jamesp
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Member since October 2012
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Post by jamesp on Jun 23, 2017 13:29:41 GMT -5
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Fossilman
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Member since January 2009
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Post by Fossilman on Jun 23, 2017 14:19:56 GMT -5
Dude,its getting there!!!! Nice colors too!!!
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,561
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Post by jamesp on Jun 23, 2017 14:32:59 GMT -5
Dude,its getting there!!!! Nice colors too!!! There is often a defect that requires another full removal. The flat base was a bad side. Would have had to grind a lot off to remove it, which would make ~sphere much smaller. It a cup jig with roller balls could be fabricated to hold cut to perfect sphere things would go better. Or some kind of jig to hold radius.
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Post by Pat on Jun 23, 2017 15:28:09 GMT -5
Could you post a photo of the machine that is making the sphere? Thanks!
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,561
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Post by jamesp on Jun 23, 2017 18:11:55 GMT -5
Could you post a photo of the machine that is making the sphere? Thanks! It's just a tile saw turned on it's side and the table opened to 45 degrees Pat. Tied with a rope to the little table. Sitting on dairy crates with a pad for the bum. Drip applied so that it spins away from seat. top of grinding wheel, gravity in favor. Diamonds glitter/reflect. suggesting flat faces and sharp angles/edges. They are sharp. Note wear, edge rounding off.
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,561
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Post by jamesp on Jun 23, 2017 18:17:31 GMT -5
Video. Using stainless table as fece, rotary movement to swing arcs. Smaller spheres can be done further from center where diamonds are closer to fence. had this rock been sawn twice it would have sped things up a lot. 1.5 to 2 inch spheres much faster to grind.
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Post by wigglinrocks on Jun 23, 2017 18:58:44 GMT -5
Would it help to raise the table with a hunk of steel flat so you could use more of the wheel face ?
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Post by Pat on Jun 23, 2017 19:05:14 GMT -5
Neat! Admire the cleverness. 😀
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Post by HankRocks on Jun 23, 2017 19:28:29 GMT -5
Two milk crates, a rope securing a tilted saw and a slightly rusted stool, Classic "Red-neck" engineering!! and that is meant as a compliment of the highest order!!
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Jun 23, 2017 19:55:51 GMT -5
Two milk crates, a rope securing a tilted saw and a slightly rusted stool, Classic "Red-neck" engineering!! and that is meant as a compliment of the highest order!! First time I ever raised the table top to a 45 degree angle. Made a nice secure side support. Good eye access to grind. Yellow rope is important. White rope may not work. Yes, red-neck/hack engineering lol, gets it done every time. Need some bailing wire and she'll be complete. Let's call it a Texas agate grinder Henry.
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,561
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Post by jamesp on Jun 23, 2017 20:05:47 GMT -5
Would it help to raise the table with a hunk of steel flat so you could use more of the wheel face ? I rarely use the face of the wheel Rich. It is the edge of the wheel that is the business end. When the edge wears flat I will flip the blade and use the new edge IF the diamonds are not oriented for a given direction of rotation. Not sure what you are describing. Can you clarify a bit ? I may be set in my ways as it is set up after doing 15 large rocks. I wish I could chuck the rock up like in a lathe arrangement and rotate the rock against the spinning blade very slowly. Do like 1/4 or 3/8 inch remove passes at a time. Feed slow and it will take a lot of meat off the rock in one pass. Slow lets the diamonds do the work without wearing the sintering so fast.
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Post by MrMike on Jun 23, 2017 20:23:22 GMT -5
Two milk crates, a rope securing a tilted saw and a slightly rusted stool, Classic "Red-neck" engineering!! and that is meant as a compliment of the highest order!! First time I ever raised the table top to a 45 degree angle. Made a nice secure side support. Good eye access to grind. Yellow rope is important. White rope may not work. Yes, red-neck/hack engineering lol, gets it done every time. Need some bailing wire and she'll be complete. Let's call it a Texas agate grinder Henry. Where's the duck tape?
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,561
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Post by jamesp on Jun 23, 2017 20:26:46 GMT -5
First time I ever raised the table top to a 45 degree angle. Made a nice secure side support. Good eye access to grind. Yellow rope is important. White rope may not work. Yes, red-neck/hack engineering lol, gets it done every time. Need some bailing wire and she'll be complete. Let's call it a Texas agate grinder Henry. Where's the duck tape? Alabama chrome is missing Mike. Ski rope replaced it. Difference between Alabama and Georgia I suppose.
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Post by wigglinrocks on Jun 23, 2017 20:29:10 GMT -5
Guess what I mean is if you use the wheel like a grinding wheel and use the whole surface instead of just the edge of the wheel . Maybe you would grind more surface of the rock with each pass .
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Post by HankRocks on Jun 23, 2017 21:14:24 GMT -5
My guess is we will not see a Chinese copy the "Texas Agate Grinder" on EBAY or Etsy!!
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
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Post by jamesp on Jun 23, 2017 21:21:15 GMT -5
Guess what I mean is if you use the wheel like a grinding wheel and use the whole surface instead of just the edge of the wheel . Maybe you would grind more surface of the rock with each pass . ah. I see. It is the edge(corner) that really takes it off. It is a hybrid cut, some chipping and some cutting. If you put the rock against the flat part you get only cutting. The sharp corner sorta fractures shallow pieces and cuts. Fast rate of removal via point contact.
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,561
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Post by jamesp on Jun 23, 2017 21:30:02 GMT -5
My guess is we will not see a Chinese copy the "Texas Agate Grinder" on EBAY or Etsy!! May not be a logical enough design for the Asian clan. Those guys are probably using water jet technology for this type of shaping.
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Post by wigglinrocks on Jun 23, 2017 21:42:17 GMT -5
Guess what I mean is if you use the wheel like a grinding wheel and use the whole surface instead of just the edge of the wheel . Maybe you would grind more surface of the rock with each pass . ah. I see. It is the edge(corner) that really takes it off. It is a hybrid cut, some chipping and some cutting. If you put the rock against the flat part you get only cutting. The sharp corner sorta fractures shallow pieces and cuts. Fast rate of removal via point contact. I was just curious . Thinking more diamonds on the flat might cut faster than just the edge . I don't have the wheel so I was just guessing .
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quartz
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breakin' rocks in the hot sun
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Post by quartz on Jun 23, 2017 22:08:27 GMT -5
First class solution, looks like that rock is pretty close to round.
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
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Post by jamesp on Jun 24, 2017 4:43:31 GMT -5
ah. I see. It is the edge(corner) that really takes it off. It is a hybrid cut, some chipping and some cutting. If you put the rock against the flat part you get only cutting. The sharp corner sorta fractures shallow pieces and cuts. Fast rate of removal via point contact. I was just curious . Thinking more diamonds on the flat might cut faster than just the edge . I don't have the wheel so I was just guessing . To cut fast with the least pressure the edge was the way. Not the prettiest cut but removes rock quick. Then use the flat face to to do the final surface clean up. To remove the gouges from the edge cutting. This rock was cleaned up using the flat face of that blade and the scratches were removed in two days rolling in SiC 30. Kinda like a metal lathe, cutting with a point source sharp tool with fairly fast feed rate. Edge cuts smoothed 2 days in coarse grit
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