Conventional wisdom would seem to indicate that the more horsepower a cutting machine has, the better for cutting through materials like granite.

 

It is true that a higher horsepower saw- say 20 horse power is needed to effectively cut through glass and many metals. Yet for virtually all stone cutting jobs, a 7.5 hp  saw is sufficient, even for granite which requires a blade revolving at about 4500 rpm, which is the rpm that granite should be cut for best results.

 

A 20 hp saw is capable of some 18,000 rpms, so in our hypothetical granite-cutting project using a 20 hp saw is overkill- only about 25 percent of its potential power is being used for the most demanding stone cutting job.  Why expend from $18,000 to $24,000 extra for a larger saw if your company is only going to be cutting stone products a less expensive saw will do the job nicely?

 

After all a 7.5hp saw is engineered specifically for stone-cutting jobs and is still running well within its capabilities at 4500 rpm.  

 

 

This article is reprinted from Stone Industry News Nov. 2006 Vol.  IV, no. 11, written by Jim Callahan (VP of Sales Marmo Machinery USA)