The Cutting zone ????

[Former_Member]

OK I think I can introduce you all to something I started or coined a while back on my yahoo forum. THE CUTTING ZONE.!!!!
I think this will be an ongoing thread topic
What is the cutting zone ?? Well I liken it to the twilight zone for many reasons.
One is that it usually is late at night when I enter it.
It is a state of mind..it consumes you and time just passes by when in it. It comes from a totally focused cutting mindset.
When I get back from the mines I have many many 5 gallon buckets of material to work. I tumble to get rid of over burden and have whats left to figure out. at a point in time the material is on the dops by the hundreds of stones and with each is anticipation of what it will look like.
As I grind each stone I see many I just drool over and can not wait to see what the next stone will look like also. Turquoise and its cousins can hide their beauty until roughed out...opal is the same. But when you have a few hundred stones to expose their inner beauty it actually gets very intense and you just can not leave the next stone uncovered so to speak...you just have to see what that next stone looks like and the next and the next and so on. And at some point in time you suddenly realize you have been grinding for a few hours and have been in the CUTTING ZONE. While there you have lost time and were so in-grossed in your work that is where you have been. The problem is there are still more stones you want to see revealed yet unground. But at a point your back says.....time to stretch and work the kinks out.

[Former_Member]

I also have mood music for my many things I do.....computer work I use classical music and a cup of tea.
Jewelry making ,soldering designing …....tea or coffee and mild music.
But when I grind..I do old classic rock turned to hear above the grinder and I grind.!!! I have 500 stones to grind and need to get-ur-done
I have found a glass of wine helpful to wind down with but do not do computer uploads with .. I have found to many mistakes.
Margarita.... we will come back to that.

[Former_Member]

So now you know me....Tonight at this hour I normally would enter the cutting zone.....but feeling a little under the weather today so I will just relax.
Hope all are well and Tomorrow the cutting zone.....James

[opalendeavours]

Hi James and all!!,
Just back from the wild wet west of Queensland with another 300+kilos of boulder opal rough, arrived back monday night, spent Tuesday afternoon and today (1 day ahaed here) in "the cutting zone" being blown away with what I fould.
This time I found a lot more reds and orange but there are a lot more fractures as I get closer to the fault. The top level usually has a fair few fractures due to ground movement (most boulders are fractured).
Just finished about 5 small gemmy boulder opal specimens (polished) for a client. Blocked about two and a half 20litre buckets of rough with great results so far.
Loving the "zone"
I prefer quiet as I cut, (no point having music as the saw drowns it out) just ear muffs!! Oh, and a "cupa" every few hours.
Blocking is the exciting part, facing is tedious but is exciting when I strike a really good one. Then comes the difficult part, checking for cracks (disappointments abound), marking out for stones in prep for trimming and shaping and finishing.
Some I will set aside to sell faced.
I doubt I would even attempt to finish (or grind) 500 in a week let alone a day, careful you don't burn yourself out there James.
I have a mild medical comdition that can floor me for days, so when i feel the "trigger" I just stop and relax, do something else for a while. That seems to alleviate the problem. Like so many of us that are getting older, although I enjoy what I do I need to know when to stop!!
Get in the "zone" more often you guys and enjoy life a little
regards to all from Ken

[Former_Member]

Hi Ken
Glad you got back and safe. The rough from the mines is always fun....My rough does not show much and needs tumbled to get rid of dirt and films that are on the surface.Very hard to see the viens when out at the mine. they hide from you with dirt and film or scale.Only time I can see the vien is when it is chipped and shows the interior.Once tumbled the viens and occurances show. Some even tumbles out and is pure. Lots of work each step. I work about a 1000 pounds and tumble and try to grade and put my really special back for ..??
So I have a larger saw for the larger chunks to work down and then my final saw is a 6 inch thin blade. I am working on the perfect saw right now that will not crack and chip.....I have another one I am setting up ..will get back to that soon.

[Former_Member]

Well today I got in a shipment of Montana agate slices about three pounds. I just could not stop until I cut all of them. I roughed out about 125 cabs today from that rough in my spare time. Tonight I just had to finish them......the cutting Zone just take over at times and leads you from one stone to the next and the next. You just have to see what the next stone will look like. and before you know it 125 cabs are done.