Comments on: Glass and Metal Saws?

By: Diane

Diane — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:30:16 +0000

I know nothing about cutting glass, but you can get a decent, pretty cheap saw. The first one I got from someone else and I paid her only $5 – and I have a feeling that’s all she had paid for it! It broke pretty quickly. But I had gotten the sawing bug but was very low on money and I bought one for around $15 at otto frei. I got very sick for a couple of years after that and was unable to do any jewelry work, but I have used it for very thin metal as well as up to about 16g – including small piercing work. The size blades you need depend on the thickness of the metal you will be cutting so it is good to get a range. There are lots of charts out there with the recommended saw blade number for the guage of metal you are working with. Then there are tons of price ranges in the companies. Good luck and have fun.

By: Maureen

Maureen — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:48:34 +0000

I don’t know about cutting metals, but as a glassworker I can tell you that you need a diamond-blade for cutting glass. You can buy specialty glass saws from about $300 up to probably $1500. I started with a $300 wire-blade saw and, sadly the motor didn’t last out the year. I’ve now got a mid-range saw that is fantastic – I paid about $800 for it.

You can start with a basic tile saw from Home depot, Harbor Freight, etc. Just make sure you have diamond coated blades (these have the added bonus of NOT cutting skin – though they’ll do quite a job on fingernails). You must also have a water fed saw. If the glass is not wet when cut it will crack & shatter. The tile saw will be noisy and very messy – best to use outside.

Actually, any water-fed glass saw is fairly messy. I use mine indoors and it doesn’t spray water too badly, but an apron, crappy shirt and some kind of backsplash is recommended.

Good Luck!

By: Cindy C

Cindy C — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:48:07 +0000

Kate:
I’m a glass artist so….First, what type of glass are you cutting? Sheet glass? Has it been fired in a kiln? Sheet glass can be cut with a cheap glass cutter you can buy at a hardwarestore. You also might need some running pliers. You Tube has videos on cutting glass and using the pliers. The only type of saw used on glass has to run with water, much like a tile saw. If you’re not cutting tons of glass, that would not be a good investment.
No jewelry saw is cheap. If you are going to keep cutting metal as part of your jewelry line, then you should invest in a decent saw. When you first learn you will go through many blades. Part of the learning process as with anything. If you are just experimenting, try Harbor Freight tools. They may have an inexpensive metal blade saw.
Good Luck.
Cindy C