Your videos have been SO helpful getting started. I love the term 'overcheated' and checking your cheat like the safety on a firearm, lol. This was a very timely video for me with great advice. Thanks again, cheers!
Ultra Tec is really easy to set the cheater on: Use the tool that looks like a dop stuck in the middle of a little dumbbell Seat that very carefully in the quill against the roll-pin. Key it in carefully! You can use most any angle, but something close to 45 is usually easy to work with. Mount a master lap on the platen. DO NOT USE a cutting or polish lap. A cutting lap will damage your tool, and the tool may contaminate your polish lap. Use the right tool for the job, here - a master lap. If you don't have one then buy one. It's necessary equipment and not expensive. I have really good ones on my site... Put your cheater in the CENTER zero position (not just any position with the pointer on zero, but the centered position). Check this is so. Set the index gear to the ID notch. Loosen the set screw that holds the index gear, so the quill can turn separately from the gear. Test this by turning the quill. Carefully wipe the master lap and the dumbbell tool to insure no debris are between that could damage either item. Bring the head down so the little dumbbell tool FULLY rests on the master lap - and in the position where you intend to cut (should be 4-5 o-clock, not 3). Put gentle pressure in the center of the dumbbell with your index finger so that it sits firmly and flatly against the lap - one lobe of the dumbbell on each side of your finger. While holding that pressure, use the other hand to gently tighten the set screw in the index gear. Test to insure the quill doesn't rotate inside the index gear - that it's snug enough. You're done. The next dop you carefully key into the quill will have a well-zeroed cheater to work from. Obviously, if you did this process between cutting a pavilion and a crown, you would have to cheat to get the crown aligned. Best do this before you begin a new stone or set of stones. If you have any issues following this instructions let me know. If you remind me, during the next live training event I'll shoot a video of this process exactly as I teach it in the Faceting Academy course and post it here. Meantime, happy cutting!
John Bailey WOW I didn't expect a reply that quickly many thanks. I do have a master lap but do not have the dumbbell you mentioned. Can I use my 45 adapter that is used when cutting the table? Not sure what you mean by the id notch? I and hopefully some other faceters would really appreciate if you would do a video on this as a picture/video is as they say worth a million words. I live in London, Ontario which unfortunately is a long way from you, otherwise it would be great to come. Again - thank you. Don
I just happened to catch the notice of your question. You can NOT use the table adapter because it doesn't use the keying system. You *need* that little aligner tool. Shoot me a message on the web site and I'll get you a price for it. It's a necessary piece of the kit. You can NOT align the index gear without it. The ID notch is the notch in any index gear that tells you which gear it is - e.g. on a 96 gear, it's the 96 notch - the notch that IDENTIFIES which gear it is. Hence, the "ID notch". I'll do a video of this process during the next Academy, and post it up. As far as being "a long way", we regularly host students from places like Hong Kong, Taipei, Chile, and Lagos. So, Ontario is just a short hop! Hope these extra comments help.
Depends on the material you're cutting, and how much cutting you're doing. If you're doing huge amounts of cutting almost anything - industrial type workspace - you may want to consistently wear breathing protection. If you allow the swarf to dry out in your work space, you need breathing protection to be in the work space at all. (Always clean everything very well while still wet.) If the material you're cutting is known hazardous, you should wear protection.
Thanks John and Ross In the past I haven't been very careful with cleaning my work area. I had not really thought about the many ways contamination can occur. I just recently purchased a batt lap for 3000 prepolish and darkside for polish so I am definitely going to keep my work area clean. My wife and I spent a few days in Montana visiting a couple of sapphire mines and we brought home some nice stones. I am looking forward to cutting them this winter when my real job slows down. Thanks Rick
Your videos have been SO helpful getting started. I love the term 'overcheated' and checking your cheat like the safety on a firearm, lol. This was a very timely video for me with great advice. Thanks again, cheers!
Thank you for the kind remarks. Glad you found this helpful. If you have questions feel free to ask. I'm making new videos often.
