dscratch
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2008
Posts: 214
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Post by dscratch on Feb 27, 2009 21:06:06 GMT -5
I just got a used trim saw from a yard sale and have a few questions. First, here are a couple of pictures to show you the saw. It's 6". Here are my questions: 1.) It does not have a belt. Where do I get one? What size? 2.) What do you put in the water to keep the blade from rusting? 3.) Any good blades at a reasonable price out there? It has a blade now, but it's rusty. I also have a blade for my cabmate machine but it's the really thin type. Thanks, David
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SteveHolmes
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2009
Posts: 1,900
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Post by SteveHolmes on Feb 27, 2009 21:18:29 GMT -5
David, I will add a few suggestions. I have a saw similar to that one. Mine is a HP 6". I don't add anything to the water...but I clean it out everytime I'm finished using it. I know if you use a cutting oil...it will help the life of your blade. I have bought my blades before through SuperAgates...Mark Boche. His 6" trim saw blades that he sells really last quite a long time. They are only 25 bucks...and I can cut alot of agates with it before it's dead. I did just buy one from Daniel Lopaki for I think 22.00. I had to buy some drill bits so I figured I'd order one of his blades just for a comparison. Hope that helps. Enjoy the new saw....you'll love it! Steve
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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 Feb 27, 2009 22:16:05 GMT -5
Steve did a good job in regards to your trim saw. I as well run a Daniel Lopacki blade... Cheap, but I've been impressed with it. One answer for your belt question. Typically these saws run a normal V-Belt. You can get these at a local auto parts store, or a local lawn and garden place which supplies parts for lawnmowers etc... As far as the length of the belt... that would mainly depend on how you set up your unit. You can mount the motor behind the unit and make sure the pulleys on the motor and saw are inline nice a straight. Typically the motor sits back around 10" but again there are many factors to think about. Measure the depth of your work space etc... Once you get the motor and saw mounted take a string and run it around the pulleys just like a belt, tie a knot and take it with you. The autoparts store should have fancy guage to measure what size you need. If it's a hair too long or too short you can always adjust your motor.
Hope that helps!
Jason
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lapidopterix
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2008
Posts: 216
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Post by lapidopterix on Feb 27, 2009 23:37:12 GMT -5
I have a similar saw and I used water with lube cool but I got a giant gelatinous mass of mold growing on it. Now I use baby oil, it's a little thick but I got it cheap and it works fine (plus it smells nice).
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Mudshark
fully equipped rock polisher
Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock. Will Rogers
Member since December 2008
Posts: 1,083
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Post by Mudshark on Feb 28, 2009 9:14:29 GMT -5
David,if you can get one of the pulleys off easily take it with you to the store to be sure you get the right width for the belt.Mcmaster Carr has a good selection and their web page will walk you thru the process of selecting the right belt size for your pulleys.Baby oil or plain mineral oil will work fine,just a little messier.You might also want to consider making some sort of guard to cover the belt and pulleys,thats a pretty beefy motor.Nice score! Mike
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Post by johnjsgems on Feb 28, 2009 10:56:26 GMT -5
You can buy belts easily at Ace, Home Depot, auto parts etc. 1/2" belt would be fine. Motor has to turn so blade turns toward front of saw. The belt from hardware store will say "4L-280" for instance which would be a 1/2" belt that is 28" long. If you mount the saw and motor on a board bolt saw down then place motor behind and guestimate belt length. You can mount motor to fit belt. Mount the motor near front of elongated motor mount hole so you can adjust belt tighter if needed. You can also mount directly on a work bench top. If that is a Highland Park it will be a 5/8" arbor so your Cab Mate blade would not work (1/2" arbor I think). Also, the blade nut will be left hand thread. If blade still has diamond left I'd cut some rock with it if rust is uniform and not only on bottom. You only need to fill oil to cover bottom 1/4" of blade (just the diamond rim).Any more and you will be throwing oil everywhere. Properly filled you will only have a drip at the blade guard and no oil shower unless you lift blade guard too high.
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docharber
has rocks in the head
Member since October 2008
Posts: 693
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Post by docharber on Feb 28, 2009 21:46:52 GMT -5
I have had bitter experiences getting my used Rock Rascal Modea J up and running. It looks almost identical to yours. you can use the model V vise on yours, too, if you want. I use water because of the mess oil causes. Oil will increase blade life but some materials will absorb it and can't be cleaned. I understand the general rule of thumb is that you may use water, in saws under 10", with an additive if you want, filled as above to cover about 1/4" of the blade rim, and refuill as needed to keep it WET. Empty the saw after each use (with water) and clean it off, allowing the unit to air dry before reassembling. The arbor is a pillow block type, probably, so you can unscrew it periodically, remove the shafty, clean it with mineral spirits on a rag, and apply a generoous coat of lithium grease. It sshould have NO wobble in the shaft when assembled. Make sure the arbor is tight but not too tight, and if the wobble persiste despite your efforts, the shaft or bearings are damaged. I thought by arbor was bad at one point, but found that by adjusting the hold down screws I was able to lock it down and make it vibration free. One other thing- on mine, there is a screw that holds down the table by screwing into the arbor housing. It extends into the bearing and sits in a groove in the shaft, preventing cross play. If it is loose or missized, you may have problems. The guys here put me onto "Rock Lady" for blades. they offer an Indian made sintered edge blade of excellent quality for your saw, but be aware, it isn't 3/4" as advertised. R3equest an adapter for your size arbor and they'll give you obne. It is a two piece machined steel adaptter that pits the 6" blade perfectly. The blade is really nioce for the money and compares with blades costing $50 UP. They sell them for $32. Note I said sintered, meaning very long life. Unless you cut opal of faceting material where kerf loss adds up considferably, this blade is fine and quite sturdy. It is reasonably thin. CHeck it out. The belts and pulleys are available at ACE hardware. Depending on the RPM of the motor, and whether it was original to the saw (it may NOT have been as it is a separate component) you want to choose a pulley for the mottor (not the saw) to raise the RPMs to that recommended for the saw. Mot motors turn 1750 no load, andf that's not enough. Using a 2.6 inch pulleey on the motor and a 2" on the saw, (I assume both pulleys are the same size and about 2") you increase the blade speed up to 2150 RPM. Most blades will need even faster speeds to perform well. There's a thread here somewhere with recommended speeds for various saws and blade sizes. I think there may be a little tutorial on Graves Lapidary Supply web site. Almost any coolant additive is OK if you wish to use one, and I am using one now, and they sell it. Their internet prices on bulk grit are hard to beat, too. I paisd $05 with shipping for 50lbs of 60/90. but bach to the saw. I mouted my saw on a board and installed the motor with bolts through the board. Fortunately it had a base with mounting holes. Use a short belt, and don't try to use smaller than a 2" pulley with a 1/2" belyt. Make sure the motor is mounted to turn in the right direction, and align the pulleys by eye so they are as straight as possible. Don't put too much tensuion on the pulleys. It will wear your motor bearings and arbor bearings. A looser arbor will allow a little slip if the bladfe jams, so you won't be as likel7y to trash a blade. I've made a lot of expensive mistakes, and all this is what I've learned the hard way. hope this helps.
Mark H.
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