BUYING A NEW BRIDGE SAW (ANY SUGGESTIONS)

[jmtravertine@gmail.com]

Hello, thinking in buying a new Bridge saw, want to spend between 35K to 45K, Considering Matrix Vision or Triton, the difference with one and the other is automatic cutting programming, 45 angle head rotating and $10,000.00, my actual saw does have 45 rotating head and I have used probably a couple of times in 4 years so I don't think that'd be a problem.

What I like of Matrix is USA Made, looks simple design, not too many fancy things that can give you problems later.
what I don't like is that the bridge is not cast iron.

I also considering the Maya 400 and maya 625, basically the same difference between them only $5,000.00 difference except that the 400 is belt drive. overall Maya's have more options than Matrix like powered rotating table and head, cast Iron bridge, the only bad thing is China Made, the distributor is in California and have support, parts etc.

Open to any suggestions and recommendations.

Thanks

Juan M. Flores
Travertine Stone Products, Inc.
http://www.travertinestoneproducts.com

[ageless]

Lots of information on this topic in the members area. Become a member before you make a desicion. It will save you lots of money.

[jmtravertine@gmail.com]

How I become a member?

[Darryl Miller]

How I become a member?

Click the "Join SFA" tab at the top of the page. It will be the best $250.00 investment you will ever make in your business.

[jmtravertine@gmail.com]

Thank you Guys

[jmtravertine@gmail.com]

I just did, submit payment but won't let me go in to members areas, what I missing

[tim farr]

This organization is ran by volunteers who also run businesses so it may take a day or two for Guy to get the lights turned on for you. Welcome

[Demetri]

Juan,

Call me monday about the Matrix.

[Darryl Miller]

Welcome Juan. As Tim said, Guy will get you set up soon.

[jbergman]

Hi Juan,

I have a customer in the east who is seriously looking at a new GMM Brio. They currently have a GMM Techna and would like to sell it if they buy the Brio. The Techna is a much heavier saw than what you are looking at and is in the same price range. GMM's retain the highest resale value in the market for good reason. This saw has a manual rotating table with quick stops at 45 and 90 degrees and has an encoder to display all table angles with a Enerpac table brake which allows you to stop at any angle. It does not have a tilting table, the customer uses a jib crane with a vacuum lifter for loading. The Techna is in excellent shape. Ask anyone on this site and they will tell you about GMM.

Any sale would be between you and my customer. I would be happy to help out, but there is no commission involved on my part.

Thanks,

John Bergman
Bergman-Blair Machine Corp / GMM USA
www.bergmanblair.com
11895 N Lonely Trail
Prescott, AZ 86305
928-443-1100
516-381-6774 cell

[Surfacesinc]

What ever you do stay away from Poseidon Machinery

[Angel]

Sufacesinc instead of say "stay away from Poseidon" why don't you state the issues you had with them.

[PoseidonMachinery]

Hi Juan,

There is a big jump in the quality of construction, options, and service that you will receive if you can purchase a bridge saw that is higher than the price range you specified. When you are at the $50k-$60k range, you can get something Italian or purchase something from a USA company like Park. This means the construction will be heavier(more precision and longevity-this goes for all stone equipment), and you will have features like:

-having mechanical parts protected from the environment by bellows or vinyl covers as opposed to an exposed mechanical system
-miter feature will be plunge. Typically, if the miter feature is accomplished by a tilting plate on the bottom, you have to move the blade out of the material to move the bridge and the cutting function is not as stable as let's say how the GMM Tecna.
-service-purchasing from an American company that makes machines will enable them to have more readily a stock of spare parts and techs that can help. Most Italian companies have serious machine agents that back them in the USA or they have their own USA-based offices. Bridge saws give you very little problems and are easy to maintain, however, in those dire moments, you will want that service. Machines have a funny way of breaking down when you are behind the 8 ball.

[Dan R.]

Who in America uses a cast iron bridge of American cast iron?
I have a GMM and have had minor issues that were solved quickly. Do not be scared into buying one machine over another. Buy the machine that will do the job and from the company you trust, just your clients buy countertops.

[PoseidonMachinery]

Poseidon has a PT series that are made of cast-iron, however, the bridges are imported from outside of the USA.

GMM makes a great saw. Cast-iron helps to eliminate vibration as it is a solid mold, not hollow steel tubes which have more resonance while cutting/machining. In the end, all machines may have minor issues, even new, even the ones that are worth 6 digit figures. The important thing is to have a responsible company behind it.

[Ger Vanderbas]

Since I don't have a dog in the race at the price category with regard to cast iron, the reason for it's rigidity is that the it contains carbon which is vibration damping, but also because it typically has more mass than a fabricated structure.

Note though that steel is also a viable material for a machine structure as steel doesn't necessarily have to be built as a frame structure. It can be machined (as also the critical surfaces of Cast Iron are)

The design technology today through finite element analysis avails the machinery designer with tools to understand the frequency and direction and severity of vibration under simulated cutting conditions and now the shape and design regardless of the material can be more purposeful considering the actual potential forces of the machinery.
We have models and various machines employing both materials (and in some cases also in the same machine) depending on those forces and the rest of the characteristics of the machine.

When you buy used, structure is important because a structure built heavier than the intended purpose will generally have a lesser affect on the non structural components over time. (rollers, racks, gears, guideways,bearings, pinions, motors etc)

I'd say find a saw your comfortable with from a builder you feel will be there with parts and support when it hiccups unless you yourself are a mechanic. There's really enough of us out there and enough saws out there to find one like this.
Price category is a different matter but that category you mention could be doable for a decent saw no more than 7 years old that might need a little calibration but still has lots of good years in it.

I have nothing available like that, but I'd have to imagine the used guys or even one of the members here have something laying around.

Cheers.

[Dan R.]

Ger, you owe me my two minutes back! I will collect two minutes of silence from you @ Expo.

[Caleb]

Hello, thinking in buying a new Bridge saw, want to spend between 35K to 45K, Considering Matrix Vision or Triton,

I know you said new saw - but considering your budget just curious why a used Yukon ll (also USA made) isn't on your list? We paid 40k for our saw that was only 1 year old!

[Ger Vanderbas]

Dan,

Sorry thanks to Mrs. Povalitis in high school, I type pretty fast so it takes you longer to read it.

The compilation will hit amazon next Christmas. I can't decide if the title should be chicken soup for the stone machine buyers soul or valium for...

The check is in the mail for the two minutes.

G