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Post by jakesrocks on Jul 27, 2010 17:10:01 GMT -5
The belts are made to fit the 8" X 3" expanding drums. If someone offered you one, grab it while you can. The cam lock drum that you have uses S.C. paper that comes on a 3" X 15' roll. It's still available from Covington. If you know someone who has an old wet suit that they want to get rid of, The rubber in the wet suit will work better than the original rubber. I gave my cam lock drums to a guy who was just getting started. I had a pair of expando drums, and didn't need the others. But I have used that type of drum. The only drawback that I noticed is a slight bump every time the slot hits the rock you're sanding, but they sand just fine. Don
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Post by jakesrocks on Jul 27, 2010 17:13:44 GMT -5
Oh. I should add that the expando drums are much more convenient to use. You just stop the wheel and slide the belt off to change grit size. With the cam lock drums, it takes much longer to change paper. Don
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drjo
fully equipped rock polisher
Honduran Opal & DIY Nut
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,581
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Post by drjo on Jul 27, 2010 17:18:49 GMT -5
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cooknet
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since February 2009
Posts: 169
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Post by cooknet on Jul 27, 2010 18:44:52 GMT -5
thanks Don and Dr Joe for the advice on those, what would I do without you guys!! I told the person to go ahead and send that Expandable rubber lapidary drum Model EX83 8"x3", now that I know it will fit the belts I now have, NOW I'll have to build an 8" machine!...LOL I think I'll build just a 2 wheel unit from those wheels, the bump wheel and the expanding drum, and maybe use that for all the heavy duty sanding and pre-forming, and use the 6" one that I'm building for all the finer work, especially with that "bump" wheel, i just can't see polishing a tiny opal on that thing without the bump taking a CHUNK outta the stone when it hits it every time! I guess those "bump wheels" are made for rough polishing obviously then right? I seen the paper for sale on Covington's website, only $13 bucks for 15 feet of it, not too bad. I'll get all of this organized into one solid and working setup system yet...LOL I just have to stay focused on ONE thing at a time and get that finished before moving onto anything else, all these other things keep popping up distracting me from the original project at hand! Chris
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Post by jakesrocks on Jul 27, 2010 19:12:43 GMT -5
Ain't the imagination a great thing ? I'm always thinking of things I'd like to build. Then I lay awake half the night, working out the details in my head. Now if only I was rich, so I could afford to build all of them. LOL Don
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cooknet
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since February 2009
Posts: 169
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Post by cooknet on Jul 27, 2010 19:45:47 GMT -5
You sound ALOT like ME Don! I actually have an "idea time" every morning, I wake up, take my pain medication, and the hundred other pills i take with it, then I "try" to go back to sleep until they "kick in" and then, when I wake up, I'm a bit more relaxed and not stressing from the extreme pain, so I can actually "think" for a change, and usually, I lay there in a "half awake, half asleep" state, during which time I contemplate things, and work out ides in my head, usually about designs of things, and how they would work....lol. that's actually kinda how Edgar Cayce was, they called him the "sleeping profit" because he had all of his visions and channeling of entities when he was in a half conscious state. Weird stuff...lol. Here's a better look at that "bump" wheel, I'm still trying to wrap my brain around how this thing works, how can that HUGE gap let a stone go by it without knocking it off the darn dop stick? Think there's any hope for that rubber lining, or does it gotta go? It's actually squishy and wet when i squeeze it, so it must have been recently used if water is still coming out of it! There are a few "bubbled" spots that are coming away from the metal, but other than that, it's just cracked wet and ugly looking...lol.
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drjo
fully equipped rock polisher
Honduran Opal & DIY Nut
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,581
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Post by drjo on Jul 27, 2010 20:05:41 GMT -5
Your lucky... my pain pills made me foggy and do rather stupid things :drool: . They wheels were originally used for metal polishing (think automotive castings). The gap is partially filled by the two ends of the sandpaper and locked in by moving the cam lock lever to tighten it, I don't remember which way is locked by you can figure that out. Maybe someone still using theirs can shoot a pic for ya'll ;D Where are you finding these antiques anyway, did you break into a museum? (JK) Dr Joe .
