skrapyard
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since June 2023
Posts: 75
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Post by skrapyard on Aug 28, 2023 14:36:48 GMT -5
Recently I picked up this older model 1100 saw and I was looking to buy a stand for it. After contacting Covington and a little back and forth with some measurements...it was determined that the stand they offer for their current model 1100 would not fit my saw. The older saw is deeper, and skinnier, and the drain plug is in a slightly different location. Boooo! My next thought was building something for it. But I remembered Im not a fan of woodworking getting sawdust everywhere, and getting steel to weld up a cart on my own was more than I wanted to do right now. So on a whim I checked to see what ye olde Harbor Freight had to offer. Perfection. Thats what they had to offer. The measurements for the saw it self are 29.25"x 14.5" and this tool cart is 30"x16". And I get a drawer to store some random odds and ends! I made it out the door of the store with my wallet $110 lighter and a smile on my face. Im still waiting for a new split nut clamp to come for the ballscrew for this saw, and once Ive got that Ill fill it with oil and get to cutting. I still may replace the blade on it but Im gonna wait until Ive done a few cuts to see how bad it is or if I need to true things up so it cuts straight. Almost there... If anyone else has an older covington 1100...check out Harbor Freight. This was a good deal in my eyes.   |
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Post by jasoninsd on Aug 28, 2023 14:43:32 GMT -5
Some days you're the windshield...some days you're the bug! Glad it was a windshield day for you!!  |
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rockbrain
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2022
Posts: 3,172
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Post by rockbrain on Aug 28, 2023 16:49:05 GMT -5
Boy, that's about as close to perfect as you could get!
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Post by jasoninsd on Aug 28, 2023 21:23:08 GMT -5
I saw the pics earlier today on my phone...but now that I see the pics on my laptop, I'm REALLY happy for you! That really looks awesome...and what a perfect fit!! |
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skrapyard
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since June 2023
Posts: 75
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Post by skrapyard on Aug 29, 2023 8:34:12 GMT -5
I saw the pics earlier today on my phone...but now that I see the pics on my laptop, I'm REALLY happy for you! That really looks awesome...and what a perfect fit!! Thanks Jason. I couldnt have asked for a better fit. I did have to cut down the length on some bolts, leave the handles off of the cart and use a hole saw for the drain. So, a couple modifications were needed but they were very minor. The split nut clip came yesterday, but I was busy with yardwork. So Im hoping tonight I can finish checking a couple things out and fire it up. |
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Post by jasoninsd on Aug 29, 2023 8:40:43 GMT -5
I saw the pics earlier today on my phone...but now that I see the pics on my laptop, I'm REALLY happy for you! That really looks awesome...and what a perfect fit!! Thanks Jason. I couldnt have asked for a better fit. I did have to cut down the length on some bolts, leave the handles off of the cart and use a hole saw for the drain. So, a couple modifications were needed but they were very minor. The split nut clip came yesterday, but I was busy with yardwork. So Im hoping tonight I can finish checking a couple things out and fire it up. I'll be watching for pics of the cuts!! *Since this is on a cart, if you push it outside of the garage, doesn't cutting then become "yard work"?? (Just trying to do my part as an enabler! LOL) |
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johnthor1963
starting to spend too much on rocks
Cattle dogs rock
Member since June 2023
Posts: 236
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Post by johnthor1963 on Aug 29, 2023 18:13:04 GMT -5
Harbor Freight really came through on that great fit. A couple of oily hand prints and a pile of slabs would just set the whole picture off. One thing I really agree with is if it is out side it would certainly be considered yard work lol can’t wait to see what you cut first. Thx for sharing your find love it
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skrapyard
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since June 2023
Posts: 75
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Post by skrapyard on Aug 30, 2023 8:32:27 GMT -5
Last night I was able to get everything cleaned up on the saw, adjusted a few things, and then realized the blade is dished pretty bad and it has a warp to it.
I cleaned up all the parts to the arbor, checked flatness and sanded them a little on a glass plate to ensure they were flat, just as a bit of insurance. It made things a little better, but the blade is buggered.
Tried a little hammering on the blade with a deadblow against a piece of wood to try and get things somewhat straight, but the stress in the blade from it being dished just keeps pushing the warp around it when I work on one area. So I gave up after spending more time than I should. I was able to get things a bit straighter than they were, its just not acceptable to me. If this was a newer blade I would have kept working it. Its not. Its about at the end of its life, so Ill be looking to buy a new blade today.
My machine has a 5/8" arbor so if I get an MK blade Ill need to get an adaptor to mount one of those blades since, from what Im seeing, they are for a 1" arbor.
So Im looking at the Covington branded "A" and "C" series blades since you can select your arbor size when you order them. Does anyone have an opinion on the Covington blades??? Good? Bad? Ugly?
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vwfence
has rocks in the head
Member since January 2013
Posts: 566
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Post by vwfence on Sept 4, 2023 11:07:49 GMT -5
Kingsley North usually has adaptors for arbor sizes
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skrapyard
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since June 2023
Posts: 75
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Post by skrapyard on Sept 5, 2023 11:40:22 GMT -5
Kingsley North usually has adaptors for arbor sizes Good to know. Ill probably get a few in the future. I already ordered a new blade for a 5/8 arbor so its too late for this setup lol. Im trying out one of the gold series blades from Covington this time. It was a lot cheaper than an MK and the A or C series covington blades. Not sure if I will regret my purchase, time will tell. The new blade should be delivered today, so I will get a few cuts made this week and see how well it works. |
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skrapyard
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since June 2023
Posts: 75
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Post by skrapyard on Sept 7, 2023 9:01:36 GMT -5
I got the saw up and running last night. It runs great, but I still have one more thing I need to take a look at. When making a cut I noticed that the lead in where the first part of the cut is was getting a little bit of an angle to it, and then once the blade is about 1/2" into the rock everything cuts straight. I checked the thickness of the slabs with a caliper and the thickness stays within .010" across the entire cut, with the exception of the little bit at the start. Upon a closer look at the sled on the saw I found some play in the "bearing/guide" on the right hand side and that seems to be causing the issue when the cut first starts. This side just uses a piece of angle iron as a guide and the bearing for it is apparently just a bunch of washers. I thought maybe the previous owner crammed some washers in there to replace a faulty cam follower or something. Thats not the case though. The parts diagram for this saw actually shows it as just a stack of 1/4" fender washers. Next project will be to get that part fixed or upgraded. Im thinking of actually installing some bearings or a cam follower on that side to tighten things up a bit. Overall, Im pretty happy though. Heres a couple pics of some of the material I cut last night. One is of some Missouri agate, and the other is of some rhyolite/chalcedony from a little spot I found in Texas. You can clearly see the issue with the lead in on the cut on the top left corner of the texas rhyolite.   |
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michiganpebbler
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2023
Posts: 344 
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Post by michiganpebbler on Sept 7, 2023 9:31:13 GMT -5
Some days you're the windshield...some days you're the bug! Glad it was a windshield day for you!! LOL And if you’re the bug, you don’t have the guts to do that again!  |
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