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Post by Jugglerguy on Jul 27, 2013 18:22:19 GMT -5
Earlier this summer, Chuck (DrummondIslandRocks) found a ten inch FranTom saw on Craig's List. He was nice enough to go pick it up for me since it was closer to his house. A couple weeks ago, I went to his house to pick it up. It was fun for my son and I to finally meet the pudding stone guy and his family. We spent about an hour talking about rocks. I got to tour his basement rock shop, and it's even more impressive in person. It really is as clean as in the pictures! I've been busy getting the saw all ready to go. I built a stand with casters for it. I couldn't find a cheap motor, so I stole the motor off of my slab saw. I'd really like to use this in my basement, so even though I've been advised that it will be too messy, so I built a hood for it. I built it out of 1/4 inch plywood with plexiglas window on the top. I fiberglassed the inside and the bottom edge. The plexiglass window is sandwiched between two pieces of wood and siliconed. The top piece of wood is screwed down, so it should be easy to replace the plexiglas when it gets too scratched up to see through. I'm waiting for the paint to dry for a few days to make sure it's as durable as possible. This is my first slab saw, so I have a few questions. I plan to use this with water, even though I know it's bad for the blades. I'm trying to avoid the mess of oil. For those of you who use water, do you use an additive, and if so, what? I've read about using RV antifreeze, which would be cheaper and doesn't have to be shipped. How much additive should I use? Do you empty the water after each use, or can it be left in for a while? Does water additive prevent rust? How about RV antifreeze? How much water should I use? I think the blade is just supposed to be in the water about a half inch. Is that correct? This is a gravity feed saw. I've read that the speed should be about five minutes per inch. I can time it, but can someone give me an estimate of how much weight will accomplish that? Can I cut soft rocks like Petoskey Stone faster? It seems like the advantage of gravity feed is that soft rocks will automatically go faster and hard rocks slower. Is that right, or should I be adjusting the weight for different types of rock? Thanks for the help!
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robsrockshop
has rocks in the head
Member since August 2012
Posts: 715
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Post by robsrockshop on Jul 27, 2013 20:21:00 GMT -5
Good job on the saw. I've had a couple of those come and go here is the last, which many here have already seen: I use sand and just take or add depending. Others have other ideas. Add a little at a time till you get the feel of it. It's a pretty much hands on type thing. Economical: www.kingsleynorth.com/skshop/product.php?id=46507&catID=112Maybe better and/or cheaper elsewhere I don't know. Is RV antifreeze toxic? I don't know anything about it but I always suggest the less chemicals the better. You could talk to my dieing poisoned dad or his 2 dieing friends that were in the printing business for years.
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robsrockshop
has rocks in the head
Member since August 2012
Posts: 715
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Post by robsrockshop on Jul 27, 2013 20:22:37 GMT -5
And no don't empty the water after each use. Personally id check it in like a month or so just out of curiousity of how well that rust inhibitor is working, maybe take the arbor nut off and clean/oil it.
Just guessing you're probably gonna have a leak in front where the splash guard is tucked in under the hood. Oil will flow down the hood, over the top of the guard and drip onto the table. Maybe you'll get lucky and it won't. Oil is nearly as bad as air in which the saying is air don't care.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Jul 27, 2013 20:35:08 GMT -5
Nice saw, Rob. What's that box in the front of the saw with the chain coming out of it? Is that some sort of automatic shut off? If it is, I'd love to hear more about it.
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robsrockshop
has rocks in the head
Member since August 2012
Posts: 715
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Post by robsrockshop on Jul 28, 2013 6:42:59 GMT -5
Thanks, that particular Frantom had a powerfeed and the chain is auto-shutoff. The original powerfeed motor was worn out I put a new one on it. I wouldn't advise the headache of trying to adapt one to your saw, just use it like it is. You can pick up a larger saw that already has one on it sometime in the future and that will be much easier. Now I can't remember if the Frantom tabletops had a 10ga wire that was removeable that goes under the right side of the vise and stretches from one end of the tabletop to the other. That eliminates drag, you might look to see if there are 2 small holes on either end. I no longer have the frantoms and cant remember. I know on some tabletops that wire will make a world of difference in how smooth the vise will travel back and forth. Ahhh........I just found a pic that shows the wire. Maybe you have it on yours I can't see it, often they get lost. They are removeable so you can flip the vise out of the way and trim slabs. You can buy a piece of heavy wire (round stock) and bend the ends 90. It has to be a sharp bend or the radius will extend above the table and mess things up, perhaps bend it over the side of a bench with a hammer. Might take a few tries to get the right length. This will improve your gravity feed 10x. I see what looks like a hole for one end of the wire at the rear left side drain port in your pic.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Jul 28, 2013 7:36:52 GMT -5
Yep, I see the holes. I noticed one before and wondered what it was. I'll attempt to bend one correctly. Thanks for the tip!
