ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483 
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Post by ziggy on Dec 8, 2016 21:05:13 GMT -5
I got sick of getting soaked with mudwater every time I used the 8" trim saw to cut rocks. I got hubby to make a lexan cover to contain the overspray. He started out with a sheet of 1/4" thick lexan (recycled from an old picture frame) cut it into the five sides of the cover. Lacking a table or bandsaw, he ended up using his 4 1/2" angle grinder and a thin cutting blade. After he got done and came in the house it looked like his entire head and upper body was covered in spider webs. The lexan throws out thin silky strands when cut with a wheel, that covered him with the stuff.  Then he hot glued some denim over the hand access hole in the side piece. Cut a slit in it.  The right side also has clearance cut into it for the bearing mounted rock clamp and matching denim to cover the entire side where it opens for the clamp and the hand access hole.  Here you can see the rock clamp and how it fits under the right side.  Next two pictures: He used some long wood clamps to hold things together while the glue sets up.   He had to get the right glue for lexan. That glue happened to be Weld-On #16. This glue actually melts the pieces together. The surfaces being glued should be flat and true. This glue can fill in gaps also but it's best to get it right before gluing up and not needing to fill any gaps instead. To minimize gaps when gluing, all edges that were going to be glued were sanded true on the belt sander.  The cover on the saw.   The linear bearing mounted driven by a spring sliding rock clamp and mounting bracket was also added to this trim saw previously by hubby making this a sort of hybrid small slab/trim saw combo. Coming ASAP. Video of the cover in action (as soon as it gets warm enough to actually do it.) |
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Tommy
Administrator 
Member since January 2013
Posts: 12,808
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Post by Tommy on Dec 9, 2016 10:21:38 GMT -5
That's really cool Ziggy thanks for showing it. I need to do something similar on mine.
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Post by captbob on Dec 9, 2016 11:42:40 GMT -5
That is a good solution, and kudos to your husband for going above and beyond making it for ya. Nicely done! Now work on a shed that you can put your rock working equipment in with a heater so you can play with it year round.  |
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panamark
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2012
Posts: 1,343
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Post by panamark on Dec 9, 2016 13:32:57 GMT -5
Nice job on that. You might want to replace the denim with heavy sheet plastic as I think the denim will get soaked with oil and then it will be a mess.
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Dec 9, 2016 13:59:12 GMT -5
Nice job on that. You might want to replace the denim with heavy sheet plastic as I think the denim will get soaked with oil and then it will be a mess. We only use water in it. We aren't a big professional operation here with no budget other than extra bucks left over after living expenses. We could never use oil just due to it costs money and so much is involved in cleaning it off the rocks. Most of the rocks we cut are soft Michigan rocks like Petoskey and Septarians with only the occasional harder rock being cut. It's only an 8" trim saw with a spring driven feed rock clamp so oil is out of the question. We mostly just use it to pre form cabs like any other trim saw. The flexibility of the denim is what we're after. It rinses right off and never seems to get stiff. I think heavy sheet plastic might get irritating to my wrists when my hands are in the saw (after all, my hands do go in there.) I'm sorry, but already having used it on other projects like our cabber, the denim seems to be the ideal material for uses like this. We also use denim on our cabbing machine to spread the water evenly over the wheels. It works great. Lots of people use nylon web strap stuff. We like denim. One big piece covers all three wheels. I agree though that if we used oil the cloth would be an issue. |
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Post by Garage Rocker on Dec 9, 2016 14:05:51 GMT -5
You must have one helluva jorts collection.
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Dec 9, 2016 14:08:12 GMT -5
You must have one helluva jorts collection.  ?? I have no clue what that means. OK, looked up jorts.  An old pair of hubby's jeans with huge holes in the knees was all it took. Jorts.....sheesh  |
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Post by Garage Rocker on Dec 9, 2016 14:20:30 GMT -5
There, you learned some totally useless knowledge today. Just teasing a bit. There are some funny definitions on Urban Dictionary. This is one:
jorts-
jean shorts, such as those worn by male Florida Gator fans at the Georgia-Florida football game.
