Angle Grinder Speeds

["George Graham" <georgergraham@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dear Linda,

All the information you've gotten  is great so I'll just
add a bit to clarify the difference, as I know it.

Regarding dry-cut blades, diamond plated and sintered.
I've used both kinds extensivly on soft and hard stone.
Soft stone being any kind of marble, limestone,
alabaster, soapstone, slate and so on. Hard stone being
any type of stone that has quartz in it. There are many
kinds of stone that fall in this column. I'm being very
general here. The diamond plated blades should only used
on "soft stones" Its amazing how long they will last, if
you do not use them on "hard stone" The blades bite into
the stone easier then the sintered blades because, I
think, the surface of the blade is totaly covered with
diamonds, so the cutting surface is greater.

Sintered blades have diamonds mixed into the steel that
makes up the cutting edge of the blades. These blades
are made to stand up to the hard stone. As the diamonds
are in the steel, they will last and cut as the steel
wears down. The plated blades would have the diamonds
burned off the surface of the blade in a very short
time, if you were working in granite. You can use
sintered blades on hard or soft stone , but you can't
use plated blades on hard stone. It takes a little
longer to get a line established with sintered, just
because there arn't a lot of exposed diamonds cutting.
If your using a hand held grinder, you just need to play
with how much pressure to use to get the blade to bite
in. Once you get a line deep enough to hold the blade,
then use just enough pressure to maintain control, and
then let the machine do the work.

The best reason to only use plated blades for soft stone
is that they are much cheaper then sintered. The last
issue is the one you really have been asking , and
nobody has answered! What is the name of these blades?
Well,,,, I can't give you a clear answer either. The
reason being that diamond blade producers are popping up
like mushrooms in a cave. Just have your search engin
look up stone cutting diamond blades, and you will see
what I mean.

The best advice I can give you is to buy from an
established tool supplier to the stone industry. I
prefer Granite City Tool Co. All of the sculpture supply
houses offer a wide range of diamond carving tools. GCT
Co. number is 1-800-451-4570

As a beginner to stone carving, my advice is to get the
cheapest blade that fits your needs, and your grinder.
Work with it before you invest a lot of money in
toolsyou don't like. You need to give yourself time to
learn how to carve. Keep your methods simple and don't
let the process overwhelm your art. There is no one
single tool in stone carving that will take care of
everything. The diamond blade is just one of many tools
to choose from.

Good luck, be patient, have fun, and get a GOOD Dust mask!!
George Graham