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Post by jakesrocks on Jul 27, 2010 20:12:10 GMT -5
With new rubber, you'd hardly notice the bump. This cam lock wheel is slightly different from the wheels I had, but should work the same way. You should be able to turn that handle, and line up a slot in the shaft it's attached to with the slot in the wheel. Both ends of the paper go through the wheel slot and slot in the shaft. Then you turn the handle towards the wheel, and it tightens and holds the paper. Does the wheel have a makers name cast into it ? I'd be curious to know who made that type. I have an ever growing collection of old and obsolete lapidary accessories, And am always looking for new additions to the collection. Don
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cooknet
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since February 2009
Posts: 169
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Post by cooknet on Jul 27, 2010 20:47:19 GMT -5
Where are you finding these antiques anyway, did you break into a museum? (JK) Dr Joe . Yeah,l actually, I broke into the Nova Scotia museum of natural lapidary and stole all of their old junk, so I could come here and look like a dumba$$ about how to use it all, hahahaha. Actually Don, there IS a small halmark on it now that I look closer at it, it says: "Rolex 18K solid white gold" Does that mean anything to you? Hey, I know, I'll give you a REALLY good deal on it, and you can either melt it down, or put it in your collection, say a couple grand? LOL KIDDING!! Actually, I'm really not sure where the person who is so very kind as to donate these items are getting them from, I think they buy up large quantities of old and defunked lapidary equipment and resell/recycle it. All I know is that I really appreciate those who have tried to help me out, like that person, and cpdad, and of course you guys with your advice! In all seriousness, there actually isn't any makers marks on this wheel, all I can tell is that it is cast aluminum, and that it appears to be "balanced" after casting, I can see some removal of material with a grinder from certain parts on the wheel, either to take off mold pouring tabs and spots, or to remove material so that it is balanced properly. I also think that is what those 2 bolts that are just screwed onto it are for, to add weight, like those lead weights on the wheel of your car, probably to make up some how for the messed up force those locking mechanisms cause. I'm not the kinda guy who cares about new, or fancy, and I don't care if something is old and ugly, as long as it works, and the results that my stones show are impressive. You can always tell the guy who had to improvise his whole life as opposed to the silver spoon crowd, because those guys wouldn't have a clue how to do a thing, and I can make things out of the weirdest stuff that works great, even though it was never intended for that use...lol. Too bad my house already is starting to look like Sanford and Son's though....LOL "I'm coming Elizabeth........"
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Post by johnjsgems on Jul 28, 2010 10:15:22 GMT -5
Covington uses lever type wheels on some of their models but I don't know if they make them or not. They carry the foam and SC paper rolls as well. Nobody makes diamond rolls that I know of. I learned on MDR brand drums. They had a lock nut and center screw.
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Post by johnjsgems on Jul 28, 2010 10:26:59 GMT -5
The "exact Span drums are a low cost Lortone drum and take a slightly smaller belt than yours. The belts you have fit Lortone expanding drums and Rayspan drums. You may get by with the Exact Span if you add rubber or use two belts. The Exact Span is about 1/4" smaller. Nobody makes diamond belts for them either and SC belts are harder to find also.
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cooknet
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since February 2009
Posts: 169
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Post by cooknet on Jul 28, 2010 10:41:28 GMT -5
The "exact Span drums are a low cost Lortone drum and take a slightly smaller belt than yours. The belts you have fit Lortone expanding drums and Rayspan drums. You may get by with the Exact Span if you add rubber or use two belts. The Exact Span is about 1/4" smaller. Nobody makes diamond belts for them either and SC belts are harder to find also. Thanks Jon, So what are the EXACT measurements of the belt that the exact span drum takes then? Unless I missed it, I didn't see that it wouldn't fit when I checked it out on Lorton's page, in fact, I thought for SURE I knew what I was doing this time...LOL No worries, I can still use the belt and the drum, just want to know what the PROPER size belt size is for future use on the exact span drum. I'll talk to you about your nova wheels soon Jon! Sorry for the delay!! Chris
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Post by cpdad on Jul 29, 2010 22:15:34 GMT -5
ok...i have the shaft made..the 5/8 center part is 6" long...it is turned to 1/2"....7 1/2" long on each end....2" of right handed thread on 1 end.....2" of left handed thread on the other....the shaft is 21 inches long.....i still have concerns about this shaft.....as it was flexing during machining as i thought it probably would...and it will probably flex during use.
