Thanks for the photos. But maybe I'm not seeing exactly how this works.

After thinking about this I considered the possibility of a "stop" that would limit the depth of the cut.
It would need the following requirements:

1. The "stop" needs to be the depth of the groove past the outer edge of the blade.
So for example if you want a 1mm deep groove the stop needs to be 1mm past the outer edge of the blade.

2. Also the stop has to be on the vertical not the horizontal surface.

The problem is that this scenario probably only works for perfectly round cabs since an oval cab (for example) will present different cut depths as you turn the cab on the stop.

So if this is true then the depth must still be done by feel and hand. The idea is still awesome though because it gives a consistent parallel groove that encircles the cab perimeter.

If I'm missing something please post explanation.

Is this unit made out of metal or plastic? Maybe a dumb question but it doesn't say in the auction.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

:o)

Um why not just buy a new wheel or use a coarser grit wheel?

You can get the thin stick on flat laps for cheap.
These go onto a master lap which is also relatively inexpensive.

I would go with Covington. Separate 6 inch trim saw and their 4 wheel combo unit.

Why? Because that's what I have and they work.

 

Yes I did get the website warning that this topic is old.

The reason you cut the groove in a middle stage of grinding is because the grooving frequently can cause tiny chipping to occur. This chipping is then removed at the medium grind step. Grooving at prepolish or after really makes no sense.

I like your method because it gives you a straight edge to keep the groove consistent. The method I used years ago was to gently clamp my Foredom handpiece to my table with Vise-Grips and groove on this by hand. I would mark the groove line before grinding with a fine marker.

The only possible downside of your method is going too deep since you are using a trim saw blade. If you could devise a depth stop that works with your straight edge you would be pure gold.

I used to do work on my van years ago and the only way I could get bearings out was to use a bearing/bushing puller. This is a claw looking tool that allows you to force out bushings or bearings slowly and evenly. As mentioned above if there is a snap ring you will need a pair of special snap-ring pliers to get this off.

Beyond that I would say take your assembly to a machine shop.

Yes I have one of these also but don't use it as much. The design sometimes seems awkward to clamp to certain sizes of rough.

It is an interesting design but I could see how the manufacture would be more problematic than the designs I mentioned above.

Sometimes simpler is better.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/231770712280?euid=b247be19f9b54baa9075d0e336f4a2b4&cp=1&exe=13453&ext=34391&sojTags=exe=exe,ext=ext

Note: I own 2 of these (the large and small) but I'm not related to the seller or getting anything out of posting this link.

I have this clamp and just recently trimmed it down from the top by 1.75 inches. It was slightly too tall to work in my 16 inch Covington slab saw. It was hitting on the interior blade splash guard. Note: To do this I cut the outer rods from the top and cut the middle threaded rod from the bottom since the middle rod has a welded nut on top.

The small version (which he had a few days ago but not on eBay now) is perfect for smaller end cuts and works well in my Lortone LS-10 slab saw.

Prices seem (as my memory serves) a bit more expensive than last time but these clamps are the best ever made IMO.

How much did you guys get out? Was it worth the $100?

Nice slab. I'm a sucker for purple and red agates.

 

"The definition of nephrite is even more controversial. Mineralogy texts have traditionally listed nephrite as a variety of actinolite, a monoclinic member of the amphibole group. As in the case of jadeite, however, actinolite is very closely related chemically and structurally to other members of its group. Actinolite [Ca(Mg,Fe),(SiO,),] is so closely related to tremolite [CaMg, (SiO,),] that their optical and physical properties may be indistinguishable. The magnesium in tremolite is commonly replaced by iron, and the two minerals do, in fact, grade into one another. The color of the material. however. indicates the amount of iron present: the iron in actinolite imparts a green to grayish-green color, whereas the iron-poor tremolite is normally white to gray. The fact that nephrite is, in reality, a variety of two mineral species recently led the International Mineralogical Association (I.M.A.) to discredit nephrite as a valid mineralogical variety."

Source: THE JADE ENIGMA By: Jill M. Hobbs

"Although nephrite has been "discredited" so far as referring to any known mineral species by the CNMMN [Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names] of the IMA [International Mineralogical Association], it seems likely that it will persist in the world of gemology."

Source: http://www.dolphingems.com/Completeview.aspx?code=Nephrite_Jade&cat=Gemstones&subcat=Stones

And here is the International Mineralogical Association website with complete list of minerals:

http://nrmima.nrm.se/

So this supports my earlier contention about "nephrite" in agreement with Glen Laidlaw:

 "It is a GENERAL descriptive term"

Glenn Laidlaw (wrminerals) Wind River Minerals
Glenn Laidlaw (quoted above) has 35 years of experience with Wyoming minerals and had some Edwards Black Jade analyzed on two separate occasions.

A faceting machine works well also. But if you don't have a faceting machine then the Graves is a good choice. For example:

I gotta be honest I'm not really seeing why this new material is receiving so much attention. Perhaps it's because I like the lavender to blue colors much more than the greens.

There really isn't anything new here so unless this changes my posts stand.

Agree or disagree, anyone who views this discussion carefully and does the research can make their own choices on how to proceed when buying, selling or working with these various jades.

I hope this post qualifies as civil.