herchenx
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2012
Posts: 3,360
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Post by herchenx on Oct 22, 2012 23:25:10 GMT -5
Looking good Paul. Is it fed by a crank on the side opposite the blade? I'm trying to understand how it will feed the rock.
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rockingthenorth
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2012
Posts: 1,637
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Post by rockingthenorth on Oct 22, 2012 23:28:41 GMT -5
I did I had gone rock hunting before I met up with you and john and also around my sisters house. shipped 5 LFR boxes home it was an awesome trip. I enjoyed visiting with you and John. maybe some day again I will get that way and we could do some hounding. Oh and the saw looks great.
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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 22, 2012 23:33:23 GMT -5
Hey Paul, looking good. One addition you might want to think about is a spray shield over the blade. It'll keep the blade from throwing oil all over the inside of the saw. An old cut down bicycle fender works great.
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Post by paulshiroma on Oct 23, 2012 8:22:09 GMT -5
Don - YOU ARE A GENIUS ... gotta go find an old 14" bicycle that I can cannibalize. The existing hood of the saw doesn't provide much clearance over the saw so maybe I'll look for a tall Rubbermaid container and make a new hood that can accommodate the blade shield/guard. Great idea, thanks! Paul
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jspencer
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2011
Posts: 929
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Post by jspencer on Oct 23, 2012 22:08:41 GMT -5
I also wondered about the crank opposite the blade and what it was for. I see by the pulley on the backside it is a gravity feed right?
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Post by paulshiroma on Oct 23, 2012 22:39:19 GMT -5
Sorry, guys. I got so worked up at Don's comment that I completely missed all the others LOL! Yes, it's a gravity feed setup ... it's got what feels like a 190lb depleted uranium slug that hangs from it LOL. Actually, I think its around 10lbs but man - it sure feels heavy . I was toying with the idea of modifying it a bit to include a pulley for turning the motor off when the vice completes its run but may leave that for a future mod. Got enough on my hands, project-wise, to keep me busy without making things more complicated. The crank opposite the blade is to move the rock vice closer/farther from the blade. The photo's don't show the vice mechanism all that well. In the last photos, picture the vice moving towards you along the rails (towards the pulley). That would move the rock to the saw itself. Tammy - I recall that now. You had mentioned that you and your brother (?) had gone out already. Five LFRB ... quite a haul!
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zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
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Post by zarguy on Oct 24, 2012 19:37:06 GMT -5
Paul, That new blade looks pretty thick. You'll lose a lot of rock to it. Isn't the old blade any good?
Lynn
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Post by paulshiroma on Oct 24, 2012 21:47:55 GMT -5
Hi Lynn - exceptionally thick. I asked John (johnjsgems) about it - he'd never seen a lapidary blade like it and was wondering as well. I ended up sending an email over to the original owner asking about it. The old blade was pretty done and I figured if I was going to clean and refinish everything, I may as well swap it out with the new blade that came with it. I'll probably end up trying it and seeing how it functions. If I can use it to cut larger rocks to a size manageable by my 10", that'll work. If it turns out to be something like a concrete/masonry blade and doesn't work well, I may be tearing this setup down again and getting a 14: 303 or 301 from John.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2012 22:40:39 GMT -5
Paul, the shaft that is sticking out of the nut is not needed. If you cut that much off you just may have enough room to slide the nut off without removing everything. Looks like it would be a close call but if it works the blade should be easy to change from then on. You could also get a thinner nut or two thinner nuts and put both on one at a time if you thought the one thin nut would not be enough. Crank up the hack saw and make some clearance. Jim
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Post by paulshiroma on Oct 26, 2012 21:50:05 GMT -5
Hey, Jim. I like the idea of swapping out the nuts or shortening the shaft. Or just building a new box. ... The latter sort of crossed my mind while I was cleaning it up but that appeared to be more work than I was willing to commit to at the moment. For the moment, I figure on getting it to the point where I can test run it, make sure everything works and then consider some next steps. Motor is still good but I haven't had time to bolt it back on and test it with the blade. And I have to pickup a new belt. These are like home improvement projects ... just one more thing ...