now i have a few questions......i made 1..... 1/2" wide spacer out of stainless....we need 6.....that spacer was just to heavy....especially times 6....it had 1 1/4" outside diameter....i cant add that weight times 3 to each end of a shaft that is already flexing.
is it o.k. to make the spacers out of hard plastic?.....and what outside diameter?.
i could probably find if i looked back thru the thread....but i aint ;D...does it need the 1/4" thread on the right hand end of the shaft for a screw on anything?.....kev.
will post pics of shaft tomm.
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cooknet
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since February 2009
Posts: 169
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Post by cooknet on Jul 29, 2010 22:37:07 GMT -5
Hi Kev, I REALLY appreciate you making this shaft, BUT, I repetitively said that I needed it to be 5/8" ALL the way from one end to the other, except for the 1/2" threaded ends! I'm not sure why you tapered it to 1/2", maybe somehow I miscommunicated to you, but I even posted recently replying to your last post saying it was almost finished, this is what I said in this thread earlier: You said 1/2" diameter? The shaft is 5/8" remember? It's just the threaded ends that are 1/2" I really hope you didn't make the WHOLE shaft 1/2" diameter, as I posted earlier and emailed you about, I messed up on the original measurements, thinking the ENTIRE shaft was 1/2" when it was ONLY the parts that were exposed and could be seen with the naked eye, the shaft steps down from 5/8" inside the bearings and arbor to the 1/2" threaded part that exits each side of the arbor.Kev, don't worry, I feel like an A$$ saying this, you've been SO kind as to try to help me, and this is not a disaster or anything, it can still be used, and if you like, I can pay you for your trouble, and even pay you to make one that is 5/8" ALL the way from one end to the other, as I think that would alleviate any flexing. PLEASE don't take what I'm saying the wrong way Kev, I'm not a person to not show appreciation for someone helping me out, and I know it's hard to get one's emotions and true "tone" across in a post or an email, I think somehow we just didn't communicate well or something. Maybe it's ME that's missing something, and I'm not aware of why the shaft needs to be stepped down to 1/2" at all. Like I said Kev, I'll pay you for your time, and REALLY appreciate what you have done to help me, and if that shaft is too weak for 4 wheels, then maybe we should try another one that is what I "assumed" we were making to begin with, which is 5/8" all the way from one end to the other, with only about 2" of 1/2" thread on each end. regardless, that shaft wont go to waste, as I have plenty of light duty uses for it if it is not strong enough, so I hope everything is ok, and your not upset by this! Lemme know how you would like to proceed, maybe send me an email! Chris
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Post by johnjsgems on Jul 29, 2010 23:03:31 GMT -5
Chris, the 8" Exact Spans take a 25 1/8" belt. The Expandable drums are 25 7/32" .
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Post by cpdad on Jul 29, 2010 23:46:15 GMT -5
5/8" inside the bearings correct....1/2" outside of the bearings that can be seen by the eye correct?.....kev.
