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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Jan 28, 2012 12:48:03 GMT -5
Thanks, Lee.
It's a Great Western saw. The rails and arbor came out in one unit, so the only way to opportunity for misalignment is the carriage itself. The carriage is a little funky compared to, say, an HP. There is a very slight play in it that has always been there. I can try to tighten that up as it may be the source of the problem. Everything else is tight.
When I first started cutting this time around I was cutting Flint Ridge material. When it started binding, I switched to a piece of junk sedimentary chalcedony (forms in limestone) to see if I could figure out what was going on.
Yes, I normally cut at 5 minutes per inch. This is more like 10 minutes or more per inch. This saw has a hydraulic piston that adjusts the feed rate from the gravity feed. In the past, I would go very slow at the start of the cut then speed up through the middle, and slow down again at the end. Right now I'm cutting at the very slow speed all the way through and I'm still having trouble with bogging down and binding.
Thanks again! Chuck
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Jan 28, 2012 11:47:57 GMT -5
This summer I re-built my 18" saw so that I could seal some leaks in the sump. I have an old notched rim Felker blade with about 1/8" of notches left. I just fired up the saw again for the first time after re-building it.
Now, the blade is binding. I just finished swaging the blade and cutting through a coarse grinding wheel a couple of times. It seems to be cutting better, but it's still binding unless I have the feed set at barely moving.
I didn't change the carriage alignment and on the few cuts I've completed that doesn't seem to be an issue. There's a little bit of run-out on the blade, but I think that's been there as long as I've had it.
Is it time for a new blade, or do you think something else is going on?
Thanks for your help!
Chuck
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Jan 28, 2012 10:09:40 GMT -5
Hi Larry,
My Great Western saw has gravity feed with an hydraulic cylinder to regulate the speed. I can adjust it from full stop to very fast. It's a nice set-up. I don't know whether there are saws currently made that have that feature.
Chuck
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Jan 27, 2012 22:15:27 GMT -5
I found a truck tire inner tube and cut new lid liners out of it. I tried vinyl hall runner, but it wore out pretty quickly (just as Connrock stated).
Chuck
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Jan 27, 2012 13:53:23 GMT -5
She's got great taste in specimens. Your photography is excellent, too.
Chuck
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Jan 27, 2012 11:52:07 GMT -5
That's good news Spike! I had a piece or two of pom pom. I found it very pretty, but hard to work. It wanted to fall apart during cabbing. Maybe it was just bad luck? I thought Mel had made similar comments, though. All the same, I'd be up to going to Needle Peak.
I'm looking forward to the trip!
Chuck
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Jan 27, 2012 11:48:23 GMT -5
Congrats to you both! Good deal on a good saw.
Chuck
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Jan 26, 2012 22:28:18 GMT -5
Yeah, you really have to hand it to those guys. Glad they're on our side.
Chuck
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Jan 26, 2012 22:26:09 GMT -5
I _rarely_ have to dress my 10" 303, but my old 18" notched Felker seems to need dressing every half dozen slabs or so. I've tried reversing the blade, but it doesn't seem to make much difference. I just cut into a 60 grit SiC wheel.
Chuck
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Jan 26, 2012 22:18:43 GMT -5
Okay, just when you thought we had beaten this topic to death... I called Lube Tech today to get another 5 gallons of their "Mineral Seal Oil", which is a white paraffin oil, reputedly OEM'd to the lapidary industry as a cutting oil. I've been using it for the last couple of years and I've been very happy with it. Last time I bought it I paid about $50 or $55 for 5 gallons. Today it's $75 after tax. So, I started thinking about the cheap hydraulic fluid at Tractor Supply. I've never worn a respirator, but for less than half the cost of the Lube-Tech oil, I'm tempted to start: www.tractorsupply.com/xtreme-reg-tractor-hydraulic-transmission-fluid-5-gal--8060004$26 for 5 gallons Chuck
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Jan 25, 2012 16:03:41 GMT -5
Thanks for posting Sampson! I'm envious! I saw the aurora in Fairbanks one year. It was fantastic.
I was hoping to see the aurora, but I don't think it made it this far south, and as always happens here, it was overcast.
Chuck
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Jan 25, 2012 16:00:52 GMT -5
Taking jobs from Americans, eh? What about all the Canadians working the Dakota oil boom? And they don't have to bring anything but their bodies!
(BTW: I'm not knocking those oil workers. Just a stupid thing for the supervisor to say.)
Chuck
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Jan 25, 2012 15:57:16 GMT -5
I had the same thought on Soylent Green.
Chuck
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Jan 25, 2012 11:24:41 GMT -5
Some advice given to me was tighten the vise to the point where you can't move the rock when you try to pull it out. Sorry to hear about the blade.
Chuck
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Jan 25, 2012 11:21:35 GMT -5
Cool stuff! Congrats!
I particularly like the blue and the brecciated features.
Chuck
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Jan 25, 2012 11:19:22 GMT -5
That's a bummer, Brent!
Our security theater is dumbfounding. How were the rocks made? "Well, there's something called the rock cycle that explains how igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks are produced in geologic processes...."
Are they afraid you're bringing in yellow cake? Are there any government representatives you can appeal to?
Chuck
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Jan 25, 2012 10:13:16 GMT -5
Bushkraft beat me to it: it does look like what some call jaspilite around here, a cousin of banded iron formation (although BIF frequently looks more sedimentary with true layers).
We have lots of it in Minnesota, but most of it does not have the yellow.
Chuck
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Jan 25, 2012 10:01:24 GMT -5
Jeri I was thinking of electric, too, for the same reason. I'll pass on the dogs, thanks!
Chuck
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Jan 24, 2012 13:02:27 GMT -5
Daniel, that is some primo Crazy Lace! There is so much going on that it would be hard for me to figure out how to cab it.
I like the other stuff too.
Chuck
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Jan 24, 2012 9:40:48 GMT -5
I'm partial to side 1, but both are great. Nice work as usual!
Chuck
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