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IndustryArena Forum > WoodWorking > WoodWorking Topics > Widget works diamond drag ??
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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Posts
    94

    Widget works diamond drag ??

    I recently purchased a widget works diamond drag and my cutter quit after about 4-5 hours with the default depth/feedrate and was told by their rep that is about the life of the tooling on regular glass.

    What I would like to know is if their is anyway to extend the useful life of the bit or find cheaper replacements, I asked about using cutting oil but he thought that would help only somewhat.


    I am hoping to use my cutter to score and break stained glass but am not to sure now.

    Thanks for the advice.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Posts
    1602
    The diamond tips are wear items and you can't expect them to last forever. 4-5 hours works out to what 3-400 feet of cutting?

    Search eBay for "diamond drag", you can find tips for about $10 each.

    You might want to experiment with different tip angles.

    Good luck!
    bob

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2011
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    0
    I've already tried to cut glass with this and it did not work. Was told by a stained glass expert that to cut glass properly you need to use a carbide wheel type (typical) cutter. He said the glass needs to be "separated" rather than scratched to make it break properly.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Posts
    94

    Search eBay for "diamond drag", you can find tips for about $10 each.

    done and done

    The diamond tips are wear items and you can't expect them to last forever. 4-5 hours works out to what 3-400 feet of cutting?
    not at the .5 federate that was recommended in the literature

    I've already tried to cut glass with this and it did not work

    I started looking at tangent cutters not long after I made the first post, I have an extra stepper and I may just give it a shot.

    From what I've read the setup in mach is very simple, also since my motor is the same I can just copy the settings- however my breakout board is full.

    From what I have read you can add a second serial card and 1 axis breakout board but I dont know what settings that need to be changed.


    If someone could tell me more about that it would be great my machine was built by someone else so I am not to familiar with it.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails 1322587941878.jpg  

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Posts
    1602
    I am not sure that I agree that the wheel type cutter is the only way to go. There are a lot of diamond tipped manual glass cutters on the market. You can buy them in any stained glass shop. I think that a diamond tip should suffice for casual use although a carbide wheel on a tangential is probably best for heavy use.

    Did I understand correctly that your cutting speed is .5 inches per minute? That seems awfully slow. Think of how fast you move when manually scribing glass and check out some you tube videos on cnc glass cutting to see how fast this happens. Most of them are using wheeled cutters but still, I think you should be able to move a lot faster than that.

    Also did you use any lubricant when scribing the glass? That might add some life to your diamond tip.

    bob

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Posts
    0
    All I know is that when I tried to cut some stained glass, it scribed nicely but when breaking the glass (and I used the flat nosed pliers that stained glassers use) the break would not follow the line.
    Following up with a professional stain glass person who has his own shop and teaches classes - he says a diamond point scribed line will not work.
    If someone has had success with the diamond I hope they will chime in because I would love to be able cut stained glass or any glass with my machine.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Posts
    94

    update

    I purchased an extra drag off ebay and made a few more cuts, results are about the same strait lines crack somewhat strait, curved cuts not at all.

    the ebay cutters I have been getting have lasted much much less than the one that came with the holder, however this may be due to me hooking the tip on the edge of the glass.

    Attempts were made with single deep passes multiple shallow passes with lubricant and without.

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