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cooknet
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since February 2009
Posts: 169
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Post by cooknet on Jul 30, 2010 0:25:52 GMT -5
Nope, that's NOT correct! Kev, I must have TOTALLY botched explaining to you! My fault I'm sure, I know it was MY mistake in the very beginning when I made the mistake of thinking the shaft was 1/2" ALL the way through, and that is most likely why I made you confused. I'm REALLY sorry if I miscommunicated to you somehow, that's why when I seen your last post saying 1/2", I got nervous, and immediately replied to your post to make sure that I let you know it was 5/8" that I needed all the way through the shaft from one end to the other, except the threaded end parts, which are ONLY 2" of the ends of the shaft, it's those 2 ends ONLY that are threaded in 1/2" thread, NOT the entire visible length of the shaft. I know exactly where the confusion was, you were simply trying to give me exactly what I already have, which is 5/8" INSIDE the arbor bearings, and 1/2" VISIBLE part of the shaft, only longer so it will take 4 wheels, that is correct thinking, so it is My fault for not explaining it better to you. That's why I sent those emails hoping that it was clear exactly what it is that I needed. Like I said, the shaft you made definitely WON'T go to waste, and I don't want you to think that you wasted you time or the stock to make the shaft, it will just have to go on my light duty polisher, thats all. If you don't mind making a 2nd shaft Kev, I'll be happy to pay you for all the trouble, and for the shipping obviously of BOTH shafts. So, IF you are still interested in making another shaft for me in addition to the one you just made, that you also agree is too light duty, then here is the EXACT measurements of the shaft, and if I don't explain this correctly, someone PLEASE jump in and straighten me out! The arbor is a 5/8" shaft arbor, so it takes a 5/8" shaft, the shaft does NOT need to be machined down to a thinner shaft at all, it should be 5/8" ALL the way, from tip to tip EXCEPT for the 2 threaded ends, which are a 1/2" thread. The 1/2" threaded ends need only be about 2" of the end of the shaft on both ends. So, to break it down, the shaft is as follows: Total length of shaft: 21 inches
Part of shaft that is 5/8": 17 inches
Threaded 1/2" thread ends of shaft: 2 inches of each end, = 4 inches total
17" of 5/8" shaft plus 4" of threaded ends = 21 inches total shaft length.
So, to describe the shaft from one end to the other, it is 2 inches of 1/2" thread, then 17 inches of 5/8" shaft, then 2 inches of 1/2" thread.
That is the shaft I need to make this cabbing machine work with 4 wheels.
Again, just to make sure I'm totally clear and explaining myself correctly, the WHOLE shaft is 5/8" thick, with NO taper to a thinner shaft anywhere EXCEPT for the last 2" of each end of the shaft, which are tapered to a 1/2" thread. I really hope I explained it clearly this time, and I'm REALLY sorry for the mixup, I know you spent alot of time trying to help me out, and I feel REALLY bad that this has happened, but like I say, don't worry, you didn't waste your time at all, (and I'll definitely compensate you for any loses!) I just need the thicker 5/8" shaft to make the arbor I have work right, so I can finish this particular cabbing machine I've set out to make. I can't tell you enough Kev how much I appreciate you helping me out, and I really feel badly that you might think that I don't appreciate your efforts, if it wasn't for you helping me out, I couldn't afford to make this thing happen, so thanks for your patience, and sorry once again that we had a mixup. By the way, if there is ANY reason why the shaft I'm asking for is not going to work right, maybe for some unforseen issue that I am not aware of, please let me know! As far as I'm aware, the mistake was in you trying to replicate the old shaft, which was 5/8" in the arbor, and 1/2" the rest of the visible length of the shaft, but if there is some othe rreason that a shaft needs to be tapered that I'm not aware of, please inform me, because as far as I know, a shaft all one thickness, in this case 5/8", with a taper at each end for the threaded part only is what I need to make this work, as my polishing wheels will all be 5/8" bore (arbor hole). I actually just also purchased a set of two of those 5/8" pillow block bearings as a backup at that online bearing store, just in case I couldn't get the vibration problem with that brass collar fixed in this arbor, knowing that I have a 5/8" shaft coming to me, so if this arbor is a flub, and I cant get those bearings pressed out or replaced with sealed ball bearings, then I will just use these 2 pillow block bearings as suggested to make the cabbing machine, along with the 5/8" shaft that you are hopefully still going to make for me Kev! As my wheels are (and the new ones I'm going to buy) 5/8" hole in them, to fit a 5/8" shaft, and the arbor itself takes a 5/8" shaft, and a 1/2" shaft is too weak, it makes sense to have one piece of 5/8" shaft for the whole length of the shaft right? Thanks Kev, I hope we can work through this and make it right! Chris
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Post by johnjsgems on Jul 30, 2010 9:32:45 GMT -5
Why not use 5/8" nuts on end and make whole shaft 5/8"? I'd get the RH drilled and tapped to 1/4" - 20 as well.
