rockbrain
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2022
Posts: 3,172
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Post by rockbrain on Jun 22, 2023 9:03:46 GMT -5
16 is a good size, and the HP clone will no doubt be better than the Lortone clone, and a 14" blade will fit it with just a bit more oil for less kerf when desired. I have the 16" original US made M3 close to being on deck for a rebuild, maybe be done early next year if I can repair or replace the original lexan acrylic lid. When you get it you should immediately get the pillow block arbor bearing dimensions and part number, and find an original Sealmaster or SKF replacement for when the chinese ones die, if you run it hard like you should they will go a year at best. Thanks I'll do that. When I looked at the instruction manual it list the saw as a 14/16. Calculating from the tank dimensions it should only take 2 gallons of oil to put a 14 on it. I did the same calcs for my 24 and it was about 10 gallons! I ordered the saw the other day. It'll be a while. They're out of stock currently but I have my name on one that is "in the water" . Meaning it's in a container heading to MA. Expected arrival is July or August. Then of course the time for freight back to the west coast. I'll be anxious but I got a lot to do before it gets here. I'm setting up a dedicated spot in my garage and there's crap to get rid of. I need to post a pic in the thread to "show your workshop" I basically have all my stuff sitting on the side of the house in a jumbled mess. I've got quite the upgrade planned for the garage area. |
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Jun 28, 2023 9:47:37 GMT -5
Sorry I'm late on this as you already ordered it. I have the Hytone 14" It is a great saw (and I went back and forth between this and the 16". As for oil the 14 " takes 4 gallons of oil. Mine has performed flawlessly and I have only had to adjust the feed once (it had loosened after over 100 cuts). Moving my saw is a royal pain in the arse and I built a plastic enclosed room in my basement that houses the saw now for the rest of my life (cause I ain't moving it again even if we sell out house and move lol). I went with the 14 inch because I rarely cut anything larger than 5 inches, and the difference between the cut depth on the 2 did not justify the price difference (for me). If I had the need for a heavier duty saw the 16 would have been a no brainer for me. Congrates on the new saw. I hope it arrives sooner (Mine arrived 2 weeks before the promise date, but I an on the East coast and the container mine was in was nothing but 10, 12 and 14 inch saws so unloading and shipping was pretty dang quick)
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ltphala
off to a rocking start
Member since June 2023
Posts: 8
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Post by ltphala on Jun 29, 2023 11:31:14 GMT -5
Hi Stefan, I am almost going get the Hytone 14 inch saw today, but before I made the order, I thought of asking: Does this saw have adjustable feeding rate? I heard that if the stone is too hard, like an agate, the speed needs to be slower in order to protect the blade. What is your experience of cutting hard stones? Thanks a lot!
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Post by Rockoonz on Jun 29, 2023 12:17:08 GMT -5
ltphala the lortone copy saws they make have a fixed feed rate. The lortone saws used a 20TPI feed screw with a 4RPM motor, which gives 1" every 5 minutes. For a smaller saw it's okay, but still pretty fast. Lortone also made a 14" saw they called the panther with a 7RPM motor, I think John and Sherman were smart enough not to repeat that huge error. All that said, I really prefer the feed that runs off a belt from the blade arbor, that way when the blade stops everything stops and you don't get a bent blade. My saws with adjustable rates never leave the slowest rate, even with materials that work with a faster rate the flatness of the cut will suffer with the faster feed. When rebuilding a big saw I change out pulleys to slow the feed even more than the factory setting. My philosophy is if you want more slabs faster, get more saws.
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ltphala
off to a rocking start
Member since June 2023
Posts: 8
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Post by ltphala on Jun 29, 2023 12:57:58 GMT -5
Thanks Rockoonz! So you were talking about the highland park high tone saw, or Lortone saw? From reading the forum threads, I heard Lortone saw cuts too fast on hard stone, and the blade wears out pretty quickly. I hope highland park high tone saw gives a reasonable speed, not too fast, and not too slow either. I won't be bothered too much if it cuts slow, since it is automatic, and I do not need to hold the stone myself.
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Post by Rockoonz on Jun 29, 2023 23:13:27 GMT -5
ltphala the motor is a 4RPM, I looked it up, so it's the same as the lortone in that respect. The hightone is made from thicker sheetmetal, so that should help with the feed rate and cut quality.
