CLErocks
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2021
Posts: 342
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Post by CLErocks on May 23, 2022 7:25:33 GMT -5
perkins17 wow, $500?!? You’ve gotten some great deals! I need you to help me shop… Thanks for sharing.
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Post by perkins17 on May 23, 2022 9:11:39 GMT -5
perkins17 What’s that four-banger on the right side of the Pixie, it’s not a spool polisher, is it? Yup, it is a spool polisher. That machine is from the 1970's. The spoils are maple (?) And I have two of them. It works great for jade and smaller cabs.
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Post by perkins17 on May 23, 2022 9:18:11 GMT -5
perkins17 wow, $500?!? You’ve gotten some great deals! I need you to help me shop… Thanks for sharing. Yup, around $500! I've tried to be really thrifty because I'm pretty limited in the money spending area. My most expensive piece of equipment is my Lortone 33b. I payed $160 dollars for it during the pandemic when production was limited. Bad move on my part. My tips are to check craigslist and Facebook marketplace (if you don't have Facebook, get it just for this!) join a rock club. There are sooooo many kind people at mine that have helped me progress into this hobby, and don't have a limit to space! My shop can't get too much bigger. There's no room for a big saw. Oh, and sellers are most often willing to negotiate. That is a benefit of dealing with used stuff and you don't really much to lose. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm going to end my speech now....
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2022 21:14:16 GMT -5
Ok perkins17 you said if anyone has questions to ask sooo… can you (or anyone else who wants to!) explain the equipment other that tumblers to me. I know about tumblers (well enough at least!) but don’t know much about the saws, cab machines, vibe lap, etc. thank you!
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Post by perkins17 on May 23, 2022 21:22:03 GMT -5
Ok perkins17 you said if anyone has questions to ask sooo… can you (or anyone else who wants to!) explain the equipment other that tumblers to me. I know about tumblers (well enough at least!) but don’t know much about the saws, cab machines, vibe lap, etc. thank you! Of course, I'm happy to clarify. The saw is not put together yet, but basically it is a super thin grinding wheel I will be able to use to cut rocks. My cab machines are machines that make cabochons which can be worn in jewelry. This is one of the threads created by jasoninsd that shows some great examples of finished cabochons that are wrapped for jewelry: forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/98972/royal-velvet-obsidian-mountain-montana. My vibe lap (actually a Raytech 15 inch vibrating flat lap) is used to face polish larger cut specimens. With it you can make bookends, clock faces, ect. I created this thread about my last batch: forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/99038/fresh-off-lap I hope this helps clarify a little. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.
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Post by jasoninsd on May 23, 2022 21:30:47 GMT -5
Ok perkins17 you said if anyone has questions to ask sooo… can you (or anyone else who wants to!) explain the equipment other that tumblers to me. I know about tumblers (well enough at least!) but don’t know much about the saws, cab machines, vibe lap, etc. thank you! Ooof...that's a BIG question that's kind of open-ended to try and explain all the equipment. (Not meant to sound mean...just being realistic. ) If you have some specific questions about any of the equipment, it might be a little easier for people to chime in on it that way...
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Post by perkins17 on May 23, 2022 21:43:58 GMT -5
Ok perkins17 you said if anyone has questions to ask sooo… can you (or anyone else who wants to!) explain the equipment other that tumblers to me. I know about tumblers (well enough at least!) but don’t know much about the saws, cab machines, vibe lap, etc. thank you! Ooof...that's a BIG question that's kind of open-ended to try and explain all the equipment. (Not meant to sound mean...just being realistic. ) If you have some specific questions about any of the equipment, it might be a little easier for people to chime in on it that way... If it "whittles it down a little" I think what was being asked was just about the generals of what the pieces of equipment do. No disrespect meant coming from over here, sometimes Mondays cause me to sound a little snappy lol. Disclaimer: there are many people on this site much more knowledgeable in this area. -Nicholas
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2022 9:27:38 GMT -5
Thank you perkins17 and jasoninsd You are correct Nicholas it was a very general question as to the overview of what they do. And I would not take you to be mean in the least Jason, you’ve always been kind and helpful! As far as more specific questions Jason that would probably be helpful. I know a saw is to cut rock but what’s the specific ones for? I am looking into getting a cheap tile saw just to get started. But know there’s more specific lapidary saws. Also I never knew what a vibe lap was or what it was used for. Thanks for explaining that Nicholas! I’m assuming a cab machine is made up of grinding and polishing wheels for making cabs, is that correct? So it would be differing grit wheels for the different stages?? It’s still all new to me! Thanks guys!
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,423
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Post by Wooferhound on May 24, 2022 9:49:05 GMT -5
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Post by perkins17 on May 24, 2022 9:53:46 GMT -5
Thank you perkins17 and jasoninsd You are correct Nicholas it was a very general question as to the overview of what they do. And I would not take you to be mean in the least Jason, you’ve always been kind and helpful! As far as more specific questions Jason that would probably be helpful. I know a saw is to cut rock but what’s the specific ones for? I am looking into getting a cheap tile saw just to get started. But know there’s more specific lapidary saws. Also I never knew what a vibe lap was or what it was used for. Thanks for explaining that Nicholas! I’m assuming a cab machine is made up of grinding and polishing wheels for making cabs, is that correct? So it would be differing grit wheels for the different stages?? It’s still all new to me! Thanks guys! Jason has always been super nice to me too. Great guy. Okay, on the saw topic; larger saws (10-36 inch blades) are generally for cutting off "slabs" (flat pieces of stone used to make cabochons) and smaller saws are generally used for cutting shapes out of the slabs and sometimes for cutting small rough rocks. Vibe lap are funny, messy things, but they serve their purpose. You are exactly right on the cab machine, it is wheels of grits typically starting at an 80 grit hard diamond wheel and then a couple more hard wheels before moving to soft wheels for getting rid of flat spots on the cab. My (main) machine is an arbor with a hard wheel on one side and an expandable drum on the other. The expandable drum basically is a soft wheel that you can slide different grit belts on to up to 50,000 grit. Okay, wrapping my speech now....
