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[Craigab]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone into intarsia has used the FAB-U-LAP.  From what I read it uses some kind of cams to make perfect fits between pieces.  If anyone used it or knows how it works I'd love to hear.  There is one on ebay currently I am considering buying as I read it makes intarsia very easy.  I may try making something similar too if I can understand how it works.  Its my understanding this piece is used to make very complex intarsia pictures/artwork rather then the simpler geometric designs and it somehow make precision fitting of the curved designs easier.  I'm guessing it uses one piece as a cam and then somehow traces that and cuts the other piece to match.  I have no idea how the rotating shaft would accomplish this. 

[Felicia]

Any missing pieces?

[Slabbercabber]

I've never seen one but I'll stick my neck out anyway.  It looks like there is a straight sanding drum that oscillates up and down against an edge of your slab.  That would assure a vertical straight edge.  I don't see any way it could match curved edges.

[irockhound]

Even the name sort of infers flat surface.  I have thought about something like modifying a pantograph.

[Craigab]

I've never seen one but I'll stick my neck out anyway.  It looks like there is a straight sanding drum that oscillates up and down against an edge of your slab.  That would assure a vertical straight edge.  I don't see any way it could match curved edges.

It definently does curved edges. I read about in on American Masters of Stone which was a website that specialized in intarsia artwork/pictures. Conrad Grundke mentioned it as one way to more easily precision match intarsia curved pieces together. It uses some kind of cam. The 2 clamps appear to be at slightly different heights.  I don’t think it’s missing any parts because another one that sold had the same design unless it’s the same one being resold. It’s weird there is so much space between the motor and the clamps.

[Slabbercabber]

Found this explanation on Worthpoint.
"This is the only way to go for intarsia and inlays. get perfect fits with this lap that runs up and down on a cam and as you slowly feed the pieces together with a grit drip they get fitted together perfectly. This was invented and patented by a rock hound in southern caliornia." 
So you cut them to close and then put both in the machine.

[Craigab]

Found this explanation on Worthpoint.
"This is the only way to go for intarsia and inlays. get perfect fits with this lap that runs up and down on a cam and as you slowly feed the pieces together with a grit drip they get fitted together perfectly. This was invented and patented by a rock hound in southern caliornia." 
So you cut them to close and then put both in the machine.

Thank you for finding this.  With that said, I'm still not sure how it works or even how its done. I'm really not sure how a lap would fit in the equation. I'm going to try to locate the patent and see if I can find more info.  Thanks

[irockhound]

My brain after hearing the explanation thought how it would work and most of the ideas seemed wrong,  so I am looking forward to seeing how this things functions.  However it works, if it does what they say, then you found an awesome machine for the intarsia.

[lithicbeads]

I've seen it in use . Slabber cabber is correct I believe.

[irockhound]

Okay I think I have the way it works now.  Am I correct that one vise holds a stationary piece (lets say the positive half moon) and the other vice holds the negative half moon.  You align them manually so they fit as snugly as possible thus exposing the small deviations in the fit.  The moving half on the other vice moves via the cam and the grit slowly eliminates any high spots that are point of first contact, slowly giving you a perfect fit?  So this can only do compound curves if they are parallel with the other vice and any compound that moved away from that parallel would have to be re-positioned and ground again?

[Craigab]

I honestly have no idea.  I guess I'm not mechanically inclined enough to understand.

[Felicia]

I looked it up, too, out of curiosity. That sounds like what they were describing.

[lithicbeads]

When I saw one used it was deadly slow , rubbing pieces together.

[Craigab]

When I saw one used it was deadly slow , rubbing pieces together.

Would you mind describing how it works. I am very interested in it but have not seen it in use and could not figure out how it works.

[R.U. Sirius]

Is this correct, then? You prepare two pieces by trimming and griding to achieve as good a fit as you can by hand, then move to this machine. One piece is fixed. The other piece oscillates up and down, so two edges rub against each other while abrasive slurry is delivered through a drip. Imperfections (high points) along these mating edges then wear down until a "perfect" fit is achieved.