I don't want to make the saw power feed, but I wouldn't mind hooking up a switch to turn it off at the end of the cut.
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panamark
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2012
Posts: 1,343
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Post by panamark on Jul 28, 2013 8:02:57 GMT -5
Hey Rob,
For what it is worth, I have a 10" saw that I have run with water for over a year. Not at fast as oil, but oh, so much cleaner. I use RV antifreeze that I dilute 50% with water. In my opinion it is much, much better than straight water. The RV antifreeze is not toxic, in fact on one label it said even if you drink it (in small amounts) by accident it won't hurt you. For example, say you didn't flush one of your RV lines well enough and a bit gets into your cooking or drinking. Anyway, so far I haven't sprouted a 3rd ear or anything. I also use borax in the solution. About a teaspoon per gallon. It definitely seems to help with the rust. I have noticed that if I don't rinse my hands and arms after cutting then my skin seems to itch and bother me a bit. I am pretty sure that is just the borax, but I am now sure to wash up soon after. Also I try not to breathe the mist - that borax probably isn't good there either. But I don't think borax is that dangerous either.
I add enough liquid so that about 1/4" of the bottom of the blade is in the water. Any more and it really throws a lot of water. I have to drain my saw or else the solution will evaporate quite quickly. I stock up at the Home Depot in the fall on the RV antifreeze when it gets really cheap.
Happy cutting - Mark
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Post by Jugglerguy on Jul 28, 2013 10:42:47 GMT -5
Rob, I just made a wire piece for my saw. I went to Home Depot, but couldn't find what I wanted in the metal rods bin. They were either the wrong size or steel that looked like it was already starting to rust. In the same area I found some sign posts. They were metal rods with two circles bent into the top that would hold a cardboard sign. I cut the circles off and held the rod in my bench vise. I bent it by hitting it with a hammer and got a very nice, tight 90 degree angle. It turned out good. 99 cents for the wire, cheaper than the straight stuff.
Mark, thanks for the info. I bought a gallon of antifreeze while I was at Home Depot for $3. Do you attempt to reuse the antifreeze water at all? It's probably not worth the hassle, but I hate to waste stuff.
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panamark
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2012
Posts: 1,343
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Post by panamark on Jul 28, 2013 14:13:59 GMT -5
Mark, thanks for the info. I bought a gallon of antifreeze while I was at Home Depot for $3. Do you attempt to reuse the antifreeze water at all? It's probably not worth the hassle, but I hate to waste stuff. Oh yea, reuse it all the time. (I am dutch/scot so you know how I am, ha). Never wears out, just have to throw out the small bit of sludge that accumulates in the bottom of the bucket while sitting. $3 is a good price! In the fall it goes to about $2.50, but over a Lowes it was over $4. Go figure.
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Post by vegasjames on Jul 28, 2013 16:31:24 GMT -5
Look in to borax as a means to prevent rusting.
You can also cover some of the metal components that will be in contact with the water with rust inhibiting paint.
Teh box looks like painted wood. If so make sure you sealed the end cuts really well. If water seeps in you can end up with some bad warping.
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riverbendlapidary
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2006
Posts: 1,058
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Post by riverbendlapidary on Jul 28, 2013 17:01:32 GMT -5
Great saw! Water = fast blade wear & rust...
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Jul 29, 2013 6:36:37 GMT -5
nice looking stand and cover Rob. The castors are a great idea. I need to make a stand for mine with castors too. When I brought my slab saw home I set it on a couple saw horses as temporary deal and now its been there over a year. Make sure you seal up the stand good as I am sure water will at least be getting on the base. I was just reading on another thread and there is a comment from member "LarryS" about using water and the gem lube additive from kingsley north. I know from reading past threads that he really likes that stuff. I use the RV antifreeze in my 6" saw but have only had to use about 1/4 rv to 3/4 water and so far no rust. I do not drain mine and don't get much evaporation at all but that might be because its in the basement. I'll keep my eye out for some slab pictures from you this week! here's that thread that mentions the gem lube if your interested. forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/61111/covington-info-needed-little-more?page=2Chuck
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,556
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Post by jamesp on Jul 29, 2013 8:10:21 GMT -5
That is one solid looking machine. Gotta have a saw. Got to. The rest of the family will know where you are hiding for a while to come.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2013 13:08:09 GMT -5
Juggler man, can't wait to see "first cut" pics! Good work.
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