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Post by liveoak on May 24, 2022 9:54:42 GMT -5
This might sound funny, but I'd recommend to order a Kingsley North Catalog. They are one of the few companies, that I know of. that still have a print catalog. You can learn a lot (or at least I do) from looking at the different equipment they sell. Patty
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2022 11:05:18 GMT -5
This might sound funny, but I'd recommend to order a Kingsley North Catalog. They are one of the few companies, that I know of. that still have a print catalog. You can learn a lot (or at least I do) from looking at the different equipment they sell. Patty Thank you Patty! I do have their catalog but didn’t think to read the descriptions a bit better to see if that would help. Thanks!
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Post by liveoak on May 24, 2022 11:43:17 GMT -5
After you look through the catalog further, then you can ask better questions, so no one overwhelms you. You just have to decide on the direction you want to go with your art and then people can better advise on equipment you need.
Patty
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2022 14:05:10 GMT -5
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Post by jasoninsd on May 25, 2022 7:00:33 GMT -5
perkins17 - Thanks for jumping in on the descriptions! ashley - Sorry I didn't get to respond in time...but both Perk and Patty covered your questions. liveoak - Patty, that was actually a genius idea on the catalog! I'm not saying I'm super smart...but that wouldn't have occurred to me! LOL
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2022 16:33:05 GMT -5
jasoninsd perkins17Ok Jason and Nicholas, I was doing what Patty suggested and looking at Kingsley North’s catalog. What’s the difference between the ring saw, trim saw and slab saw in really simple terms please lol! Trim saw for smaller cutting and slab saw for bigger cutting?
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Post by jasoninsd on May 27, 2022 17:26:18 GMT -5
jasoninsd perkins17Ok Jason and Nicholas, I was doing what Patty suggested and looking at Kingsley North’s catalog. What’s the difference between the ring saw, trim saw and slab saw in really simple terms please lol! Trim saw for smaller cutting and slab saw for bigger cutting? Think of a ring saw like a coping saw. You can make nonlinear cuts (like the shape of a maple leaf). Yep...trim saw is for smaller stones since they're usually a smaller blade - or for cutting shapes out of slabs. It's mainly used for cutting out cabochon preforms from slabs. A slab saw is a bigger saw...and it's purpose is exactly what it states...to cut slabs. Slab saws can vary from 10" up to whatever size imaginable, but "normal" I believe would be considered to be up to 24". (Yes, there are WAY bigger slab saws out there. LOL)
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Post by Pat on May 27, 2022 17:36:01 GMT -5
ashley. It might be beneficial to thumb through several catalogs. It’s quite an education. Also take a look at the RTH front page and go from there. The hobby is huge. I think all areas are represented here. Good luck, and enjoy the learning.
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Post by perkins17 on May 27, 2022 17:39:52 GMT -5
jasoninsd perkins17Ok Jason and Nicholas, I was doing what Patty suggested and looking at Kingsley North’s catalog. What’s the difference between the ring saw, trim saw and slab saw in really simple terms please lol! Trim saw for smaller cutting and slab saw for bigger cutting? Okay, I don't really accurately know what a ring saw is but I can tell you the difference (in my mind) between a slab and trim saw. A slab saw cuts flat prices (like tiles) off of a large rock. This thread by me has pictures of them from me and other members: forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/97193/sharing-pathetic-slab-collectionA trim saw technically "can" cut these but it's not built for it. Trim saws cut the slabs into shapes for cabbing. I have 3 Kingsley catalogs next to my bed for before-sleep reading. I know them pretty dang well (almost memorized!)
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Benathema
has rocks in the head
God chased me down and made sure I knew He was real June 20, 2022. I've been on a Divine Mission.
Member since November 2019
Posts: 703
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Post by Benathema on May 27, 2022 17:59:38 GMT -5
The "trim" saw I have is a 7 inch blade, and brand new only gives about a 1.5 inch depth of cut. I have been able to slice rocks thicker than that, but it takes a steady hand. Honestly it's pretty sketchy to do it that way. Managed to get through the 3 inch thick tigers eye with it. But that got tossed in the tumbler, I wasn't making slabs for cabs.
The tile saw really isn't the tool for a slabbing job since it doesn't have a reliable fence or way to clamp the rock. The slab saws are where it's at if you want uniform thickness slices. Those saws have the clamps, cross feed for thickness, and even a cutting feed.
I don't know what metaphor to use here, but it's like a handheld jig saw versus a proper table saw for ripping boards. Can you sort of pull it off with the jig saw? Sure, with enough prep, but the table saw is the better tool for that job. Jig saw still has it's place, but each tool is best suited to particular jobs.
Edit: ring saw would be like a band saw.
Example project: making a puzzle out of a rock. Clamp the rock in the slab saw and take slices until you get the piece you want. Then take the slab to the trim saw to square the sides. Then go in there with the ring saw to cut individual puzzle pieces out.
Theoretically, of course .. pulling that off is another thing.
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