jspencer
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2011
Posts: 929
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Post by jspencer on Jan 28, 2012 13:11:55 GMT -5
I picked up an old Hilquist 14" saw from an area paleontologist yesterday. He got it 14 years ago from Texas A&M University and never used it. It has a Hilquist continuous rim blade on it that seems to be about a .050 or .060 width. From the little I`ve read on them they seem to be a good old saw and it seems solid. It needs some grease and TLC but I think it was worth $140. It has a Marathon 3/4 hp motor that runs great. It has no autofeed on it though. They are no longer in business so I don`t know where to find out if I can add one to it or I may have to add a gravity feed somehow. It has an overhead blade on it and not an under the table blade system. Does anyone here have any experience with these saws?
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Post by deb193redux on Jan 28, 2012 16:20:21 GMT -5
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Post by johnjsgems on Jan 28, 2012 16:33:31 GMT -5
I thought Hilquist was still making saws but I have not looked lately. They were marketing to the scientific community. If your "overhead" saw is a drop saw you manually cut. If the head is fixed you would have to design a sliding carriage with vise that could be moved either by gravity or power feed but gravity would be easiest.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Jan 28, 2012 18:33:35 GMT -5
I used to have a Lortone 14" drop saw. Sometimes you have to add a little extra weight to the blade arm but the weight of the blade is basically what drives it through the rock. You don't need any kind of power feed. One warning. Put it somewhere were the oil won't be a problem because drop saws are really messy and throw oil all over the place.....Mel
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Post by Rockoonz on Jan 28, 2012 21:46:55 GMT -5
If you can post a photo or 3, I'm curious to see what it looks like.
Lee
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jspencer
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2011
Posts: 929
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Post by jspencer on Jan 29, 2012 0:23:12 GMT -5
Here it is folks. I`m pretty sure I`ll be able to make a gravity feed for it. Once I get the rails cleaned off and greased up good so the sled runs free that is. The whole thing sits in about a 4" deep pan to hold the coolant. And I have no idea what is in the rock vise. It looks to be something they must have used for thin slab sections. I found nothing like this on the Hilquist site from the link posted here. I tried to find them yesterday and ran across a notice saying they were out of business. It must have just been a dealer of the product. Attachments:
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jspencer
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2011
Posts: 929
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Post by jspencer on Jan 29, 2012 0:26:40 GMT -5
I left out the pic of the attachment or whatever it is in rock vise. Vise needs new pads too. Any idea what this may be for? Attachments:
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jspencer
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2011
Posts: 929
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Post by jspencer on Jan 29, 2012 1:09:43 GMT -5
After doing some more searching I believe I found out the model is a LS14 that was modified at A&M. The LS14 is a drop arm saw originally. This saw as you may be able to see in pics has the blade position fixed. And this saw has the sliding table with vise or the sled as I call it. The rail set up was not part of the LS14 originally from what I have found. The vise was fixed in place and the blade dropped down into the rock. I did find out that the blade costs more than twice what I paid for the saw so I feel good about that part. It needs a bit of work but I think I can make it work out ok. I`m still curious about the ? in the vise though.
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Post by johnjsgems on Jan 29, 2012 9:05:21 GMT -5
Set up is similar to my MK101 commercial tile saw.
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jspencer
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2011
Posts: 929
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Post by jspencer on Jan 30, 2012 12:12:43 GMT -5
Yes I also have a 10" tile saw with an MK blade on it. I made wood rock vises for it.That blade is .032, and this 14" blade is .060. That is a lot of difference. I have my tile saw set at 2450 rpm`s where it is much better cutting than at 1725 rpm`s. After cleaning the rails and applying a little grease to them the sled on this saw moves totally free now. The heavy duty iron rock vise really seems to hold rocks well. Need to go get a circulating pump for it. I guess it is a hybrid saw combining features from 2 seperate saws. The Lortone LS14 is almost identical to this Hilquist.
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dbrealityrocks
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2010
Posts: 1,084
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Post by dbrealityrocks on Jan 30, 2012 17:35:57 GMT -5
Hilquist 1144 S Bannock st Denver, CO 303-722-9766 I had a problem w/my 24" Hilquist saw and not only did they help me w/answers they also sent me some small parts free.
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rocpup
spending too much on rocks
Pink Limb Iris
Member since March 2011
Posts: 465
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Post by rocpup on Jan 30, 2012 19:52:11 GMT -5
I have a 14" Hilquist saw that I use every day and it looks nothing like this saw. I had a little problem with the auto feed and the Hillquist people sent the parts needed to get it going and the best part was they were free. It is a nice saw for cutting fist size rocks. Don
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jspencer
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2011
Posts: 929
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Post by jspencer on Jan 31, 2012 20:44:55 GMT -5
Yeah Don like I said this saw is a hybrid I guess. It was built at A&M for cutting slabs in thier geology dept. You can see in pic how they fixed the blade in place instead of using it as a drop down saw. Then they attached the rails and vise from a different saw to it in place of the standard vise it came with. All Hilquist parts were used. I`d like to know if it is the same rail and vise setup that autofeed on other Hilquist saws use. I`d like to add one to this thing. I may be forced to use a gravity feed if i don`t hand feed. Thanks Attachments:
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rocpup
spending too much on rocks
Pink Limb Iris
Member since March 2011
Posts: 465
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Post by rocpup on Feb 1, 2012 11:59:22 GMT -5
The older Hilquist uses a cam on the saw arbor that actuates a arm. The arm moves up and down with a couple shaped micarta clutches inside a hub. The hub is connected to a shaft and a 90 degree gears that turns a feed screw. The amount of feed pressure on the cut is varied by adjusting a spring on the arm that rides the cam. The newer saws use a one-way bearing instead of the micarta clutch. This a complicated feed and would be difficult to use on your saw. Don
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jspencer
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2011
Posts: 929
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Post by jspencer on Feb 1, 2012 14:40:47 GMT -5
Thanks Don. I think I`ll just try a gravity feed system. I can hook one up easy enough I think with parts on hand or available cheap enough. I have plenty of lead and a smelting pot with ladle for making weights with. I could always just unbolt the saw from the brace they made for it to make it stationary and use it as a drop saw. Or simply hand feed it using the rail and sled. I need to locate a pump for oil now to use on it. I finally had a friend come by today and help me get it up on the table I built with locking casters. Now I`ll shine up the rails good and grease them and remove all the hardware on sled and knock down any rust and lube it good before I crank it up and cut. Thanks for the info! My question has been answered. I still think it is worth the price. And it`s big enough for most anything I cut.
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