Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Dec 24, 2012 15:30:41 GMT -5
Howdy folks, Well, Yesterday I managed to get my fraking Covington 10" saw running long enough to saw a little dogtooth lace and then today, since the blade was getting dull, I cut some of my Devil's Toenails which is a fine sharpening stone for diamond blades. Today of course the power feed on that damn saw overheated and shut down after four slabs ( cool weather too). Very typical for this piece of doody saw. Have I mentioned lately how much I hate Covington for designing such a crappy rig? *L* On another note, Devil's Toenails sure is a variable material. Wide range of tones (orange, yellow, grayish etc) and shell distribution but boy, that gritty silica rich limestone matrix sure seem to work to expose new diamond on your saw blade. Takes a real fine polish for a softer material too....Mel Anyway, here's a pic of the slabs I cut.....Mel
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hand2mouthmining
spending too much on rocks
Purveyors of California Gem Rock
Member since September 2011
Posts: 495
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Post by hand2mouthmining on Dec 25, 2012 4:25:35 GMT -5
Sweet slabs, Mel! Love the look of those Devils Toenails!
Kris
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Post by phil on Dec 25, 2012 14:12:58 GMT -5
Have you tried talking to Steve at Covington about the problems you're having? I've found them very generous and helpful for all our Covington equipment.
Phil
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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 Dec 25, 2012 20:43:41 GMT -5
Phil, Yes, Ive talked to the folks at Covington several times. Unfortunately, I'm not real mechanically inclined and the fix Steve suggested for the overheating involved virtually taking apart most the saw and re rigging a power feed with a cooling fan or some such modification. While I appreciate his help this sort of fix is beyond my skill level and I also think a person that pays like $800 bucks for a saw should have a saw that works as delivered, not a saw he has to rebuild. Shoot, even the drain system has to be redone as the drains are set so they cannot be used so I had to re plumb the dang thing and buy like thirty bucks worth of pipes and valves for it to work properly. It's not like this is my first saw. It's more like my fifth over the years and my last ten inch rig, an old Beacon Star was much better engineered and worked like a top with nothing to do but change a blade or clean it for like 20 years. This piece of junk has been a pain in the ass practically since day one and breaks down in some way almost every time I try to use it. I spend more time messing with the stupid clutch, overheating issues, vice hold down issues, trying to keep the oil in the saw and not all over my shop etc than I do cutting rocks....Mel
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Post by gr on Dec 25, 2012 21:15:58 GMT -5
Could a BD14 be in your future after all the grief you've had with that Covington. I think Steve ought to meet you half way on it. Nothing worse that trying to work and get something done with tools that frustrate you to no end. I feel for ya Mel! Always love seeing you post yer toenails. I really like that material!
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Dec 26, 2012 12:07:35 GMT -5
That devils toenails is neat material but I am sucker for all the colors and patterns in that dogtooth lace.
Chuck
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The Dad_Ohs
fully equipped rock polisher
Take me to your Labradorite!!
Member since September 2012
Posts: 1,860
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Post by The Dad_Ohs on Dec 26, 2012 12:18:28 GMT -5
That devils toenails is neat material but I am sucker for all the colors and patterns in that dogtooth lace. Chuck I'll second that sentiment.... and my 9 yr old had this to say about the dogtooth lace...."WOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW!!" which pretty much sums it up!! I've never heard of 'Devils Toenails" before, can't remember seeing it either but it looks interesting!
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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 Dec 26, 2012 13:44:51 GMT -5
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Post by phil on Dec 26, 2012 14:14:16 GMT -5
Bummer. Sounds like you got a lemon. TEll them you think you got a lemon and ask if you can return it for one that works? We've got a bunch of Covington equipment - 2 - 4/5 station grinder/polishers (one all diamond, one all SC), a 24 inch saw, a 20 inch saw, a 14 inch saw and a 10 inch saw all from covington, and once I got them balanced and repaired the previous users mess ups, they all work just as good as any other units I've used. Of course, the 14 inch Lortone drop saw is faster, but that's the way drop saws are..... Auto feeds are just slow. The only complaint I have is the 10 inch saw oil system is a real hassle to drain and clean and keep flowing. That tiny cross feed hole from the reservoir seems too small to do the job right. We cut a lot of PW, so we need to clean it once a month. I'm considering pulling the drain plugs, drilling out the holes to a larger drain system, and having them drain directly into a 2 bucket filter system with a pump that delivers oil directly to the blade. A hassle, but if I'm allowed to make that drastic a change , it would make my life a lot easier.... <G>. Good Luck! Phil
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cabjunky
has rocks in the head
Regency Rose Plume
Member since November 2008
Posts: 683
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Post by cabjunky on Dec 26, 2012 16:23:51 GMT -5
The devils toenail material is way cool, and it does look alot like clam chowder stone. Is the bottom red cab heat treated? To get the red to show in the clam chowder stone you had to heat treat it. Too bad about the Covington saw, hopefully they will stand behind their product and replace or repair the lemon you have. Robert
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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 Dec 26, 2012 17:19:49 GMT -5
Robert: The examples I've posted are all untreated natural colors as found in the Rio grande gravel of south Texas. There are also silica matrix examples in many other colors, but mostly earth tones, in these same gravel deposits. The limestone examples I've pictured are most commonly found in orange through red orange tones with a little mixed with gray or olive greenish. There is also a Texas Turritella which are actually salt water snail varieties in limestone unlike the Wyoming Goniobasis brackish water snails which make up that Turritella Agate. Unfortunately, the Texas stuff is pretty dull and most I've seen is just buff brown with little contrast to show of the snails which are fully replaced by silica. If it had good color contrast and more silica in the limestone like the Devil's Toenails, it would be very nice material but I've as yet, found only one example of that form....Mel
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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 Dec 26, 2012 17:25:41 GMT -5
Phil: No not actually a lemon. I've talked with a number of folks with these same complaints about the Covingtion 10" saw especially regarding the poor drain design, table and cover design and troubles with the touchy clutch system and power feed. The saw works most of the time but is touchy enough to be really annoying if you've ever owned another to compare it to. It's been a giant disappointment compared to my old Beacon Star and I'd never recommend it to anyone...Mel
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Dec 27, 2012 8:32:13 GMT -5
Hello Mel, Sorry you're having so much trouble with your saw. Does the power feed motor have a separate electrical plug that plugs into the back of the control box or is it direct wired? If it does have a plug I'm thinking you may be able to use a Harbor Freight router speed control unit so you can adjust the speed of your power feed motor as needed. These work with any universal AC/DC brush-type motor, 15 amps or under. If it is compatible with the power feed motor you would just plug the power feed motor's plug into the speed control box's outlet, and then plug the speed control box's cord into the saw's control box outlet, without having to do any mechanical or electrical work. www.harborfreight.com/router-speed-control-43060.htmlI've used one of these to slow down the speed of other tools. Might be worth looking into.
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