Thread: Melbourne Scraping Class Reflections

That's excellent Phil. here's hoping its the big one. Should be about 1100 kgs or so.

Does that mean you'll want out of the group buy?

Greg

No greg, I still want in on the group buy.
I need the practise

Phil

Hi Phil,

Nice score, as Greg says, 6 ft x 4 ft would be the nice one to get. While it sad to see the Uni dropping out of metrology, it's going to a good home.. you should ask them about the "paperweights" as well..

Regards
Ray

Excellent. I want to wrap it up price-wise by Friday,then hope to get all the money the following week and then press the go button.

I am still weighing up the idea of getting an extra and cutting about ten 3' straightedges from it. But that's another story.

Greg

Originally Posted by RayG

Hi Phil,

Nice score, as Greg says, 6 ft x 4 ft would be the nice one to get. While it sad to see the Uni dropping out of metrology, it's going to a good home.. you should ask them about the "paperweights" as well..

Regards
Ray

+1. In fact, you should do a rain dance* in their office until they agree to add the other precision bits. You could make it a provisional loan in case they ever actually do decide to re-embrace metrology. (Chances of that? Less than zero)

On edit* complete with loin cloth, feathered headdress and tomahawk. I have some Mowhawk blood if you need to channel the spirits...

Originally Posted by Greg Q

I am still weighing up the idea of getting an extra and cutting about ten 3' straightedges from it. But that's another story.

Greg

Greg, if you need encouragement, I would be up for one of these, if the price was modest. I'd be surprised if you couldn't easily make your money back, plus some hassle allowance. But I know you're busy so no pressure.

I reckon I could do these for $60 plus cutting fees and shipping Bryan. Your guess is as good as mine about that. (I'm thinking about 50mm wide here to yield ten with the saw kerf. That seems to be about standard for that size tool anyway. I have confirmed with my geophysicist that granite retains no residual stresses, so I'm looking forward to zero detectable movement after cutting, but I WILL verify that with my Talyvel before proceeding too far.

greg

I just realised that these items, if it can be done, can be mailed as they are under 20kgs and 1 M in length. Hmmm.

On edit: I should comment that I would do these, like the plates, on a no-profit basis as a means of furthering our little community of amateur scrapers/overhaulers. Making any profit from our forum members isn't on my radar.
Greg

Hi Greg,
Put me down for one.(though I'm not sure I understand your math)
Having never used one, at around 16kgs would some holes for a lifting slig be a good idea?(though the shars ones that have holes are 6")
"I'm looking forward to zero detectable movement" I've read but can't confirm granite does indeed move when cut or chipped. But thats the optics guys and I think they are talking about the edges. The question is more "does it move enough to worry us?"
Will be interesting anyway.

Stuart

That's Ok Stuart, I'm not sure that I understand my math either. Cutting them 2" wide out of the 24" side would yield 12 with no kerf so I figure ten would be possible. Maybe they'd be too thin? Maybe it would be better to cut a bunch of 24" instead?

Anyway...much water under the bridge before we come to that.

Greg

I would be worried about breakage in transit, whether by AP or otherwise. You would have to crate it and pack it in. That's where the hassle factor could become burdensome. We can burn that bridge when we come to it I guess. Weight reduction/lifting holes would be great, as long as they didn't make it too fragile.

Originally Posted by Greg Q

That's Ok Stuart, I'm not sure that I understand my math either. Cutting them 2" wide out of the 24" side would yield 12 with no kerf so I figure ten would be possible. Maybe they'd be too thin? Maybe it would be better to cut a bunch of 24" instead?

10x$60 = $600? plus cutting fees and shipping.
The thickness doesnt make a lot of sense to me. Why can a 900mm plate be only 4" thick but a straight edge needs to be 6"?(unless the holes are huge). A plate sits on three points and may have 100kg on it, a straight edge only has to support its own weight.
Still if you were lucky and your 36" broke you might end up with 24" and a 12". Knowing my luck I'd end up with 18off 2".
Anyone know someone in the granite cutting field?

...much water jet under the bridge before we come to that.

Stuart

Hello all.
Been reading these forums with interest for a few years and thought I'd better join.

This thread has been interesting as I have quite a few machines which need work and after reading about the knowledge passed on at the scrapefest I'm determined to get to one of those.

Greg I'm responding a bit late here but if you still haven't finalised your surface plate order I'd like to be part of that.

RC the videos you've made sound very interesting, if they have a G or PG rating I'd like to see them. MA is out as I'm neither mature or adult. Coarse language and sex scenes a definite no-no.

Garry

There was another query today too, so I'll ask everyone in the US to bump it by two, but I need to cut it off at some point so as of now please consider the group buy closed. Maybe next year someone else can do it again after the next scraping class. Plus there will be a couple of smaller plates for sale as people trade up. I'll be selling my Czech pink plate when the larger ones arrive for example.

Greg

Greg,
I would be interested in a granite "slice" straightedge - when you get to it.
Granite is generally sawn with "untoothed" sawblades using a flood of abrasive or hardened steel shot. The kerf is significant. You may want to talk to a monumental mason to find out where they get their tombstnes cut - they may even do it themselves. I've seen it done at a quarry on Mt Alexander.
Edit: my son just informed me that he saw a more recent machine which he described as a bandsaw with a cable that was impregnated with diamond or other abrasive which could cut in all directions.