If you are a new fabricator - lust starting out in the "business" or you already are working in our industry but need some low cost sawing options, this article may be able to help you.

The biggest challenge to any fabricator just getting started is "how in the heck do I process this big slab of stone into more manageable sized pieces - ones that I can pick up without the aid of a forklift of lifting crane or system." Having a cutting solution that addresses this aspect of the fabrication process will put you on a path to profitability and overall growth of your fabrication business. This month, I am going to look at a few low-cost and economical ways of cutting slabs without a huge financial investment.

Ideally, most fabricators cut up their slabs on a "bridge saw" - a stationary piece of machinery that is bolted to the floor of your stone fabrication shop. Bridge saws usually run on 220 or 440 volt / 3 phase power, so the prospects and actual costs of setting up your shop for a real (conventional) bridge saw can add up quickly.

An attractive option for you to consider if you are just getting started in fabrication, is to look at "basic" sawing systems that are a much smaller monetary investment on your part. One of the best systems out there for us to use in lieu of a bridge saw are what are known as "track saws" or "rail saws."

One such system that is available through Braxton-Bragg is the Blue Ripper™ and the Blue Ripper™ Junior. I have had the opportunity to use the Blue Ripper™ Junior on actual production work (at a shop where I trained the staff, who went on to fabricate their first two kitchens).

Since opening AZ School of Rock some 4 years ago, I have been using other sawing options for teaching and production work that we fabricate and install when we are not teaching our "Basic Countertop Training" program to new fabricator classes.

AZ School of Rock uses the Accu-Glide and Edgewise sawing systems for our training and production work, and these two systems work great for the task that they were designed to do - cut stone.

I do, as a matter of course, always look for new or alternative methods and systems to share with fellow industry professionals, and the Blue Ripper™ merits some fine attention to what it can do, as well.

The one thing that I like the most about the Blue Ripper™ is that it is very easy to use, and does not take a lot of time to set up prior to or just after making a cut. The saw assembly for the Junior is very lightweight and easy to lift and move around the shop; placing it on the stone that is to be cut is also easy and does not fatigue you towards the end of the day.

The rail system is also lightweight and easy to maneuver in between cuts and layouts for new cuts. The track is very easy to clamp to the slab that is to be cut, and can be adjusted for finite cuts. Making "sliver cuts" is extremely easy to do and accurate, as the housing for the saw and the tracking carriage is sturdy and is solid as a rock.

The motor on the Junior model has enough horsepower to cut smoothly through 3cm stone without bogging down. You can make "step cuts" or make a single pass cut without any problems, as long as you can push the saw. The original and Blue Ripper™ Junior are push only systems - not self-propelled like the Trac Star and/or the Edgewise Sawing systems.

If you have never run a powered saw (one that travels on its own without having to have you "push" the saw along in order to make a cut), having a "push type" saw that cuts straight and true is a huge step up from using a simple worm drive Skilsaw and a straight edge. Most guys in our industry (yours truly included) started out doing our cutting using a 4 hand grinder with a diamond blade: often we graduated to using a push type saw on a straight end. Crude but effective? The moment that most sawyers appreciate the most is when they don't have to push the saw anymore - meaning a "powered" option.

The original Blue Ripper™ and the Junior are both systems that are push only - neither have a power drive option (that I am aware of) that allows "hands-free" operation and gives your sawyer the opportunity to multitask when the saw is making each one of its cutting passes.

You can, as many guys have done, add a power assist or a counter-weight system that can aid in applying pressure to the saw in the direction of the cut - acting as a power assist in traveling along the rails. This can help reduce fatigue on your sawyer - as he won't have to be pushing the saw all day.

As a first saw or a second system to help you keep up with production demand, the Blue Ripper™ and/or the Blue Ripper™ Junior are two excellent options among the many you have available to use in expanding your ability to price slabs and increase your production flow.

Having a system as a "back-up" to relive the volume of work that your main saw is handling, can sometimes mean the difference between getting the job done on time - or even ahead of schedule.

Saws like the Blue Ripper™, Accu-Glide, Trac-Star & Edgewise Diamond System will help you get to the "next level" as a fabricator - for a reasonable cost. I have worked with each one of these fine systems, and would have no reservations about using any of these saws to cut my next kitchen project, and, as fate would have it, that's exactly what I am doing today. I have to go cut some rock for another kitchen job for next week!

Until next month...
   Best Regards & Happy Fabricating!

"Low Cost Sawing Options" is a Hands-On Fabrication topic that is taught each month by Kevin M. Padden at the AZ School of Rock in Gilbert, Arizona. For more information on classes, contact Kevin at 480-309-9422 or online at www.azschoolofrock.com .

As a first saw or a second system to help you keep up with production demand, the Blue Ripper™ and the Blue Ripper™ Junior are two excellent options among the many available to expand your ability to price slabs and increase your production flow.

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