The ordinary frame saw originally intended for sawing hard stone, and driven by power, is now used successfully for sawing Bath and other soft stones, including Beer stone and alabaster. The saw is a long steel blade parallel in width and thickness, from 19 ft. to 12ft. long, 9 in. wide, and nearly 1/8 in. thick; it has coarse teeth, with a wide set for clearance; it is easily fixed in the frame by tightening or keying up with a kind of wedge like that used for the hard-stone saw. When in motion the saw is fed with water, sufficient only being used to keep the cut from clogging. The rate of speed (steam power) is from twenty-five to thirty strokes per minute, and a block of Bath stone 8 ft. long by 3 ft. deep can be cut through in from half an hour to three-quarters of an hour, according to the hardness of the stone.