CompuServe Messages

So far, like a dummy I cranked everything up and got started without checking the belt alignment. As a result, I'm picking up a new belt tomorrow afternoon. 8-( I did get time to run a chunk of agate across the wheels. Bill said to break the dots on the 1800 grit belt down by about half to run it in. The cabbing arbor is only supported at the motor end bearing. The other end has a small amount of wobble movement so I decided to relocate the grits. Still have the 180 solid wheel next to the motor, but have the belted rubber wheels reversed…ie…next away from the motor is 1800, then 600 and last 220. Worked on a couple of tiger eye cabs. Had a lot of trouble with flat spots and something I'll call overcutting? Meaning I need to get the stone off the wheel quicker, especially working the edges. Diamond cuts fast! Maybe after a few more stones it will slow down a little. I still got OK results by going to hand finish sanding before polish. I can tell I need to do a lot of experimenting with various speeds and methods of contacting the wheels with the rough. Brief touches vs constant contact…gentle vs firm pressure…fast vs slow wheel speed. Bill recommended around 600-800 RPM and firm pressure especially on the finer grits. I ran it slower (maybe 300-400 RPM) and started to get fairly smooth curves with firm pressure on 600 grit. Still not there yet. to be continued… -Russ