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[Orbs777]

Hello everybody,

I had a question about putting together 8 inch hard wheel sequence.

I was thinking about 80, 180 and 220?  Also, what do you guys think about nova wheels vs diamond belts for expanding drums?

Thank you for any input you can provide. It all sounds good but what the most use for the money. 

[lithicbeads]

80 and 220 are fine by themselves. Belts on expando drum tend to be rougher on the bod as they are never exactly round so they bounce a bit. Nova wheels are such high quality and they have no slice joint so they are very smooth and a joy to use. Bouncing may not seem to be a big issue but my hands are worn out and a smooth wheel is important to keep my thumb and finger joints from aching while cutting. Just because the expando does not hurt your hands doesn't mean that it is not putting a lot of little shocks into your hand joints, these add up. I have worn out many expando drums over the years so I am not against expandos but I now use them judiciously.

[ToTheSummit]

80 and 220 are all you need for the hard wheels.  The 180 step in between is no benefit.  When I built my custom machine I just bought a set of wheels that goes to a Diamond Pacific Titan.  See here...
http://www.jsgemslapidary.com/titan-wheel-set/

Six 8" wheels
Hard 80, 220
Soft 280, 600, 1200, 3000

I love the Nova wheels, but I have never used expandos so I am not one to make comparisons between them.  The 8" set of wheels seemed like a big investment when I made it, but I've been running them for over 2 years and still going strong.  I don't cut as heavily as some folks so my wheels will probably will last a bit longer than some other people, but regardless I think they are a great investment.

[lithicbeads]

 That is my main sequence also. As I cut  a lot at times I have a second machine with an expando and 600, 1200, 8,000 , 14,000 and 50,000 nova wheels. A lot of the unusual stones I like have to be cut with fine grits as they are soft but the titan sequence is a great one.

[hummingbirdstones]

Also our main sequence on our Genies.

[Orbs777]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate all the info.  Do the hard wheels 80 and 220 grit normally get replaced the same time or does on usually wear faster than the other?  I am excited to get to work. Looking at a new Titan was very scary, in terms of cost.

[lithicbeads]

The 220 typically lasts about twice as long.I must say that the wheel Ifeel lost without is the hard 600 wheel. A machine is down at the moment but I love the hard 600 for getting those nasty deep scratches and flat spots out , not that I ever screw up and have deep scratches and flat spots.

[Phishisgroovin]

all my wheels are too close to each other, ruined a nice cab yesterday hitting the 100 when i was on the 150
turned off machine and walked away to watch hydroplane races.

[ToTheSummit]

When I use the Cab King machines at the club shop I am always at a loss how anyone can work with the wheels so close together all the time.  I built my custom machine with a few inches of space between each wheel, and even that feels close at times.

[Orbs777]

I agree, what arbor manufacture did you use?

[ToTheSummit]

I didn't buy an arbor.  I used a 1" acme threaded rod that is 3 feet long to mount the wheels on.  Its a pretty complex machine.  Has a 14" slab saw, 8" trim saw and the wheels all in one unit and runs off a single 5HP motor.  I nicknamed it 'Frankenstone'.

[Orbs777]

I like the name.  Now a perfect time to show us Frakenstone.

[ToTheSummit]

When I was building the machine I had a thread dedicated to it, but that was at another forum (I hadn't come to this forum yet).  However, you are welcome to browse through my photos of the project if you like.  Here is a link to the album containing the pictures at photobucket (and don't miss all the sub-folders in there also).

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/ToTheSummit/library/FRANKENSTONE?sort=6&page=1

[MrsWTownsend]

When I was building the machine I had a thread dedicated to it, but that was at another forum (I hadn't come to this forum yet).  However, you are welcome to browse through my photos of the project if you like.  Here is a link to the album containing the pictures at photobucket (and don't miss all the sub-folders in there also).

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/ToTheSummit/library/FRANKENSTONE?sort=6&page=1

I had forgotten about Frankenstone! 

[Rustycat]

When I was building the machine I had a thread dedicated to it, but that was at another forum (I hadn't come to this forum yet).  However, you are welcome to browse through my photos of the project if you like.  Here is a link to the album containing the pictures at photobucket (and don't miss all the sub-folders in there also).

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/ToTheSummit/library/FRANKENSTONE?sort=6&page=1

I must say I like your whole project, especially the idler wheel set up.  My only question is whether or not all that stainless makes a lot of noise when the 5 hp driven Frankenstone is up and running?  Franktastic build!

[Slabbercabber]

Wow, five hp.  And I thought I was into overkill.

[bobby1]

I made this machine 25 years ago out of stainless steel and it has seen hard usage ever since. Currently, it has a medium worn 100 grit on the right and a well worn 100 grit to the left of it. Next up is a 3" wide expando wheel. Above all of this is a selection of belts from 60 grit through 300 grit. I do 95% of my work on this and about 5% on some of the wheels on a 6" Geni. When I built the machine I designed it with the wheels rather far apart so I could do very large cabs. So far a 6" oval cab is my largest. The smallest cab I have done is a 1/8" round one so the machine is very versatile. My usual steps are rough grind on the right-hand wheel, fine grind on the other and then to a worn 100 grit belt for the first sand. Next 220 sand, 400 sand on a well worn belt and then to my slow turning carpet covered wheel with cerium oxide for the polish.
Bob

[Jhon P]

My FranTom I have 60, 220, and 320 hard wheels.
I seldom use the 320 but when I do I am glad I have it
I have 3, 8” lortone two wheel arbors with 3” wide expandable drums. They all have plenty of room between the wheels. Gives me lots of room to work. It comes in handy when doing knifes. This set up is what I like but may not be good for others