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Newbie needs help cutting glass

Greetings All, I downloaded the most recent 1000 posts and didn't see the answers I need. So I'm asking. Here's the setup: I'm having a house built on a limited budget and there are several things I need to make if I want them. Wall sconces are one of these. My wife and I live on the south end of Whidbey Island, which is about 30 miles north of Seattle WA, and there are several glassblowers near us. So my wife and I went to see one about making some sconces for us. Though less expensive (and nicer too) than any of the ones we saw in catalogs and stores they are still too expensive. The glassblower showed us how we can have shapes blown and then sawn in half to make two sconces. He uses a wood cutting band saw modified to accept diamond bands. This saw has a power feed and coolant. The parts have plaster cast around them for support. They are then clamped to the power feed mechanism and sawn in half. My wife and I have found several bowls and vases in shapes and colors we like at prices we can afford. These items are not at the place that has the saw though. And the cost of having them sawn in half makes them more expensive than buying from the place with the saw. I have a machine shop and a diamond saw for made for cutting slabs from rocks for specimens. The blade itself is round and the diameter is 12 inches. This means that it won't cut through both sides of a bowl at once like a band saw would. I have the equipment and ability to build fixturing that would rotate a part while being sawn. If the glass part were cast in plaster and fixtured such that it can be fed into the saw and rotated but not move side to side would it be likely that someone with a steady hand could do the rotation of and feed of the part such that the glass is cut without chipping or breaking the whole piece? Thanks for reading this long winded post. I'm new here and new to glass work and I'm trying to provide enough information so that people will have a better idea of what I may be able to accomplish. Thank You, Eric R Snow

Reply to
Eric R Snow
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Hi. Eric...

The short and sweet answer is that you are stepping over a dollar to pick up a dime.

Those ready-made items already have the breakage cost factored in.

What is your time and effort and learning curve worth, compared to the money to buy what you want, ready made? If you break one or two of the beginning bowls or vases, you will be right back where you started, or even worse off, money wise.

Let us know what you decide to do and how it works out.

Reply to
Moonraker

Set up your item in a box, cast the plaster around the piece so that one side is perpendicular and plumb, in other words so you have a good flat side. Run that side against the fence with it set for center of you object, then as you cut thru 1/2 of it, you can stop and rotate the object 180 deg., keeping the fence side against the fence for alignment. If your 12" saw is anything like mine, it is Too heavy for what you are trying to do, but if you don't try, it won't happen. The bandsaw is a bit more gentle and doesn't carry the same vibrations thru that will break it out in the last 2 inches...

Reply to
javahut

I recently encountered a lapidary saw for the first time while trying to cut wine bottles on the diagonal. (A band saw makes it easy I found later.) I would suggest you do two things: take one of your thin slabs of rock and see how controlled you can be in cutting one flat. Try cutting a cheap bowl, either just free hand or using the plaster method. Wear safety gloves.

Reply to
Mike Firth

How much were the sconces that you were looking at? What's your budget for sconces? I can't imagine anyone being able build a house on Whidby Island and not being able to afford some custom made sconces.

Reply to
Chemosabe

Greetings Moonraker, Actually, I'll have to break a lot of them before it becomes a losing proposition.. The completed shades themselves start at $140.00. This is for a small one and doesn't include the fixtures. The glass shades in the sizes we are looking at are around $300.00. And we need a dozen of 'em.

Reply to
Eric R Snow

Thank You. I'll try your method. It would be more gigid than a rotating setup. Cheers, Eric

Reply to
Eric R Snow

Greetings Mike, I will definitely be making practice cuts. The only way to learn. Eric

Reply to
Eric R Snow

Chemosabe, The sconces we're looking at start at around $300.00 just for the glass. I don't see why being able to build a house on Whidbey somehow makes it possible to afford these sconces. Especially after the $2500.00 upcharge for copper pipe instead of plastic, the high cost of copper wiring in general, and the extra $6000.00 it's going to cost to have PSE drop the wire in the ground if I want to have the house powered up in a reasonable time. Just the costs listed above kinda cut into the lamp budget. And just as important, I want to make these myself. I like making things. ERS

Reply to
Eric R Snow

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