gzed1500
starting to shine!
Member since February 2009
Posts: 31
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Post by gzed1500 on Mar 19, 2009 16:50:37 GMT -5
Hello all. I think I have the rock bug. I have both my Lortone 33B and QT66 full and running,I'm wearing out the blade on my Workforce saw, and I'm loving every minute of it.
I would like to start cabbing, but I (mostly my wife) do not want to spend too much on another piece of equipment. I was looking at the Inland swap top machines and noticed they are less expensive than a cabbing (arbor) machine.
I could rig up a flat lap with an old motor I have, but time for myself is sparse, and I would rather just purchase something already built.
I read a tutorial on here somewhere about creating domes on a flat lap and it looked straight forward and fairly easy to do. As such, I am wondering why a cabbing machine would be better and why they are so much more expensive?
Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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Post by rockmanken on Mar 19, 2009 16:59:55 GMT -5
I have both and use both. On the flat lap you have to change the wheels. Also, you cannot cut hearts , crosses or concave surfaces. Belts and wheels for the vertical machine cost more to replace each. The flat lap uses PSA (pressure sensitive adhesive) backed discs that atttach to a master lap. these discs are a lot less expensive. Most vertical machines use 2 hard grinding wheels and they are very expensive. Hope this helps. Ken
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Post by frane on Mar 19, 2009 17:15:39 GMT -5
I have an Inland Swaptop. Being a swaptop is nice but also frustrating. The grinder works great, the saw is nice but the blades ware out quick and it takes a long time to cut through rock so I would recommend that it is only used for the slabs to cut your forms out and nothing very thick. The biggest frustration that I have is that each time you change a disc, you need to rinse everything down before moving on to the next disc/grit level so you won't contaminate the cabs with the next grit. Even when working very slowly, I still get ridges in my cabs so they are OK but not as glassy as I would like. Sparkles had a nice tutorial for his and he does work with the same machine, only he has modified the discs so they have a little give. It seems to have made a world of difference. His cabs are beautiful! If I had the room and the money, I would have a cab machine. Looks so much easier and more satisfying to go down the line with your cab and get it done. For the price, this is very nice. It just takes a lot longer to get final results than most people like to give it. I generally work several stones at each grit before moving to the next. * A very important tip: Never let the arbor drop down all the way. It can sometimes come loose before you notice it and when it slips down, it rests on a plastic lip. When it wears the lip down, you get water in the motor and have to replace it and the plastic tray for the laps after a very short while....I learned that the hard way. It is just up to what you want to spend and what you would like to do. A thing I have done also was to work my stones up to the polish and throw them in the tumbler or the vibe for the polish. That has worked great! Fran
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dscratch
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2008
Posts: 214
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Post by dscratch on Mar 19, 2009 21:44:46 GMT -5
I prefer the grinding wheels from a cab machine. I've used both and find it easier to make a cab on the wheel vs. a disc. Some long time cabbers swear by a flat lap. The discs are cheaper, but if you use bobs old time method, the SC belts are still inexpensive. I'm working on setting up a grinding wheel with an expando drum. It really wasn't all that expensive and should produce average results.
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