Which Stained Glass Saw Do You Recommend?

Stained Glass Saw – Taurus 3 Ring Saw

There are 3 main types of stained glass saw; Ring Saws, Band Saws and Wire Saws and they all have slightly different strengths and weaknesses.
The Taurus 3 Ring Saw* is the one I use and recommend.
I get a small % if you click through from my website and purchase it. As I hope you know by now, I’m not going to be recommending things I don’t find tip top and incredibly useful. Thanks for your support.

1. Ring saw

This type of stained glass saw has a cutting blade that is a rigid steel wire ring – about 10cm diameter – that spins at high speed. You cut without turning the glass with these saws. Good for a all sorts of work – probably the most versatile. You can go side to side with them as well as back and forth.

My Recommendation – Taurus 3 Ring Saw *paid (pictured above)

*Just so’s you know, if you click and buy through the link within 24 hrs I get a small % from Amazon, (not you!). Thanks in advance but no worries if you have a local store – I’d always support them first 🙂

2. Band saw

These glass saws have a steel ribbon blade with a diamond coated front edge. They can cut fancy shapes and are faster than wire saws. Good for high production work but you can only go back and forth not side to side. eg. Diamond Laser 3000XL.

3. Wire saw

These saws have a straight wire blade that travels up and down very quickly. Very popular as a bit cheaper than the other two types, with cheap replacement blades. Good for fine delicate work. eg the Gryphon Omni-2 Plus+.

What else do you need to know?

1. They cost about $300-500, £400 for us over the pond.
2. You MUST watch your water levels with a stained glass saw. If you don’t you’re asking for problems.
3. A useful tip: use permanent marker lines smeared with vaseline for cutting guide, it won’t smear off with water.

Tips for Using the Saw Successfully

The Taurus Ring Saw should give you really nice cuts and help you make difficult cuts on different types of glass, for example drapery glass or glass that has been fused. To use the saw to it’s full potential do the following:

• make sure everything is in alignment and there’s enough water, not too much though
• don’t push too quickly. Go MUCH slower than you think you should.
• don’t leave the belt in water after you’ve finished cutting.
• wet the entire belt before turning on the saw and that seems to keep the belt from jumping the gears on startup
• it helps to put a cap full or more of grinder coolant in the water to lube the belt.

Ongoing Stained Glass Saw Maintenance

If your stained glass saw starts to vibrate a bit or doesn’t make a clean cut, look out for the following:

• your belt may be stretched out and you’ll need to replace it
• replace the belt whenever it starts to be heavily grooved or starts to lengthen. Probably 2 or 3 belts per blade change. The blue gear and pulleys all get replaced every couple of years.
• if the belt keeps coming off, try putting a doubled over rubber band around the tension arm, that sometimes helps.
• you can buy a ‘slim blade kit’ that reduces the amount of glass removed, so that will help with vibration and give you more flexibility.

Stained Glass Saw Questions

 Is It Worth Buying One?

Stained glass saws have their place and use in the studio, but should not be viewed as something to use for all your cutting. Saws are good in cutting some of those difficult pieces with deep curves and where the quantity of glass may be very limited.

If one is proficient in scoring glass accurately, that task can be done considerably faster than using a saw. The saw will basically do some of the finishing grinding but using a saw is slow. Don’t be tempted to cut ‘impossible’ cuts as the glass will most probably break further down the line if it’s a weak shape. I’ve written a whole page outlining 5 things stained glass saws do well which may help you decide whether you need one.

Questions About Stained Glass Projects

Back to Everything Stained Glass Home Page