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Author Topic: Covington 10" auto feed Trim/slab saw  (Read 1786 times)

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gs

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Covington 10" auto feed Trim/slab saw
« on: April 08, 2020, 04:57:48 PM »

Hi Folk's,
I am looking for a auto feed 10 inch slab/trim saw. I have been told the Covington is really good. Anybody have experience with this, or know of another.
Thanks in advance
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Craigab

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Re: Covington 10" auto feed Trim/slab saw
« Reply #1 on: April 11, 2020, 09:39:36 PM »

I have the 8" old variety which is the same as the 10" except for the blade guard and blade slot size.  The old ones are supposedly better then the new ones as the new ones poor oil everywhere.  I picked mine up on a fluke from a neighbor that was selling it for 50 dollars. Weird coincidence as I live in the absolutely last neighborhood you would ever expect to find someone into lapidary.  I would not pay full price for a new covington.  I bought a BD-10 which was supposedly good but I find it poorly designed.  If you can get one of the old covingtons that have the rail up high it might be good but I found the powerfeed overheats quite a bit.  If you get it used for a few hundred its a no brainer but don't even think about spending a grand on it.  The vintage Lortone LS-10 is the style I would prefer if I were buying again.  Raytechs are nice too as you can remove a plastic liner to clean it super easy.  You have no idea how much hassle it is cleaning the BD-10 with that stupid hinge that is there for absolutely no reason.  The BD 10 was clearly designed by someone that has never cut lapidary before, there are several things that just make absolutely no sense at all about it.  Mainly the placement of the blade in the center rather then off center.  As a result, there is so much wasted space on the left and so little space on the side with the vice. It does not bolt down the table to the base but instead uses a hinge which does not keep alignment so its very difficult aligning it each time so the vice runs Farrell to the blade which is necessary to not jam if using a powered.  Keep in mind the tank is so small so has to be cleaned after every use.  The BD10 could have been great but they dropped the ball on a few important things and destroyed it.  The covington is very similar to the BD10.  I would stay clear of either if paying full price.  Used they are fine if your paying 500 or under.  Also build a top for the covington to save your lungs from the silica dust since they are uncovered and cause serious damage to your lungs as I have personally experienced from very limited exposure.  P100 respirators are cheap, pick one up
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Slabbercabber

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Re: Covington 10" auto feed Trim/slab saw
« Reply #2 on: April 12, 2020, 05:23:52 AM »

The Raytech has all the same problems plus the plastic tray that is so easy to clean only holds enough oil for a few cuts before it is so messed up it has to be changed.  There is no place for the sludge to settle out so you just spend all your time changing the oil instead of cutting.
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irockhound

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Re: Covington 10" auto feed Trim/slab saw
« Reply #3 on: April 12, 2020, 06:42:58 PM »

I had the same issue with the bd 10 and the vise.  I finally took to brass wire and layer it down under the vise parallel to the blade the full length of the table.  The vise runs so much smoother than when it had the friction of the table.  I rarely use it because of it's design.  My main 10" is an old Lortone Ls-10 which I love!  I wish Lortone still produced it.  However because of the enclosure it does not work as a trim unit but for small nodules and thin seam material it is great for a small slab saw.
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gs

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Re: Covington 10" auto feed Trim/slab saw
« Reply #4 on: April 15, 2020, 04:10:11 AM »

Thank you for the feedback folks. I will continue my search. Not much used stuff for sale up here in Canada, so will keep my eyes open. I have been recommended to check out the Lortone TS10. It is a manual feed but could easily be converted to a gravity feed i am told. Thing i don,t like is the vise. There doesn,t seem to be a crossfeed adjustment only a butterfly screw which you loosen and then manually slide the vise across for the next cut. Looks like it might be difficult to set the thickness accurately. The search continues, thanks again for takig the time to respond...cheer,s
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