 Angel
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Joined: 20/Oct/2004
Member: 17
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Quote: On 05/Dec/2007 at 4:54:33 PM strawberryblondie wrote
I hope I don't get boo'ed or thrown off of here for asking about using a ring saw for cutting glass. I am just about to receive one and would love some advice, helpful hints, whatever you have. I know the "art" of stained glass world often looks down upon the use of them but I think for me it will be ideal.
First off....I HOPE you're getting a Taurus 3 saw. It's the best and most usable. Nobody on Glass forums will Boo at you, but they WILL try to tell you about the misconceptions you're going to encounter.
A SAW is NOT a substitute for Hand Cutting. Anything that can't be done by hand will not be stable when cut with a saw. You will be tricked into thinking those "impossible cuts" are good but when handled, (soldered, cleaned...etc) they'll crack. You won't see this until the whole piece is put together and stress has been applied. Glass tends to break in a straight line, making things like true right angles impossible (Oh, you can DO one, but it will keep on breaking when it's used). Extreme, LONG thin pieces that are narrower on the point than the .thickness of the glass won't hold up to construction. SO...if you're really bad at hand cuts a saw MIGHT make some of them easier, but in this case, you won't learn to recognize the limitations of the pieces you're cutting or how to design around them to suit your current skill level. LEARN to HAND CUT FIRST and only use the saw as an adjunct to that.
Saws take a lot of practice....and steady eye-hand skills. SMALL pieces can wind up not even looking anything like the pattern. Saws are NOISY...spit water at you (many people use shower caps to protect from tiny shards of glass landing in their hair)  . Face-eye protection is even MORE necessary than when using a grinder.. DO NOT believe that saws eliminate the need for grinding....doesn't happen until you're an expert with them...maybe never. Edges on sawed glass can wind up VERY uneven and unsuitable for foil or came until your skill improves. Saws don't SAVE TIME if used exclusive to hand cuts. They're very SLOW. Most novice hand cutters can do a pattern faster than a Saw.
Now, there's the problem of pattern markings being washed away by the WATER that's generated in sawing.(Glued-on patterns don't stay put at ALL). I won't go into it here because there are whole FORUMS full of methods for getting around that frustrating problem...and products sold to combat it, .(mark-stay....chapstick). Forget them...they don't really work. I use an oil-based PAINT Pen which still has its drawbacks.
So, I will caution you NOT to expect miracles from a saw. I had one...used it for specific pieces for about a year...then put it in storage out of aggravation. ..for 2 years. When I began FUSING, I hauled it out and found it a great tool....but that's because MELTING glass in a kiln erases the flaws generated in cuts by a saw...and even those "iffy" cuts don't beak after they're fused. Believe me, we've all "been there...done that" and learned the pitfalls the hard way. Saws are an adjunct to Hand Cutting...NEVER a substitute. Good luck with yours. I hope you will continue to learn all the classic cutting methods because there really ARE no shortcuts to art.
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