Cable Saw

[JGT]

Anyone ever use a cable/wire saw to frag an Acro?
Have a large, tabling BC Stelloton that is growing out of control and I need to frag it. Bone cutters won’t fit around some of the branches and can’t remove it to use a Dremel. Thought maybe a cable saw would work unless someone has other ideas.

 

[UncommonSense]

There is actually a wet cut, diamond blade bandsaw specifically for coral fragging!

In this case; my concerns would be the dry cutting, and the TPI count on your specific blade…

Maybe if you (carefully) apply water, and use a stainless steel or diamond abrasive blade… it’s risky though; there’s likely a less destructive option for the coral…

Perhaps call around to the LFSs in the area to see if any have a fragging specific bandsaw ?

 

[Red_Beard]

Could work, you would need room to be able to move your hands to get it to saw though. Would likely cloud the water a bit too with coral skeleton dust, and would make a pretty ragged edge on both the colony and frag. If you try it you will have to post up how it went here.

 

[exnisstech]

I can't find it but i saw a post where someone used a hand held diamond cable saw to cut acro in the tank.

 

[JGT]

There is actually a wet cut, diamond blade bandsaw specifically for coral fragging!

In this case; my concerns would be the dry cutting, and the TPI count on your specific blade…

Maybe if you (carefully) apply water, and use a stainless steel or diamond abrasive blade… it’s risky though; there’s likely a less destructive option for the coral…

Perhaps call around to the LFSs in the area to see if any have a fragging specific bandsaw ?

Can’t remove the coral. Otherwise, my Dremel with a diamond blade would work fine.

 

[UncommonSense]

Can’t remove the coral. Otherwise, my Dremel with a diamond blade would work fine.

Hmm… handheld tree/bush branch loppers?

I just tested on rubble; my smaller Fiskars snipped a pretty clean line with minimal force!

 

[exnisstech]

I believe the post i mentioned earlier used something like This . Supposed to work on marble and granite so it should cut a skeleton.

EDIT: maybe this will work

https://a.co/d/bwbEgeW

 

[Red_Beard]

I believe the post i mentioned earlier used something like This . Supposed to work on marble and granite so it should cut a skeleton.

EDIT: maybe this will work

https://a.co/d/bwbEgeW

Would be a cleaner cut than one meant for tree limbs too. Coral skeleton is pretty soft though so a tree one would work and be much faster, just be way more aggressive and much less delicate.

 

[exnisstech]

Would be a cleaner cut than one meant for tree limbs too. Coral skeleton is pretty soft though so a tree one would work and be much faster, just be way more aggressive and much less delicate.

I would think one meant for trees might be much larger but I've never touched one so maybe not?

 

[UncommonSense]

I would think one meant for trees might be much larger but I've never touched one so maybe not?

It might be viable for large bites! — I think of splitting a colony in half, then removing the half you just cut off to frag traditionally!

 

[exnisstech]

It might be viable for large bites! — I think of splitting a colony in half, then removing the half you just cut off to frag traditionally!

Good ol loppers as my grandfather used to call them. I have his old pair with wood handles.
I think the thread I read about the cable saw was someone who was removing individual branches. I'm not fortunate enough to have to do any pruning yet so no first hand experience.

 

[UncommonSense]

Good ol loppers as my grandfather used to call them. I have his old pair with wood handles.
I think the thread I read about the cable saw was someone who was removing individual branches. I'm not fortunate enough to have to do any pruning yet so no first hand experience.

Haha just don’t overwork the wood handled ones… they like to snap! The plastic jaw ones just rip the jaw off…

Here’s a more compact option; handheld pruners! — they did require both hands to cut through a ~3/4” thick chunk of rock rubble though…

 

[Red_Beard]

I would think one meant for trees might be much larger but I've never touched one so maybe not?

Nah, they are still pretty small. I would say pretty close to the same size. Except the dumb ones with chainsaw teeth.

 

[exnisstech]

Haha just don’t overwork the wood handled ones… they like to snap!

I don't have the strength to break these lol. These are from the good ol days when they built stuff to last. The jaws look like they may be cast steel or at least forged and the handles almost as big as a shovel handle.

 

[ptrusk]

Ratcheting PVC cutter. If that won’t fit, I have used these Amazon product ASIN B0CN9G23MYTwist around the branch to score it then nip at the score with bone cutters.
The wire saw will probably work but will take quite a while.

 

[JGT]

Hmm… handheld tree/bush branch loppers?

I just tested on rubble; my smaller Fiskars snipped a pretty clean line with minimal force!

That might work. Just a bit unwieldy.

 

[JGT]

I believe the post i mentioned earlier used something like This . Supposed to work on marble and granite so it should cut a skeleton.

EDIT: maybe this will work

https://a.co/d/bwbEgeW

Yes, this is what I was envisioning but hadn’t seen the diamond version of it.

 

[JGT]

It might be viable for large bites! — I think of splitting a colony in half, then removing the half you just cut off to frag traditionally!

This might also work. Just also concerned about the jarring effect on rock and other corals in attempting to cut it. It isn’t going to go quietly.

 

[Reefer Matt]

@Michael Adam

 

[JGT]

I don't have the strength to break these lol. These are from the good ol days when they built stuff to last. The jaws look like they may be cast steel or at least forged and the handles almost as big as a shovel handle.

Old school.