Budsreef
05-26-2010, 12:30 PM
I have been using a tile circular saw to cut frags for a couple of years and it served me well, however I needed something to make finer cuts and not have as much mess.
I purchased an Inland DFS-100 Reefkeeper Frag Saw from one of our sponsors, Aquarium Speciality. Here is a link to their site and specifics about the saw: http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=85_824&products_id=6060.
This is a hobby sized, table-top band saw with a diamond coated blade. It was a redesigned model by the manufacturer made specifically for use in cutting frags.
Pros:
It is made almost entirely out of thermoplastic including the table surface and most all the hardware is nylon so there is virtually no worries about anything rusting and it is very light.
The blade is driven by a variable speed motor and the blade guide is adjustable for varying thicknesses of material. The blade is thin but seems very sturdy so it is easy to make very fine cuts.
There is a reservoir for water that feeds the blade to keep it cool while cutting and the waste water collects in the bottom where it runs out through an included lenth of clear tubing.
Cons:
Price! It isn't cheap!
The nylon screws are very hard to turn so taking it apart to clean after each use is bothersome. There is probably something that can be put on the screws to make them easier to turn, but I haven't figured out what that would be. Of course you probably don't have to take it apart to clean each time you use it, but I'm really anal about keeping my stuff as clean as possible.
The collector at the bottom doesn't get all the water so you need something under the saw to catch any overflow. This would be a lot easier if the feet were made to raise the saw higher allowing a shallow pan under it.
Overall, this is one of the better buys I have made and highly recommend it if you do a lot of fragging.
I purchased an Inland DFS-100 Reefkeeper Frag Saw from one of our sponsors, Aquarium Speciality. Here is a link to their site and specifics about the saw: http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=85_824&products_id=6060.
This is a hobby sized, table-top band saw with a diamond coated blade. It was a redesigned model by the manufacturer made specifically for use in cutting frags.
Pros:
It is made almost entirely out of thermoplastic including the table surface and most all the hardware is nylon so there is virtually no worries about anything rusting and it is very light.
The blade is driven by a variable speed motor and the blade guide is adjustable for varying thicknesses of material. The blade is thin but seems very sturdy so it is easy to make very fine cuts.
There is a reservoir for water that feeds the blade to keep it cool while cutting and the waste water collects in the bottom where it runs out through an included lenth of clear tubing.
Cons:
Price! It isn't cheap!
The nylon screws are very hard to turn so taking it apart to clean after each use is bothersome. There is probably something that can be put on the screws to make them easier to turn, but I haven't figured out what that would be. Of course you probably don't have to take it apart to clean each time you use it, but I'm really anal about keeping my stuff as clean as possible.
The collector at the bottom doesn't get all the water so you need something under the saw to catch any overflow. This would be a lot easier if the feet were made to raise the saw higher allowing a shallow pan under it.
Overall, this is one of the better buys I have made and highly recommend it if you do a lot of fragging.