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[Downwindtracker2]

Sometimes you are so lost you don't even know how to phrase the question. I need some recommendations . The club has rented a basement at a community hall for a shop and I'm setting up it up. Others help but I guess I'm leading. My wife is the rockhound, I'm not. But I am a retired millwright and machinery set up is what I did.

For now, I'm setting up six arbors. Five are 6" Loratone doubles and one 6" Mercury triple. The Loratones were set up with a 100grit diamond wheel, an expando , and  6" disc on the diamond wheel end. The 6" Mercury had a 220 grinding stone as well. My wife has suggested setting it up so you don't have to change belts. Do they have diamond belts ? What about the discs ? THX

[Slabbercabber]

You can buy neoprene backed diamond belts cheap from Han's lapidary.  In my experience they outlast far more expensive belts with cloth backing.  They are also stiff enough to put a 3" belt on a 2" wheel.  I set up my shop with an 80-100 sintered wheel then a 400 plated wheel.  After that are three more arbors with progressively finer diamond belts running from 100 to 15,000 grit.  That eliminates belt changing entirely.

[lithicbeads]

For the end of the arbor you can usually use sin ons. 1200 grit pad without rubber backing is a very efficient use of one end. After the pad is broken in it does wonders getting a prepolish on problem stone. One grit coarse if you have a second spin on placement. Spritz bottle is all the water you need.