Love your videos. How do you set the zero on an UltraTec? Should I start by following your video on zeroing the rifle?
Ultra Tec is really easy to set the cheater on:
Use the tool that looks like a dop stuck in the middle of a little dumbbell
Seat that very carefully in the quill against the roll-pin. Key it in carefully!
You can use most any angle, but something close to 45 is usually easy to work with.
Mount a master lap on the platen. DO NOT USE a cutting or polish lap. A cutting lap will damage your tool, and the tool may contaminate your polish lap. Use the right tool for the job, here - a master lap. If you don't have one then buy one. It's necessary equipment and not expensive. I have really good ones on my site...
Put your cheater in the CENTER zero position (not just any position with the pointer on zero, but the centered position). Check this is so.
Set the index gear to the ID notch.
Loosen the set screw that holds the index gear, so the quill can turn separately from the gear. Test this by turning the quill.
Carefully wipe the master lap and the dumbbell tool to insure no debris are between that could damage either item.
Bring the head down so the little dumbbell tool FULLY rests on the master lap - and in the position where you intend to cut (should be 4-5 o-clock, not 3).
Put gentle pressure in the center of the dumbbell with your index finger so that it sits firmly and flatly against the lap - one lobe of the dumbbell on each side of your finger.
While holding that pressure, use the other hand to gently tighten the set screw in the index gear.
Test to insure the quill doesn't rotate inside the index gear - that it's snug enough.
You're done.
The next dop you carefully key into the quill will have a well-zeroed cheater to work from.
Obviously, if you did this process between cutting a pavilion and a crown, you would have to cheat to get the crown aligned. Best do this before you begin a new stone or set of stones.
If you have any issues following this instructions let me know.
If you remind me, during the next live training event I'll shoot a video of this process exactly as I teach it in the Faceting Academy course and post it here.
Meantime, happy cutting!
John Bailey
WOW I didn't expect a reply that quickly many thanks. I do have a master lap but do not have the dumbbell you mentioned. Can I use my 45 adapter that is used when cutting the table? Not sure what you mean by the id notch?
I and hopefully some other faceters would really appreciate if you would do a video on this as a picture/video is as they say worth a million words. I live in London, Ontario which unfortunately is a long way from you, otherwise it would be great to come. Again - thank you.
Don
I just happened to catch the notice of your question.
You can NOT use the table adapter because it doesn't use the keying system.
You *need* that little aligner tool. Shoot me a message on the web site and I'll get you a price for it. It's a necessary piece of the kit. You can NOT align the index gear without it.
The ID notch is the notch in any index gear that tells you which gear it is - e.g. on a 96 gear, it's the 96 notch - the notch that IDENTIFIES which gear it is. Hence, the "ID notch".
I'll do a video of this process during the next Academy, and post it up.
As far as being "a long way", we regularly host students from places like Hong Kong, Taipei, Chile, and Lagos. So, Ontario is just a short hop!
Hope these extra comments help.
Do I need to wear a respirator when cutting with water and or oil?
Depends on the material you're cutting, and how much cutting you're doing.
If you're doing huge amounts of cutting almost anything - industrial type workspace - you may want to consistently wear breathing protection.
If you allow the swarf to dry out in your work space, you need breathing protection to be in the work space at all. (Always clean everything very well while still wet.)
If the material you're cutting is known hazardous, you should wear protection.
Great advice!
Thanks John and Ross In the past I haven't been very careful with cleaning my work area. I had not really thought about the many ways contamination can occur. I just recently purchased a batt lap for 3000 prepolish and darkside for polish so I am definitely going to keep my work area clean. My wife and I spent a few days in Montana visiting a couple of sapphire mines and we brought home some nice stones. I am looking forward to cutting them this winter when my real job slows down. Thanks Rick
please make vedio fantsy machine concave
Love the chilli reference, lol.
Hi, Nicholas. Thanks for the shout! Glad you liked it.