Quote:
Originally Posted by ron schenker
Depends on what you're cutting. I use a Boesh blade and replace it when it stops cutting clean.
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Ron, I bet you have a BUNCH of blades that still look half new!!
Have you guys ever heard of something called "dressing the blade"? What I use is a patio block from one of the big box stores. I'll get one of the 12x12x2" thick patio blocks, and once the blade starts slowing down, I'll run it through the stone about 6-8 times, cutting off about a 1/4" at a time. After that, the blade will cut like it's brand new.
What happens is the diamonds on the blade get worn down, especially when cutting the harder materials, like granite or porcelain. After a while, the diamonds are almost worn smooth to the metal matrix of the blade's rim. The patio block is hard enough that cutting it will wear down the metal, but soft enough that it WON'T wear down the diamonds, thereby exposing more diamonds, and "sharpening" the blade.
One other thing-- I saw atleast one person talking about using the right blade for the right material. I use all purpose blades all the time, with one exception-- when I'm cutting the extra thick porcelains, like Cerdomus Tiles. Any other time, the all purpose blades will do just as well as the specialty blades and even last longer. The only time a specialty blade might do better is if you're cutting glass. But as far as the porcelain blades are concerned, they're a marketing ploy, and a reason to charge you more money for an inferior blade. Read the following article, and it'll explain why I make that claim:
http://powerpr.com/articles/articles.asp?include=971
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