bothunter
off to a rocking start
Member since December 2012
Posts: 11
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Post by bothunter on Feb 19, 2013 21:52:33 GMT -5
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Post by victor1941 on Feb 19, 2013 22:31:14 GMT -5
I have a 14" covington saw about 5 years old that has given me problems in two areas with heavy use. I have had problems with the arbor pulley coming loose and the depth guide screw eating into the softer alloy of the vise assembly guide which caused problems in setting slab thickness. Please remember this is a five year old machine and I don't know what the quality of a new machine would be. Other than these two problems the machine has cut well.
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Post by catmandewe on Feb 19, 2013 22:42:30 GMT -5
I would recommend finding another brand, any brand, besides that one.
Tony
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jason12x12
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since October 2011
Posts: 798
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Post by jason12x12 on Feb 19, 2013 22:43:39 GMT -5
i would also say, that saw does not meet the trim saw qualifications. slabs only
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Post by deb193redux on Feb 19, 2013 22:46:05 GMT -5
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Post by jakesrocks on Feb 19, 2013 23:58:14 GMT -5
I haave the 16" Covington and love it. The pulleys are a problem. After aligning the pulleys, put a little non hardening Locktite on the set screws before tightening them. Problem solved. You should have no problem with extreme cold where you live, but up here in South Dakota I had a problem with the power feed in the winter. Metal shrinks a little bit in extreme cold. The power feed motor cover shrunk just enough to bind the motor. So if I'm cutting in the winter, I take the cover off.
If you decide to get the Covington, opt for the optional BD 303S blade. The Covington blades are useless for cutting hard materials. The optional blade will cost you a little bit more, but well worth The extra $$$.
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bothunter
off to a rocking start
Member since December 2012
Posts: 11
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Post by bothunter on Feb 20, 2013 0:05:51 GMT -5
Victor1941,
Sir, Thank you for the information. I have looked at a lot of photos of "new" saws on the internet and I would like to ask if you could post some pictures of your well employed saw? We might be able to use pictures of your saw and compare it with "new" to see if we can't spot some differences in 5 years. Also, have you had to modify the saw to help make it run smoother, quieter, truer, etc. Respectfully, Paul
Tony,
Wow Sir! The other saws look very nice, but price? I would welcome any alternatives to look at. Used, in not to bad a shape is all right too. I am willing to spend over 2k now for a new saw, but I would hope I could "make" a better deal on a used one. If all of that makes sense? Thank you sir, Respectfully, Paul
Jason,
Sir, according to the saws particulars, it states (somewhere) that a table is inserted (or more like dropped) into the unit to turn it into a trim saw. I am quite convinced you are correct that this does not make it a very good trim saw, if at all. In the future, we do plan on buying a "little" trim saw, budget permitting. As I asked Tony, any alternatives are welcomed, sir. Thank you, Respectfully, Paul
Daniel,
Thank you Sir! I'll PM bikerrandy. Respectfully, Paul
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bothunter
off to a rocking start
Member since December 2012
Posts: 11
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Post by bothunter on Feb 20, 2013 0:20:36 GMT -5
Don, Sir, Thank you too! May I ask how old your saw is? (don't know if this is OK to ask, some folks maybe sensitive to this question ) Small jokes aside, I wish to purchase a top notch diamond blade in the future and appreciate the heads up. How much do you use your saw and do have any trouble with hard material? Also, Sir, if I may ask, could you post a pic of your saw? A thousand questions and only one keyboard, I might be on this board for quite some time. ;D Thank you once again Don, Respectfully, Paul
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Post by jakesrocks on Feb 20, 2013 0:45:18 GMT -5
Paul, ask away. None of us mind answering questions. My saw is about 4 years old. Since I've put Locktite on my pulley set screws, I've had no trouble with them coming loose. As I said, the Covington blade is garbage suitable only for cutting soft materials. Since changing over to the BD 303 S blade, it cuts like butter, even in the hardest of materials. Sorry, I can't post pics of my saw right now. It's stored in the garage until the weather warms up a little. (Only hit 3 above zero here today)
As for being sensitive about how old my saw is, well let me just say that I have a 10" Covington saw that was built in the 60's or 70's that's still going strong. I have a tumbler, small sphere machine and dop pot that are even older and still working.
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Post by Rockoonz on Feb 20, 2013 0:49:40 GMT -5
Based on design I would steer clear of Covington. Not a huge fan of lortone either but if you went with a little larger 18 inch saw lortone would be OK. The new HP saws definitely seem real nice, my only concern would be electrics since they're chinese.
Lee
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Post by paulshiroma on Feb 20, 2013 1:01:26 GMT -5
x2 on Daniel's comments. Chat with John, first. I have an older 10" Covington combo unit that I refurbished (prior owner had it in storage for about 10 years) and it works fine for my purposes. Never had (or could afford) one of their larger saws.