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cooknet
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since February 2009
Posts: 169
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Post by cooknet on Jul 30, 2010 11:12:57 GMT -5
That's perfect Jon, the ONLY reason that I wanted to keep the threaded ends as 1/2" was so that it could fit a few saw blades that I have currently, and I just thought I'd standardize things, and keep my accessories all one bore size, but really, it does not matter at all, because most saw blades come in 5/8" anyhow, at least in the little 6" blades that I use for my opals. I also was under the impression that you could not have the threaded ends the SAME size as the shaft, as when I originally inquired with a BILLION shaft makers before hooking up with cpdad here, they all kept replying to me that you COULDN'T have the threaded ends the SAME size as the shaft itself, and it MUST be machined down to a SMALLER size to make it work. I never understood this, especially since I held in my hand a 1/2" shaft, with 1/2" threaded ends, but I just assumed that since I'm not a machinist, there must be some reason why that I'm not aware of, and I never pretend to know everything, and always trust those who have more experience in a field than I do, such as yourself when it comes to suggesting shaft parameters. As long as I get it right, and tell cpdad EXACTLY what to do BEFORE he starts working on the 2nd shaft, ( that is IF he is not too peeved at me and WILL make me a 2nd shaft!) that is fine, and that's why I'm here, to be open to suggestions, as my interpretation of the fine details of the shaft is based on what I have read in the specs of certain machines, and not from actual experience in building and using this style of machine! Cpdad, if your reading this, can you make the shaft as per johnjsgems? Could you please make me another shaft that is ALL 5/8" from one end to the other, as johnjsgems suggested, make the WHOLE shaft 5/8" from end to end, and get the RH drilled and tapped to 1/4" - 20 as well, and use 5/8" nuts on each end? You know which direction to cut the threads, right and left as you normally would for a shaft spinning in the direction that it does. That actually is originally what I wanted, but like I said, I was repetitively told it could not be done! I think this makes the shaft considerably more easy to make for you as well Kev, doesn't it? All you have to do is thread the last 2 inches of each end of a 5/8" shaft, to accept a 5/8" nut, and that's it!! Well, except for drilling the holes and threading them in each end of the shaft to accept accessories on the shaft ends, like a polishing disk, or something similar. Thanks Jon for adding that, you may have saved a WHOLE LOT more confusion and unnecessary labor on the next shaft, but again, that is if cpdad WILL still make the new shaft for me! I REALLY hope so! Thanks all! Chris
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cooknet
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since February 2009
Posts: 169
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Post by cooknet on Jul 30, 2010 11:27:42 GMT -5
I just had a brilliant idea, uh oh....LOL WHY don't I just buy 1" pillow block bearings, and have a 1" shaft made? One inch fro end to end, with one inch threading, that accepts 1" nuts, and have the threaded holes in the ends drilled to accept accessories via a screw? That would make EVERYTHING stable and strong, and all I need to do is buy the pillow block bearings, even though I JUST bough 5/8" bearings, it is a small price to pay. I don't want to get Kev all confused again, but I'm just thinking, if I'm going to buy bearings anyhow, I might as well just get the thick shaft right? Does this sound like a better solution, or should I just stick with the 5/8" shaft that I originally started to go with, since I already bought the bearings, and not confuse things more for Kev?? I just want to do the right thing and have this nightmare over and done with, so I can start enjoying cutting stones! It's ALL up to cpdad, and if he still wants to make another shaft for me, and also, if 1" shaft is in the realm of possibilities for him to make for me also Chris
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