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Jun 30, 2023 16:12:53 GMT -5
The 14 inch has a fixed feed rate. 3/16" per minute. I cut agates, Jasper, pet woods, cherts, and other quartz based rocks with no issues. The largest I have cut so far is 4 1/2 inches (the saw will handle 5 1/2). The motor never bogs down and has never overheated. I have zero belt squeal and honestly have not had any issues other than an occasional rock that breaks free from the vise (has happened 3 times, 2 times were just wasted time until the shut off kicked off, once had a really horrible cut as the rock loosened and twisted in the vise so I had 2 different grooves). I run the saw in my basement and just listen for it to shut off (I can barely hear it upstairs). My Greenline blade has well over 100 cuts and the paint has just now worn off the ends of the diamonds. I figure I should have another 1000 or so cuts before I need to think about a new blade. The saw is built like a tank and I cannot detect any flex in the unit at all.
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ltphala
off to a rocking start
Member since June 2023
Posts: 8
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Post by ltphala on Jul 1, 2023 14:13:46 GMT -5
Thanks Stefan! I just ordered a 14" high Tone saw yesterday. It is backordered, but I should be able to receive it in August. Can't wait to using it. I have lots of agates to cut....
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rockbrain
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2022
Posts: 3,172
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Post by rockbrain on Aug 3, 2023 8:51:27 GMT -5
I got the call about a week ago that the container had made it to MA and was being unpacked. According to the tracking I got it has left the east coast, made it to Ohio and is scheduled to arrive this Tuesday. Time to start cutting some 2x4 and gluing some rocks! I've accumulated quite a bit of bigger rough to cut but I have a lot of end cuts that I've been wanting to slab for a long time.
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Post by Rockoonz on Aug 3, 2023 12:58:25 GMT -5
A couple suggestions when it arrives, after the usual stuff of checking the crate for shipping damage, etc.
As you get it open, check all fasteners to make sure they're properly tightened. Keep in mind that this was assembled by someone who makes less money in a month than I did in a 10 hour shift before retiring, and no way to know if John and/or Sherman are still doing 100% QA on everything going out the door, plus they have no control over how the longshoremen treated the container or how it fared en route. Make sure the bench top the saw goes on is totally laser flat and consider some hold downs to minimise the flex of the sheet metal. Look at the YouTube video on checking saw alignment and do it before cutting anything.
First cut maybe try obsidian and listen to what it sounds like cutting. Are you using one of the green blades with uneven teeth? If so be very careful ti start all cuts at a perfect 90 degrees to blade. If the Lortone copy has the separate motor switch like a lortone you can cycle it off and on for the first minute or so when starting a cut at an angle, to get your groove for the blade to run in. From what I hear the green blades take a boatload of cuts to even themselves out, and they suggest nice hard agate to do it.
Have fun and enjoy it by all means, the design is a proven one and they did add some genuine improvements to it, you should be pleased over the long run.
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rockbrain
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2022
Posts: 3,172
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Post by rockbrain on Aug 3, 2023 17:52:15 GMT -5
Thanks for the tips Rockoonz. I'll definitely give it a once over before firing it up. I've got plenty of obsidian. This isn't the Hightone it's the Highland Park model. It's on a stand with castors. Should be pretty sturdy at 460 pounds shipping weight! It doesn't come with the green Agate eater blade. It's the segmented one "Our best blade". I think it's an MK blade. |
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Post by Rockoonz on Aug 3, 2023 21:13:06 GMT -5
Thanks for the tips Rockoonz. I'll definitely give it a once over before firing it up. I've got plenty of obsidian. This isn't the Hightone it's the Highland Park model. It's on a stand with castors. Should be pretty sturdy at 460 pounds shipping weight! It doesn't come with the green Agate eater blade. It's the segmented one "Our best blade". I think it's an MK blade. Good to hear, I think they sell a 303 clone and it's one sphereguy Matt buys for his fleet. It's definitely less of an issue with the heavier steel, but I still tend to align them all in the spot on the floor I run them on, even marking the spots for the legs to return them to after any maintenance. It IS overkill, but steel really does flex no matter how thick, and cutting focuses force on relatively small spots on a saw tub. For about 90% of what we cut the rock is significantly harder than anything else in the saw other than a few grams of diamond. |
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