Nomadic1
Active Member
If you have an original Aqua Saw, with the 35" blade, you will quickly find that you can't fit many colonies into the space allowed, other than chalices or acans. About a year after the 35" model was released, Gryphon produced a 42" Aqua Saw. This allows for a few more inches of clearance to get other types of larger coral colonies into the saw for fragging.
The saw is not cheap. It cost me over $300. The 42" costs over $400. I contacted Gryphon to see if they sold an upgrade kit to the 42" for those who already had a 35". The response was that I'd need to by a new base, for about $200 plus $80 for the longer blade. I politely declined.
So, I looked at a lot of pictures of the 42" saw, and came up with a quick mod to accommodate the 42" length blade. Now for the disclaimer: If you hurt yourself, damage your saw, invalidate your warranty, etc., I am not responsible for your actions. The fix is easy. Buy the 42" blade. Unplug the saw. Remove the cover of the base and the cover over the upper wheel, and then remove the blade, followed by the upper blade guide. The 42" saw doesn't have this guide at all in it, from pictures I have looked at. Get a piece of 1/2" PVC pipe. Cut two sections of pipe, each one being 3 and 7/16" long. Remove the upper member from the saw, disconnecting it in the fashion you would do to clean the unit (sliding the pipe supports out of the base). Put the two sections of pipe on the metal legs, and, then put the upper member back into place onto the base. You have now extended the legs long enough to put tension on the 42" blade and keep it tight. Put the blade back on the lower wheel, and then the upper wheel of the band saw. Replace the cover on the motor. Fill the cooling reservoir. Replace the cover to the base.
The longer blade will wobble more than the shorter blade, just by virtue of physics. Be careful using it. Cut slowly and with plenty of water, and don't try to make any drastic shifts in direction. Use gloves and eye protection, and, probably breathing protection against coral dust.
Enjoy!
The saw is not cheap. It cost me over $300. The 42" costs over $400. I contacted Gryphon to see if they sold an upgrade kit to the 42" for those who already had a 35". The response was that I'd need to by a new base, for about $200 plus $80 for the longer blade. I politely declined.
So, I looked at a lot of pictures of the 42" saw, and came up with a quick mod to accommodate the 42" length blade. Now for the disclaimer: If you hurt yourself, damage your saw, invalidate your warranty, etc., I am not responsible for your actions. The fix is easy. Buy the 42" blade. Unplug the saw. Remove the cover of the base and the cover over the upper wheel, and then remove the blade, followed by the upper blade guide. The 42" saw doesn't have this guide at all in it, from pictures I have looked at. Get a piece of 1/2" PVC pipe. Cut two sections of pipe, each one being 3 and 7/16" long. Remove the upper member from the saw, disconnecting it in the fashion you would do to clean the unit (sliding the pipe supports out of the base). Put the two sections of pipe on the metal legs, and, then put the upper member back into place onto the base. You have now extended the legs long enough to put tension on the 42" blade and keep it tight. Put the blade back on the lower wheel, and then the upper wheel of the band saw. Replace the cover on the motor. Fill the cooling reservoir. Replace the cover to the base.
The longer blade will wobble more than the shorter blade, just by virtue of physics. Be careful using it. Cut slowly and with plenty of water, and don't try to make any drastic shifts in direction. Use gloves and eye protection, and, probably breathing protection against coral dust.
Enjoy!
