two batches of stones from it already in the tumblers -- one of sliced "angel feathers" and one of shaped cabochons for polishing -- and in the next month or so should have lots and lots of new stones to turn into jewelry.  In fact, it's time to change out one of those tumblers right now and see how well the stones are progressing.