# Please Help! How can I safely cut through Bone China? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 30, 2005, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-how-can-i-safely-cut-through-bone-china/328566 "2005-10-30T05:57:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Pan4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@Pan4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pan4Life)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-how-can-i-safely-cut-through-bone-china/328566/1 "2005-10-30T05:57:19Z")
I just came into posession of about $4,000 (retail, so these guys had on the invoice) of several bone china vases, from sets about 8" tall to one urn at about 2 1/2’. In a nutshell, semi rear ends a delivery truck right in front of me filled with these retail china pieces, I pull over to make sure everyone’s allright, and ended up directing these guys in the box van to a friend of mine’s hotel right off the exit. They were pretty shook up , but okay physically, and I got them a great deal for however long it took them to sort it out with the insurance and all. (they were from out of state) So I go by a few days later and the drivers of the truck had set a dozen pieces or so aside for me if I wanted them, since the insurance company told them to just trash anything damaged in any way after the inspector came by and recorded it. (it was…sad to see) These are just amazing, but almost all of them had the topmost part above the neck broken off in different degrees. Okay, so they’re not worth all that now but I intend to save 'em. So now I want to cut them even at the base of the neck and have them like that, any ideas? Have tried the following ; file, hacksaw, grinder with a few bits. Not much success, most attempts barely digging into the surface, and I fear too much vibration. Please help if you can. ---
**Author:** ![parthenokinesis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/cc9497/32.png) [@parthenokinesis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/parthenokinesis)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-how-can-i-safely-cut-through-bone-china/328566/2 "2005-10-30T06:25:32Z")
You might want to try a tile saw. We use one at work occasionally to cut through ceramic tile. It has a hookup for a hose so it waters itself while you cut, and uses a fine diamond masonry blade. Something along thise lines should do you best. You could probably do it with a circular saw with a fine masonry blade and have someone else spraying your blade. Good luck. Jack ---
**Author:** ![Booker57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Booker57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Booker57)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-how-can-i-safely-cut-through-bone-china/328566/3 "2005-10-30T06:35:15Z")
Dremal tool with silicon carbide blade. I have used this to cut thru a sink. Keep us posted on any progress. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-how-can-i-safely-cut-through-bone-china/328566/4 "2005-10-30T12:41:40Z")
I think you’ll get more responses, and perhaps better focused, in the forum called General QUestions. It’s kind of a toss-up, but I think so. Thus, I’m moving it. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-how-can-i-safely-cut-through-bone-china/328566/5 "2005-10-30T12:52:24Z")
With a bone saw, of course. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-how-can-i-safely-cut-through-bone-china/328566/6 "2005-10-30T19:27:21Z")
I don’t know if you can rent a [band or ring saw for glass](http://www.anythinginstainedglass.com/tools/saws.htm) in your area. The link is to a glass crafters site. ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-how-can-i-safely-cut-through-bone-china/328566/7 "2005-10-31T00:51:14Z")
> [@Pan4Life](#): > > ``` > So now I want to cut them even at the base of the neck and have them like that, any ideas? > Have tried the following ; file, hacksaw, grinder with a few bits. Not much success, most attempts barely digging into the surface, and I fear too much vibration. Please help if you can. > > ``` If you have money to spend rent a glass/ceramic cutting wet band saw. If you want to do an economy (low cost) and a lot of time on your hands you can make a wet wire saw out of a couple of 6" replaacement utility wheels a length of #18 bare copper wire long enough to wrap around the two wheels arranged like a band saw three times. Double the wire, twist with a hand drill, unwind the twist and retwist the two lengths together with a 1/2 length offset. When retwisted you should have a loop to go arount the two wheels. Soft solder the joint ends to prevent untwisting. Mount the vase(s) so that the wire can be positions at the point of cut. Crank one wheel to move the twisted wire (wire not a band saw) and feed carborundum #100 grit and water to cool and lubricate. Hours later you will have a finished cut. Voila! ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-how-can-i-safely-cut-through-bone-china/328566/8 "2005-10-31T00:56:24Z")
Tile saw would do the job and would also let you polish the edges, at least a bit. However…vases are basically cylindrical and you have to be very careful when cutting anything that might roll. It can be dangerous if the blade seizes and the object tries to roll.