rockhound97058
freely admits to licking rocks
Thundereggs - Oregons Official State Rock!
Member since January 2006
Posts: 760
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Post by rockhound97058 on Jul 13, 2010 0:55:50 GMT -5
Well some months ago my buddy talked my into building a flat lap for him. I have to say I kinda went overboard on the machine and am a little jealous LOL... The largest I have is a 18" I built for myself... this new machine is a 24" plate. Should grind a fairly large rock. Anyway, yesterday I got the tank & back side of plate painted. Today I welded in my cross support for the motor/jack shaft, got the pulleys mounted, wiring done, water tank finished and more... Basically tomorrow a few small details to touch up and buy a couple of V belts and let it run. Here's a few pictures of the machine I built from scratch. The largest I see for sale on the net is 18" and they run around $1500.00. The one I built is around $400.00 in materials only... Not including labor. Thanks much! Jason     |
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rons
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2010
Posts: 450
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Post by rons on Jul 13, 2010 7:35:16 GMT -5
Nice job Jason..I see some serious rock grinding going on with it.
Ron
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Post by johnjsgems on Jul 13, 2010 9:07:16 GMT -5
What rpm does it turn? Nice work.
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Post by jakesrocks on Jul 13, 2010 9:54:06 GMT -5
As a retired metalsmith I have to say that the work that went into this machine is great. Love the fact that you mounted it on casters, so it can easily be moved out of the way when not in use.
Don
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rockhound97058
freely admits to licking rocks
Thundereggs - Oregons Official State Rock!
Member since January 2006
Posts: 760
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Post by rockhound97058 on Jul 13, 2010 10:19:29 GMT -5
John - if my math is correct and the pulleys do their job, this machine should turn at 55 RPM at the plate. This is the same speed as my 18" runs and it works fantastic. If I had been able to find a 22" pulley for the main shaft I could have run one belt... But since a 14" pulley was the largest I could obtain locally and for fairly cheap, I had to build the jackshaft to slow it down.
Don - Thanks much! - Yes the Caster Wheels were the first thing to get added. My buddy who will take this home, wanted to be able to roll it around his shop. Also figured it'd be great to roll it outside to clean it out - if he even uses it lol... might be too pretty for him to use.
The paint turned out awesome... I found some clearance Marine/Boat paint at home depot for around $3.00 a quart. Thinned it down with Xylene and shot it with the paint gun. Paint flowed out nice when finished.
I forgot to mention the lower leg supports will actually support a plywood shelf when finished. It's the perfect hight so a 5 gallon bucket will slide under the drain to catch the discharge.
Jason
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firewalker45
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since August 2006
Posts: 929
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Post by firewalker45 on Jul 13, 2010 10:54:43 GMT -5
That is a work of art. WTG Jason. Daniel
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Post by jakesrocks on Jul 13, 2010 11:10:47 GMT -5
Hah, I have a 22" pulley out in my rock shed. It came off of a big industrial fan that was meant to move air very slowly. Always wondered what I'd use it for. Now I know.
Don
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NDK
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2009
Posts: 9,440
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Post by NDK on Jul 13, 2010 20:58:24 GMT -5
That's an awesome piece of equipment! Probably built better than the commercially available units too. Great work Jason.
Nate
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spicer m
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2008
Posts: 337
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Post by spicer m on Jul 13, 2010 21:26:11 GMT -5
I like it Very nice. Great craftsmanship. I like the color too.
Mike
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Post by Toad on Jul 13, 2010 23:19:18 GMT -5
That is great. Did you tell him how much it is worth?
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rockhound97058
freely admits to licking rocks
Thundereggs - Oregons Official State Rock!
Member since January 2006
Posts: 760
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Post by rockhound97058 on Jul 15, 2010 10:16:06 GMT -5
LOL - Oh yeah he knows what these thing are worth. I made sure to rub it in lol. Well I didn't take any photo's yet, but I have the machine complete and running. Fired it up the other day and ran some junk rocks on it to break in the new plate to clean up the rust... Ran the thing for 4 hours straight and never missed a beat.
Another buddy (who built a lap right after I started this one) wants to partner up and build a 5ft lap!! Unsure if I need one that big, but hey might be a fun project.
I think my next project is going to be a chop saw. I have a 18" blade in the shop and it can't be much to build. Couple main frame shafts, blade hub, and a couple bearings... Should be very simple, other than finding the balance point.
Jason
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,359
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Post by quartz on Jul 18, 2010 18:52:26 GMT -5
Very nice build, probably better than a factory made. Find the balance point on a chop saw head by building the entire head, slide it back and forth on a piece of bar stock supported between two saw horses.
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rockjam
off to a rocking start
Member since March 2010
Posts: 4 
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Post by rockjam on Oct 7, 2010 16:24:56 GMT -5
Sorry to ask such a dumb question, but what kind of grinding surface do you have on this kind of machine?
Do you use silicon carbide grit?
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Post by johnjsgems on Oct 7, 2010 21:04:36 GMT -5
Yes, silicon carbide is generally used. You can also use magnetic diamond discs but they cost both arms and a leg.
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Post by llana2go on Oct 8, 2010 21:08:23 GMT -5
WOW! If you would not have said you built it, I would have thought it was a Lortone or something. Can sure tell you have experience working with metal. AWESOME machine!
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drjo
fully equipped rock polisher
Honduran Opal & DIY Nut
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,581
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Post by drjo on Oct 8, 2010 23:05:50 GMT -5
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slabcabber
has rocks in the head
Member since April 2010
Posts: 590
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Post by slabcabber on Oct 12, 2010 8:30:22 GMT -5
Ok Here goes the dumb question for this post..............I am wondering one thing here ............................ Boy I hate to sound this dumb but here goes.... How do you keep the grit on this thing?  ? Sorry But I had to ask....... |
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drjo
fully equipped rock polisher
Honduran Opal & DIY Nut
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,581
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Post by drjo on Oct 12, 2010 9:42:23 GMT -5
The table doesn't spin that fast to throw the grit off and the grit is in a thick slurry that you actually have to keep adding water to as the grinding progresses. Polishes are used with pads that cover the whole disk.
Dr Joe
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rockhound97058
freely admits to licking rocks
Thundereggs - Oregons Official State Rock!
Member since January 2006
Posts: 760
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Post by rockhound97058 on Oct 13, 2010 1:08:07 GMT -5
Not too shabby - but a 16" is a bit small LOL. I have a extra 18 & 20" blade sitting here, just waiting to be used! Been busy as heck lately with work and family health issues, so been absent from around here.
I did make it to my buddies house today (who owns one of the Biggs Jasper Mines) and checked out a 6' drag saw he had built... I have to admit the kid who built it did an amazing job.
Wish I had more time and better tooling to build other equipment, but for now I'll make do with what I have!
Jason
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drjo
fully equipped rock polisher
Honduran Opal & DIY Nut
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,581
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Post by drjo on Oct 13, 2010 5:27:26 GMT -5
rockhound97058 can you start another thread and post some pix of the drag saw, there have been several requests for them, or better yet, get your buddy to join here and he can do it, new members are always welcome here.
Dr Joe
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Gotta lick those rocks to see if they shine!!
? Sorry But I had to ask.......
