That's interesting that you've used a trim saw with just water successfully for so long. I should have mentioned up front that I understand the rust problem with just water, and that most lubricants are also natural rust inhibitors. But ignoring the rust problem for the moment, the more I think about it, the more I wonder about the need for lubricity (actual slipperiness) in saws, especially larger ones. Water is a much better coolant than any oil or antifreeze. It also seems like lubrication would actually reduce the effectiveness of the diamonds grinding on the surface. Saws are supposed to run at the same linear-foot speed regardless of size, which means larger blades rotate more slowly, so there is a longer time between when any point on the blade contacts the rock again. Larger blades also have more surface area to dissipate accumulated heat.

All this seems to me to mean that with a good rust-inhibitor, all saws could easily run on water, especially larger ones. Does that make sense? (I know that blade manufacturers often recommend oil exclusively, but when I have contacted them about it, they didn't have any hard data to back that up.)

TCR

From TC Reg - November 10, 2009 at 10:04:43

Message: 68515