New Frag Toy!!!

[returnofsid]

You know what they say about Big Boys and their Big Boy Toys:badgrin:??

Muhahahaha:evil::evil:!!! Pictures will be up this evening, but had to write about this NOW! I picked up a Chicago wet tile saw from Harbor Freight today, for under $50.00!!! Granted, it will only cut 1 1/4" material, but I can't wait to put this baby to use. As soon as Angie's home to take pictures, I'll be fragging my Echinophyllia and Turbinaria Scroll Coral with it. Who knows, I might go frag happy and find other stuff to frag with it!!

Last time I fragged my Echino, I used my Dremel with a diamond cut-off wheel. I wasn't too happy with the results:?:. It took too long, wasn't very accurate and was a regular pain in the butt. I think this will go much smoother, make a much cleaner cut, be much faster and will be much less stressful to the corals. Did I use the word "much" too "much?"

Stay tuned for pictures!!!

 

[ajnweb]

Nice! Let us know how the fragin' goes.

 

[returnofsid]

 

[returnofsid]

Power Fragging Makes me WET!!! As you can see from the pics!!!

 

[returnofsid]

 

[jake65]

Nothing like cutting frags on wet saw in the kitchen
I think its time to invest in a rubber apron....lol

 

[returnofsid]

LOL I have a bunch of Chef's Aprons, from when I was a chef. I'll have to remember to use one next time.

 

[fatboyt123]

nice sid wish you were closer so i could get one of each from you

 

[tamarindthai]

i want one beat my cheer snip anytime,i 'll you boroow my disp washer aprin from the resturant:lol:,,very nice and clean cut,,cheer,Micheal

 

[brandyrb]

Wow, that looks scary. Have you used a dremel to cut lps before? I'm just curious which one would be better for the task. I kinda like the idea of a hand held vs table type saw. I've never fragged lps, but planned on using a dremel when it comes time.

 

[edwing206]

Oh no. Please don't tell me you're gonna frag ALL of your corals into tiny pieces just because you can! :lol:

 

[soyadrink]

Oh Damn. Thats thing is sweeeeet!

 

[Madisons_Mommy]

Brandy, I have used a Dremel to frag LPS. In fact, the Echino frag and Acan frag you have were cut with a Dremel. I cut from the bottom and didn't cut completely through the skeleton. Then, I used a screwdriver, in the cut, to snap the rest of the skeleton. Then, I turned the coral over and used a scalpel to cut through the flesh. The Dremel, spinning at such a high rate, get really hot and would burn the flesh, probably killing and cauterizing it.

The things I didn't like about the Dremel, is that 1. it took longer than I wanted. I'd say, it took me about 20 minutes to make 3 frags, using the Dremel. So I kept dipping the coral in water. This also helped to keep the coral cool. 2. I was limited in size, by the size of the dremel wheel. 3. It was hard to be accurate, as the dremel tries to spin in it's own direction...lol. 4. I went through 3 cutting wheels to make 3 frags of the Echino and 2 frags of the Acan.

With the wet tile saw, there is water, in a reservoir, below the saw blade. The saw blade brings that water up as it spins. This keeps the coral wet and cool. It also keeps dust from the skeleton from blowing around. That dust is NASTY!! It also keeps the operator nice and cool....grrrr. Oh, and I obviously used saltwater out of the aquarium...lol. The reservoir only needs 5 cups of water to be full. 3 cups is enough for what I was doing. I have a lot more room to work with, than I would with a Dremel. It's MUCH faster. All of the above pictures fragging took me about 5 minutes TOTAL! Then a quick swish in a bucket of saltwater and back in the tank. Much less stress involved for the coral.

 

[Madisons_Mommy]

Edwing, while I did make a couple more frags than I originally intended, Angie wouldn't let me frag anything else...lol. This thing is great for certain corals. I can see it coming in very handy for corals such as Acans, Echino and other Chalices, even plating or encrusting SPS. This thing is meant to cut through ceramic tile, live rock is nothing for it. It's a nice, clean cut and quick and easy. Next time I frag my Acropora loripes, I'll probably use it. While the A. loripes is a branching Acropora, it's TOUGH!!! It took all I had to cut through the branch with snips and then the cut piece went winging through the air like a bullet...lol. My A. micropthalma is also very dense and hard to cut. It'd be a breeze with this thing.

 

[returnofsid]

Oh wow. I just realized that while making those last 2 posts, Angie was signed on...lol.

 

[beoks]

we call harbor freight tools tommy tonka tools at work. i like the fragging with a tile cuter in the kitchen look as well

 

[gas4544]

That's pretty darn slick. Are replacement saw blades readily available?

Gary

 

[returnofsid]

Gary, yes, replacement blades were actually on sale, at Harbor Freight for about $9.00 each. I'm also thinking, since this blade is meant to cut ceramic tile, it should last a LONG time cutting corals...lol. There's also a reservoir below the blade, for water. 5 cups fills it up. I used about 3 cups of saltwater, from the tank. This was enough to keep the blade wet, which keeps the corals wet and cool.

 

[brandyrb]

So were you worried about the coral at all fragging it? I'd be nervous as he!! I'm sure we have at least a year before we'll start fragging our lps.

 

[returnofsid]

Nope, not at all worried. I've kept corals out of water a lot longer than the 5 minutes this took. All of the frags I made, from both the Echino and the Scroll Coral, took about 5 minutes. I also touched the cut edge, immediately after cutting, and it wasn't at all hot. The saw makes a nice clean and quick cut. I actually can't take total credit for this idea. I've seen several Youtube frag demos done, using this method. I've also seen an old video, I believe it was Anthony Calfo, but could be mistaking it for another professional coral propagator, using the same method.

After doing it this way, I'll probably never use a Dremel again. I believe this is much less stressful to the coral and that the healing time will be much quicker.