"Don't talk to him; he's obviously a Florida fan with those jorts he's wearing."
Nice build, by the way. Looks like you have a bunch of nice home built equipment. Pays to be handy!
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Tommy
Administrator
Member since January 2013
Posts: 12,808
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Post by Tommy on Dec 9, 2016 14:31:16 GMT -5
LOL learn something every day - even stuff you wish you didn't learn - can't unlearn a visual like that. Ziggy I also run strictly water in my trim saw. It's the only way to go as far as I'm concerned. I open the plug and drain the water after each session and dry the blade off and it's all good. Oil is for the big saw with the expensive blade - and not splashing liquid all over the place. I use thin loop carpet on the cabbing wheels however. I don't see denim being stiff enough for that application but if it works I may have to try it ... and create a pair of jorts ... and send them to Garage Rocker haha |
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Post by captbob on Dec 9, 2016 15:32:26 GMT -5
DO NOT Google jorts and go to "images"
What has been seen can not be unseen.
You have been warned!
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Dec 9, 2016 15:59:05 GMT -5
Here's the other use I found for old denim.  I found that this one piece setup really knocks down overspray problems. It's easy to work up under it even. (The denim has been cut by me probably an inch shorter since this photo was published and it works great.) I think the water that is getting slung upon the back side of the denim soaks it down so much that there is water dripping off the entire edge of the denim thus keeping the wheel evenly coated without the material needing to be in hard contact with it. I run with just a trickle usually, barely needing to open the flow valve on top the cover. |
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Dec 9, 2016 16:38:20 GMT -5
DO NOT Google jorts and go to "images" What has been seen can not be unseen. You have been warned! I see  what you mean  Not a pretty picture. |
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NDK
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2009
Posts: 9,440
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Post by NDK on Dec 9, 2016 17:05:53 GMT -5
Nice work on the cover. I use water in my trim saw too, and wouldn't mind a cover.
P.S. "the glue melts the pieces together" <---- this is defined as a solvent weld. Just FYI 😋
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Post by Pat on Dec 9, 2016 17:10:16 GMT -5
Neat! Did you also make the tongue-shaped splash guard over the blade?
Thanks for all the explanations. Now, to jorts.
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Post by captbob on Dec 9, 2016 17:17:25 GMT -5
DON'T DO IT PAT!!
jean shorts
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Post by Pat on Dec 9, 2016 17:24:40 GMT -5
captbob too late! Yikes Sometimes curiosity leads me to odd hopefully forgettable things!
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rockpickerforever
Cave Dweller
RIP Jean Bradley, you are forever loved
Member since July 2011
Posts: 12,069
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Post by rockpickerforever on Dec 9, 2016 18:09:04 GMT -5
OMG, I have been wearing them all my life. Never knew they were called "Jorts," lol. Is that an east coast thing? I have never heard them called that before!
Once I got out of parochial school at the end of 8th grade, and started going to public school, I wore Jeans (or corduroys) every single day, and suede wallabees on my feet. Good bye stinking uniforms, and saddle shoes, woo-hoo!
Seriously, Jorts? LMAO!
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Post by Pat on Dec 9, 2016 18:22:03 GMT -5
To keep dry while sawing rocks, I wear one of those bibs with a velcro closure that barbers use. I like your solution much better.
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Post by toiv0 on Dec 9, 2016 20:59:02 GMT -5
That is a groovy cover, can double as cab for a snow blower.
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Dec 9, 2016 23:40:27 GMT -5
Neat! Did you also make the tongue-shaped splash guard over the blade? Thanks for all the explanations. Now, to jorts. Yep. He made the splash guard as well. It just doesn't work well enough on it's own. He was going to make one with sides on it but never did. I guess the sides on the splash guard are now unnecessary after all. |
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what you mean 