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Post by paulshiroma on Nov 4, 2012 21:34:48 GMT -5
I spent some time over the last two weekends trying to get a belt to match. I had changed the layout slightly on the stand and now that the motor is in a different location, I need a new belt... I was also experimenting in how best to handle blade removal with the tight clearances. I really don't want to have to remove the vice setup again, if I can help it so, after some fiddling, I realized the whole blade shaft will slide out about 0.25 inches - just enough for me to remove that huge nut and remove the blade and associated material. While I was at it, I realized that there was a hidden area underneath the slab catch pan that I didn't notice. It was pretty dirty so, while I had the blade shaft out, I cleaned up that area as well. Obsessive-compulsive, perhaps LOL... but may as well do it all now and then dirty it up myself later . Realignment was much easier than I anticipated and only a very, very minor adjust was required to get the blade aligned with the vice. More moving pieces on the vice setup made it tricky to get it aligned with the blade when I reinstalled the vice earlier. Just gotta find a belt now... I'm also toying with the idea of an auto-shut off but may have to leave that for later. I'd just like to get this up and running! Any my truck needs new PCV hoses and a PCV valve. Gotta do that next weekend. Not enough time in my day. Work keeps getting in the way... Paul
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Post by paulshiroma on Nov 5, 2012 22:34:22 GMT -5
Did some measuring (partially by eye) yesterday and dropped by the local auto parts store on my way home from work to pickup a couple of new belts. One fit perfectly and I've got a bit of room to adjust the motor location a bit more should additional tension be required. I think I'll do the RubberMaid hood again and swap out the heavy metal one and setup a blade guard as recommended by Don in the post above. Installed: Power-Up Test (not that you can tell from the photo LOL): I also did some hunting around HomeDepot over the weekend and am convinced that this is actually a diamond tipped masonry blade. It'll work for the short term but I'll have to get a 303 or 301 from John shortly. Thanks for checking out the thread. I have power now!!! Whooo Hooo! Paul
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Post by jakesrocks on Nov 6, 2012 0:12:24 GMT -5
Lookin gooder and gooder all the time Paul.
If you have trouble finding belts the right length, salvage a spring loaded idler pulley off of an old mower deck or upright washing machine It will take a little adapting, but will hold the proper tension on your belt.
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The Dad_Ohs
fully equipped rock polisher
Take me to your Labradorite!!
Member since September 2012
Posts: 1,860
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Post by The Dad_Ohs on Nov 6, 2012 0:48:21 GMT -5
saw looks great, really coming together now, you should be slabbing in no time!! gratz!!
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juzwuz
has rocks in the head
Member since April 2010
Posts: 526
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Post by juzwuz on Nov 6, 2012 3:13:13 GMT -5
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Post by paulshiroma on Nov 6, 2012 20:58:17 GMT -5
This forum is a wealth of information and ideas, thanks guys! Never new about adjustable belts ... pretty cool!
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Nov 6, 2012 21:16:16 GMT -5
it's been fun watching the progress on this project and its looking great, thanks for all the updates.
I thought that blade looked more like a hardware store cement blade in your previous post. Please post how it cuts when you get it up and running. I know those blades at home depot are way cheaper than the lapidary blades (I think around $80 for a 14")
Chuck
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Post by paulshiroma on Nov 6, 2012 23:16:52 GMT -5
Yes, will do, Chuck. I'm planning on getting a blade guard and hood built for it this weekend so I can give it a test drive on Sunday. I agree with Lynn (previous post) that the blade is probably going to be too thick in the long run and that I'll end up losing a lot of material. But, for the short term, I'll give it a try and post results.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2012 21:26:52 GMT -5
[envious]
Keep it up Paul. Your goal is almost achieved!
[/envy]
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Post by paulshiroma on Nov 7, 2012 23:19:44 GMT -5
;D ;D ;D [envious] Keep it up Paul. Your goal is almost achieved! [/envy]
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