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Post by Titania on Dec 29, 2008 10:19:50 GMT -5
My hubby got my another cabbing machine for Christmas...I'm a very lucky girl. Anyway, he got me a 4-wheel 8" machine. I'm going to run extra 6" wheels on it for now, but as those wheels wear out, I want to purchase some 8" wheels. My question is which wheels would be best to run at 8"? Do I turn the 8" machine into my rough grinder (60, 220, 600, 1200)? Or, do I turn the 8" machine into my polisher (0.25 micron, 0.5 micron, 1 micron and 3 micron)? Between my two machines, I now have 10 wheels available. I'm just not sure which end of the grinding spectrum would be best to run at 8", given that the other 6 wheels will be 6". Anyone have any thoughts?
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highplainsdrifter
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since December 2008
Posts: 1,266
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Post by highplainsdrifter on Dec 29, 2008 15:57:16 GMT -5
Wow, ten wheels available, I wish I had that problem.
One thing to consider is cost. The 60/220 wheels are pretty expensive in an 8" size. I would price out the options and consider which wheels you tend to wear out quickest.
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Post by Titania on Dec 29, 2008 16:07:29 GMT -5
Wow, ten wheels available, I wish I had that problem. One thing to consider is cost. The 60/220 wheels are pretty expensive in an 8" size. I would price out the options and consider which wheels you tend to wear out quickest. I haven't worn out a wheel yet...I would say I wear out my 600 fastest of all of the wheels I have. It'll need to be replaced first. My hard grind wheels 60 and 220 grit are in excellent shape and won't need replacement anytime soon. The difference between the 6" and 8" jadecarver wheels isn't too big...about $20. The price difference on the Diamond Pacific wheels is much greater...about $50. That makes me think that maybe the bottom end (60, 220, 600, 1200) on the 8" would be the way to go.
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highplainsdrifter
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since December 2008
Posts: 1,266
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Post by highplainsdrifter on Dec 29, 2008 16:20:52 GMT -5
On my Genie, I tend to wear out the 600 wheel the quickest, with the 280 Nova a close second. I've been considering a second arbor and using a Kingsley North 400 flex wheel in between. I've been trying to locate a reasonably priced used Genie for some time now. I've also been experimenting with some refurbishment techniques for the Nova wheels.
HPD
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Post by Titania on Dec 29, 2008 16:35:21 GMT -5
I've been considering getting a soft 220/280 grit wheel. My 220 is a hard wheel, and I think I'd wear my 600 less if I had a soft wheel between the 220 and 600. I have some of the Kingsley North Flex Wheels on my machine now, as well as Diamond Pacific Wheels. From Kingsley North, the Flex wheels are $85. From Ebay, you can get DP Nova wheels for $98. For the price, the DP Nova wheels wear much better, IMO. There is a vendor that I think a few folks have used that refurbish Nova wheels: www.amber-werx.com/wheels/index.shtmlI've never used them, but I think I will give them a try when I wear out my Nova wheel. Rather than buying a Genie, you might also look into buying a Lortone motor and arbor. That's what I've got...the prices are much more reasonable than the Genie machines. I've got no complaints at all.
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Wolfden
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2007
Posts: 1,368
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Post by Wolfden on Dec 30, 2008 8:53:20 GMT -5
what about running Expandable Drums ?? the belts are reasonable
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Post by Titania on Dec 30, 2008 9:14:19 GMT -5
what about running Expandable Drums ?? the belts are reasonable Hi Wolf! I'm actually trying to get away from expandos...I've not yet found a belt I really like working with. The only ones I haven't tried yet are the Raytechs, and they don't offer the grits I'm looking for. I normally take my cabs to at least 50k, sometimes 100k. The wheels are about 2x the price of belts, but in my experience the wheels last more than twice the life of a belt.
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Post by Titania on Dec 30, 2008 10:04:18 GMT -5
Here is the best price I have found. But he does not have 8". But for these prices. If your experimenting. This would be a good start. Later Jim rocklady1.com/Products.htmlHi Jim! That's exactly who I got my hard 60 and 220 grit 6" wheels from on ebay. I agree that the price is definitely right! I REALLY like the wheels, too. Mine have held up remarkably well, and I do a lot of rough grinding. With the plastic core, they are lighter than the jadecarver wheels and really nicely balanced.
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