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This was a fun project, it is a well engineered machine with a oil recirculating pump and arbor that oscillates up about 1/4 inch about every second to speed up the cut. I need to find a lapidary museum for it, it is such a novelty saw.
This was a fun project, it is a well engineered machine with a oil recirculating pump and arbor that oscillates up about 1/4 inch about every second to speed up the cut. I need to find a lapidary museum for it, it is such a novelty saw.
There is no shortage of them in the NW near where they were originally made in Portland. The cast iron construction may be the reason that not too many traveled a super long distance away. None of the 3 that passed through my hands had the basin with pump or oscillating arbor though. This weekend I met a couple who met the original Mr Nelson and had an old saw repaired and set up by him not long before he passed away, he retired to AZ it seems.
“If history could teach us anything, it would be that private property is inextricably linked with civilization.” - Ludwig Von Mises
and arbor that oscillates up about 1/4 inch about every second to speed up the cut.
Any further explanation on the mechanics of this? Does is jog back/forth ie, one edge of the blade is doing the bulk of the cutting?
I tried to capture the oscillation in the video, but it did not show it well. I will take a couple of vid's when I get home from work.
But, when cutting the blade will be in a stationary position, then about once a second the blade will move up about 1/4", then back to the stationary position, the pivot point is about 8" behind the arbor. Very similar to how you would cut a plank with a hand/chain saw, changing the angle of the blade to cut a smaller surface area.
Any further explanation on the mechanics of this? Does is jog back/forth ie, one edge of the blade is doing the bulk of the cutting?
I tried to capture the oscillation in the video, but it did not show it well. I will take a couple of vid's when I get home from work.
But, when cutting the blade will be in a stationary position, then about once a second the blade will move up about 1/4", then back to the stationary position, the pivot point is about 8" behind the arbor. Very similar to how you would cut a plank with a hand/chain saw, changing the angle of the blade to cut a smaller surface area.
Perhaps if possible a view of the (cam/follower?) apparatus that moves the arbor up and down in action? I wonder if the goal wasn't to break up the arc of the blade marks in the slabs to achieve a somewhat flatter surface. Same concept as a blanchard surface grinder only limited to the 10 degrees or so of swing.
“If history could teach us anything, it would be that private property is inextricably linked with civilization.” - Ludwig Von Mises
Maybe the idea is that the weight feed will work better with the movement, kinda similar to the rocking I do when cutting small pieces by hand. Is the tab that generally breaks off at the end of a cut with a weight feed saw any better?
“If history could teach us anything, it would be that private property is inextricably linked with civilization.” - Ludwig Von Mises
My friend at my rock club here in Tacoma WA loves his Nelson. Told me they are the best ever. Talks incredibly high of the engineering of the saw. The off set square rails that hold the vise is like that he claims to give the carriage stability at every 45 degrees of the circle due to the two four sided square stock being 45 degrees off of alignment from each other. That little cam moving the blade arbor is awesome. My friend Tony exclaims the saw cuts look polished they come out so smooth. aGates
The cast iron construction also accounts for the early death of some machines. I had one that I traded to a friend and he promptly broke part of the vice and as is commonly known welding that stuff is not easy.
Tom Combining bicycles, trailbikes, hiking, and rockhounding as a justification for enjoying the fresh air of New Mexico.
The cast iron construction also accounts for the early death of some machines. I had one that I traded to a friend and he promptly broke part of the vice and as is commonly known welding that stuff is not easy.
It's funny you mention the potential breakage. I was very nervous sending the parts out to get powder coated for that reason, I only sent the parts that I could not properly sand blast myself.
That is really cool! Thanks for taking the time to post this, Tim.
Is it always open like that? Is oil mist an issue?
Oil mist is an issue!!! I would not use this saw in a closed room without some major shielding. I don't intend to keep the saw, it was just a fun restore, let the next future owner worry about it.
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Welcome to the Rock Tumbling Hobby Forum where we share a love of rocks and a sense of community as enduring as the stones we polish.
The RTH Forum of www.RockTumbling.com is an Amazon Associate site and we earn money from
qualifying purchases you make after clicking on our links such as this
Rock Tumbling Supplies on Amazon
link for instance, or any of our various product ads and banners. By clicking our links every time you begin your Amazon shopping
experience, you are generating a bit of revenue for the forum which helps us cover our expenses. Thank you for your support!