gzed1500
starting to shine!
Member since February 2009
Posts: 31
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Post by gzed1500 on Mar 26, 2009 9:40:15 GMT -5
I want to get into cabbing and I'm looking for some good used equipment. Thanks.
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gzed1500
starting to shine!
Member since February 2009
Posts: 31
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Post by gzed1500 on Mar 26, 2009 13:56:53 GMT -5
It was a long shot, but I had a feeling that a used cabbing machine might be hard to come by. So, I was looking through some threads on RTH and got the feeling that I should stay away from Graves and American Lapidary. However, I am unable to find any other places that look reputable enough to purchase a CabMate. I looked at Rons Rocks site and saw that he had a All-U-Need 6 and 8 inch. Are these good machines? I am also wondering how much more difficult it is to create cabs on a flat lap as opposed to vertical wheeled cabbing machine like the CabMate. Any help on my questions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!
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Post by NatureNut on Mar 26, 2009 14:04:59 GMT -5
Hi, you might want to talk to John at JS Gems. He is johnjsgems here on the board. I just bought an Ameritool from him. He carries many cab machines and is a very reliable source and has great prices.
Jo
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Post by johnjsgems on Mar 26, 2009 21:03:09 GMT -5
As far as your question on flat or wheels goes here is what I know. I learned on wheels so flat lap machines are very awkward for me. Every person I know that learned on either an Ameritool or All-You Need swear it is the only way to go because you can cut flats or domes by turning the stone. I know three professional opal cabbers that use only their 6" Ameritool. The Cabmate is a very good combination unit and like the "complete" flat machines you will likely find you want to add more to them. The All You Need is made by High Tech Diamond. The former owner had to sell out (in a divorce I heard). His sister and her husband opened Ameritool making a very similar unit with a more stable base. I think the All-You Need may be a little cheaper but I have not kept up with them. Like Graves High Tech has a reputation of being a little slow filling orders. Ameritool will generally ship same day. If you an find any of those (Cabmate, All-You-Need, or Ameritool used you will have a nice starter unit. Thanks Jo for the plug.
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Tigger
freely admits to licking rocks
The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers is I'm the Only One!
Member since January 2008
Posts: 896
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Post by Tigger on Mar 27, 2009 1:04:26 GMT -5
I have the All in One by Hightech. I love it. You can do almost everything as you can the wheels, except for heart shapes or curvy type cabs. I always make several at a time due to having to change the flat lap for each stage. It's a bit cheaper also. Buying a new one isn't such a shock, LOL. Good luck.
Tigger
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gzed1500
starting to shine!
Member since February 2009
Posts: 31
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Post by gzed1500 on Mar 27, 2009 15:01:18 GMT -5
Thanks for all of the input! I ran across an article which has hampered my decision making process even more. The article is from a gentleman who put a 6" x 2.5" expando wheel on his CabMate. This seem like a good idea as you just have to change belts. The author stated that Graves Co. said the expando wheel might be too much for the bearings, but he says he has used it quite a bit for 5 years and has had no problems. So, now I think I am leaning more towards the CabMate. I have not found any good deals of Genie's, Cab King's, etc., and I do not want to shell out over 1 grand for a machine when I'm still new to this "hobby". Any thoughts?
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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 28, 2009 11:31:50 GMT -5
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kjohn0102
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2006
Posts: 774
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Post by kjohn0102 on Mar 31, 2009 15:07:33 GMT -5
I love my cabmate, and had read that same article before I bought it. Seemed like changing belts would be more time consuming than changing the disks on the threaded arbor, which is what I do. Definitely go all diamond no matter which way you go-I tried to save money on the cabmate by going SC, only to spend more upgrading to diamond in the end.
kj
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2009 17:16:56 GMT -5
Ive got an expando on mine.........its only 1 1/2" wide though. Been using it like that for 2 years......no problems.
Shannon
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