carver
starting to shine!
Member since November 2019
Posts: 36
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Post by carver on Nov 12, 2019 15:21:45 GMT -5
I am thinking of buying an Ameritool 8" flat lap as they currently have a $100 off sale going on on their website so its 459+shipping. I was originally going to make my own but I'm leaning toward buying one instead since the savings would likely only be around $200. Can I put a regular stainless steel/aluminum master lap on it and then attach generic diamond disks or do I have to purchase theirs? Also has anyone put magnetic discs on this flat lap? I have always used my old Highland Park 6" wheel set up but want to start doing intarsia so need something that can get the surfaces flat. Does the Ameritool chatter much or is there a better middle attachment to avoid the chatter as I saw some videos showing its not perfectly smooth? Can you push into it hard or do you have to worry about bending the shaft or warping the plates. I am not dead set on Ameritool or buying new so if someone has a different suggestion I would love to hear it as I have never used a flat lap before.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Nov 12, 2019 19:23:56 GMT -5
I have a Hi-Tech, but I've heard from people who do have the Ameritool that it is a good machine. That being said, if you are going to use it just for intarsia work, then I suggest you take a look at this specialized grinder specifically for intarsia:
If you search intarsia on the forum, you'll get some more information on these.
To answer your question about laps, yes you can use a master lap on the Ameritool, but I would use an aluminum one, not a steel one. A steel master lap is pretty heavy and I don't know whether it would bog the grinder down or not. I use an aluminum master with diamond toppers. The resin discs that are used for cabbing with these machines would not give you the perfectly flat surfaces you need for intarsia. They're great for cabbing, though.
Hope that helps.
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Post by rockjunquie on Nov 12, 2019 20:01:38 GMT -5
I have the Ameritool 8", but my son has used it more than I have. I can tell you, I used the acrylic master with the colored diamond toppers. But, the hard coarse plates are aluminum.
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victor1941
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2011
Posts: 1,978
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Post by victor1941 on Nov 12, 2019 21:43:15 GMT -5
I have used the Ameritool 8" flat lap for 5+ years with toppers on an aluminum master with heavy use and no problems. My machine did support the the heavy steel master lap. I purchased and wore out a 36 grit 8" plate that I purchased from the 'Jade Carver" on clearance and was warned to check for proper spin since some machines would not support the weight. This heavy disc also takes forever to stop when turned off. I also buy my disc from "The Jade Carver" and have not had chatter on the flat cabs that I occasionally make.
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carver
starting to shine!
Member since November 2019
Posts: 36
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Post by carver on Nov 14, 2019 0:00:39 GMT -5
I have used the Ameritool 8" flat lap for 5+ years with toppers on an aluminum master with heavy use and no problems. My machine did support the the heavy steel master lap. I purchased and wore out a 36 grit 8" plate that I purchased from the 'Jade Carver" on clearance and was warned to check for proper spin since some machines would not support the weight. This heavy disc also takes forever to stop when turned off. I also buy my disc from "The Jade Carver" and have not had chatter on the flat cabs that I occasionally make. Thanks everyone for the advice. Does anyone know if you can use the full disc magnetic tops for this for this or does the center axel stick up too much to allow for a flat top.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Nov 14, 2019 9:12:27 GMT -5
I don't think you'd be able to use a magnetic lap on it. You'd have to put a hole in the center of it.
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victor1941
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2011
Posts: 1,978
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Post by victor1941 on Nov 14, 2019 22:45:36 GMT -5
Carver, Johnson Lapidary sells screw on "back plates" that take magnetic discs and are listed with the Nova machine products. I have one that I purchased some time ago from Kingsley North Lap that is 8" but looked today and didn't see it listed online.
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Post by Rockoonz on Nov 15, 2019 0:22:52 GMT -5
I suggest you get it with the acrylic lap bases and stick with using them, if it's what you choose. Personally, I think a horizontal lap is better with a belt drive instead of direct drive.
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carver
starting to shine!
Member since November 2019
Posts: 36
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Post by carver on Nov 15, 2019 4:38:01 GMT -5
thanks for the suggestion on the back screw plate. I was looking at those as well.
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carver
starting to shine!
Member since November 2019
Posts: 36
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Post by carver on Nov 15, 2019 4:43:25 GMT -5
I suggest you get it with the acrylic lap bases and stick with using them, if it's what you choose. Personally, I think a horizontal lap is better with a belt drive instead of direct drive. I am curious why you like the belt drive rather than direct drive for flat lap? I could certainly make a nice flat lap for the $500 I'm paying for the Ameritool one.
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Post by Rockoonz on Nov 15, 2019 12:15:34 GMT -5
I suggest you get it with the acrylic lap bases and stick with using them, if it's what you choose. Personally, I think a horizontal lap is better with a belt drive instead of direct drive. I am curious why you like the belt drive rather than direct drive for flat lap? I could certainly make a nice flat lap for the $500 I'm paying for the Ameritool one. Direct drive laps depend on the motor bearings to support the lap and can potentially leak water directly into the motor. The possible downside is that finding a decent, and affordable variable speed motor to drive it seems to be difficult, if the speed control is important to you. Lack of speed control is the biggest complaint I have with my Al Sesona vertical lap. My horizontal machine is an older Graves Mk1 faceting machine, it does everything I want to plus it will facet stones if I ever decide that's what I want to do.
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