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[JHC210]

Bear with me as I am new to this hobby and the forum.  I picked up some sowbelly agate in Creede last month and now have the urge to cut/create slabs of beauty.  I purchased a 10" HF (Diamondback) tile saw and cut a few practice slabs.  Still looking for a thinner blade but what I would like to get is a flat lap for polishing.  I only plan on slabs, maybe 3" - 5" in length.  I have a read a few reviews on a Covington MaxiLap 10", Diamond Pacific 8RL, a Hi-Tech 8" and an Ameritool 8".  I feel one of these would be good for my budding hobby.  The 8RL is nice.  I like the magnetic discs but they come at a steep price.  I looked at Covingtons but they appear to be backordered.  Any advice/suggestions would be appreciated.

John....

[lithicbeads]

What you are going to try is a bit more complicated than folks think.I have used hi -tec machines for years and have no complaints  but my machines are older ones.Both hi tec and Ameritool pads seem fine but  there is a learning curve as it is not as straight forward as people think.

[JHC210]

What do you recommend?  I want to polish small slabs of agate and other rocks I cut.

[R.U. Sirius]

If you slab by hand, as opposed to using a slab saw with a vise and feed mechanism, you will inevitably end up with saw marks and other imperfections. These may take a long time to disappear on the flat lap before you can move on to smoothing and polishing. Be prepared to spend time at the first rough stage.

If you buy already slabbed material, you will be able yo enjoy polishing more.

Be careful not to gauge your laps with sharp edges of slabs. I like to gently bevel them at the rough stage, and be mindful not to apply too much pressure at the leading edge where disc meets the stone. Better to lean the other way, and slowly rotate the stone to ensure even action across the surface.

[JHC210]

Thanks for the guidance.  Any suggestions on a flat lap?

[lithicbeads]

Lapidary machines typically are looked at as profit centers so the quality of a given model of machine will vary over time as different factories make the machine. Often quality goes down  even with the very top machines.Covington has an odd reputation at this point as the quality of their slab saws is not held in high esteem. You can search for complaints about the machines you are considering as new machines may not be the ame quality of the same model built a few years before.I would try hi-tec and would absolutely forget  magnetic laps as it will really hurt when you make inevitable beginner mistakes and screw them up.