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Post by johnjsgems on Feb 20, 2013 11:03:54 GMT -5
Covington no longer sells the 16" with their "Gold" blade. They come with an MK 301 now. Loose pulley issues seem very common. If I were to buy a new saw in that range I would buy the Barranca Diamond HP14. It is based on the old Star Diamond 14". Recent improvements are zinc plated cast iron carriage parts and chrome plated carriage tubes. Now if you really have to you can use water soluble coolants. It is a table top model and very heavy and very heavy duty.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,557
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Post by jamesp on Feb 20, 2013 11:16:55 GMT -5
i got an 18 inch Covington and it came with that crappy blade.303S blade now does cut like butter(why did they sell it to me with that crap blade is my #1 and only complaint).It looks under designed but it sure has been a durable saw.I have been a happy customer.My freind bought a Barranca and it is stouter.Slab saws cut as well as they are adjusted-i do OK adjusting the Covington but it took a while to figure out how to.No saw mark slabs and reliability is only requirment.I cut big hard agates only. I like the lighter weight and the smaller motor too.A well adjusted saw should cut w/very little HP .Forcing the blade thru the rock needs more HP but usually ends up with bad saw marks-no thanks.Like my Covington-7 years old and i cut with diesel fuel. Talk to John first.We trust him.He will tell you to buy from someone else if it saves you money.
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Post by phil on Feb 20, 2013 11:44:54 GMT -5
Wow, I guess I'm the odd man out. We have a Covington 10 inch, 14 inch 20 inch and 24 inch. All are loaded with mineral oil and The Covington Gold blades. We cut 90% agate and petrified wood and the gold blades have been going thru them all fairly fast and with little wear. The only time we have to replace a blade is when someone doesn't tighten down the vice properly, the rock slips and the blade gets ruined. I like all the saws but the 10 inch. It's a cutting fool, but has a major problem I've not found a fix for yet. It has a double sump, one side is supposed to be a reservoir to feed the smaller sump where the blade runs, and we find that both sumps load up with rock crud fairly fast. Cleaning them out is a real hassle in that you have to remove the table to force the crud out the drain hole to get them cleanish. Then in another month, we're cleaning it out again. I"d rather it was a pump feed oil wash than the sling configuration, but to mod it to a pump would be a major mod. Oh.. we also have two non-covington 6 inch trim saws, and a Lortone 14 inch drop saw and use Covington gold blades on all of them. So far, the covington blades have lasted far longer than any other blade we've tried, including Barranca's. If y'all are getting so much better wear from the 30x series, makes me wonder how ours have lasted so long and cut so well? Note: these saws are all in a "club" where many different people use them, which means the wear and tear is at the max..... not like when one person uses them at home and cares about the equipment.... Phil
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Post by johnjsgems on Feb 20, 2013 11:57:48 GMT -5
Phil, I've heard pretty frequently of 2-3 months life with the Gold blades on 16" Covington saws. Glad they work for you. The prices are certainly low enough. The fact Covington no longer equips any of their saws above 10" with Gold blades says something about the average performance to me. By the way, I bought a very used Covington 8" saw once. Someone ground the center divider out making it a single larger sump.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Feb 20, 2013 11:58:21 GMT -5
I have not personally used a Covington saw but my cousin bought a 10" Covington a few years ago and it gave him problems. I buy out a lot of old collections and have had most other brands of saws except Covington and Hillquist. Most of them have given good service with the exception of the newer 12" and 14" Lortones which now come from the factory with cheap import bearings, and the Powerfeed on the Lortone 14" Panther is too fast. But this can be corrected for less than $100 by replacing the powerfeed motor with a slower rpm motor. Based on what you seem to be looking for I would agree with John. I'd buy a 14" Barranca HP-14 saw for slabbing. And then use the money left over to buy a small trim saw like the Rock Rascal model J.
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Post by victor1941 on Feb 20, 2013 20:11:44 GMT -5
My saw is stored and pictures would require alot of work. I would suggest you call and ask for Steve at Covington. I use only the better quality BD blade and keep them sharp for easy cutting in hard material. The saw can be used for trim work when the plate is placed in the vise but realize that alot of spray is produced.
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Post by johnjsgems on Feb 20, 2013 20:46:48 GMT -5
A 16" blade would be pretty thick if trimming anything of value.
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bothunter
off to a rocking start
Member since December 2012
Posts: 11
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Post by bothunter on Feb 21, 2013 13:02:10 GMT -5
Hello Again, The wife has cleared the purchase of this saw. Barranca Diamond SS18 Galaxy Slab Saw. www.getyourtools.com/Barranca-Diamond-SS18-Galaxy-Slab-Saw-p-355.htmlWhat do you guys think about this one? I like that it turn a 18" or 20" blade. Please let me know before she changes her mind. Oh and price, where is the cheapest place to buy one? Thank You, Respectfully, Paul
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Post by catmandewe on Feb 21, 2013 13:19:33 GMT -5
You will like that saw. Buy it from JohnJSGems, he is a member here and will do you right.
Tony
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