Wollemi Machines 6" Flat Lap, Version 3.

No Power Supply Kit

NOTE: This kit doesn't include a power supply so that you can buy one with the correct local plug. You can also buy the standard kit with the included power supply and just use a travel plug adapter. This will work anywhere in the world. 

If you would like to buy your own power supply with a local plug, info is below. It's quite simple to find the right supply and having the correct regional plug willl make life easier for use and resale.

6" Flat Lap V3

How does it compare with V2.2?

What's Included:

• 6" V3 Flat Lap Machine
  
• Water Tower
• Dripper
• Splash Guard Extender
• Velcro Arbor Plate
• 2 x 12.7mm (1/2 inch) quick change disc arbors
• 1 x 600 Grit soft disc
• 1 x 3000 Grit soft disc
• 1 x Buffing disc
• 4 x Vibration Control Feet
• 4 x Water Tower Feet

What's not included:

Diamond Hard Discs - the specification for these is: 6 inch flat lap discs with a 12.7mm (or half inch) bore. Recommended grits are 240 and 600. An example of what these look like is shown below, and they can be easily found on ebay or amazon by searching "6 inch flat lap disc". The reason these aren't included is because they're quite heavy and easily found anywhere in the world, so rather than sell them to you for a higher price and having to charge more for shipping, its cheaper to purchase them directly.

Power Supply - There's two main reasons you could consider buying your own power supply. The first is having a local plug so you don't need a travel adapter, and the second is compliance with local regulations. Although the same units are available internationally, some purchased in the UK won't have the correct certifications markings for your local regulations.

If you would like to buy your own power supply you do this at your own risk. The power supply to look for is a 3v-24v either 3A or 5A adjustable power supply with a 5.5mm barrel plug.  It will look like this:

Some Media:

Roy's Rocks unboxing

Roys Rocks - 5 tips for flat lap beginners.

Expectations Management:

Due to the overwhelmingly positive feedback for my machines, I'm concerned that expectations may exceed the machines capability. Whether that is true, or I'm just too much of a perfectionist, I'm not entirely certain. But it's important to remember there are limitations to any lapidary machine, and to 3d printed parts.

Water:

Lapidary machines aim to guide water and limit water spray. But it's still an inevitably messy ordeal. You should expect to wear an apron with a towel on hand, and with some way to block spray between the machine and anything that doesn't like spray or marks.

You should always stop the dripper before removing discs, and you should never allow the machine to fill up, any amount, at all, ever. You should keep power supplies away from water spray, and water away from the centre circle of the main shroud.

Noise:

The machine is very quiet, but some parts can vibrate together and make noise. If this happens you can fix it with a little bit of blutak, or some tape, or something else just to stop the rattle. But noise is normal, rattling is expect, use some simple common sense fixes if it bothers you.

Longevity:

The goal of these machines was to get people cutting their first stone and to enable you to cut enough profit from the first few stones to pay for a higher quality, more professional machine. A stepping stone so to speak.

3d printed parts aren't as strong as injection moulded plastic parts. But they are easily replaceable with a re-print. The choice of plastic has been made specifically for the machine to operate as best as possible, not necessarily for long term durability. They're not made to be left in the sun, somewhere hot, or constantly wet.

You need to be gentle with parts, if you decide to use a different bottle for the dripper the thread might not be right and if you try to force it, the parts will fail sooner than you'd expect from an injection moulded or metal machine. They're plenty strong enough to do the job, but need to be treated a little more gently.

With that said many machines are now over 2 years old, and some have cut thousands of stones.

Power:

The motor can handle the full power of the power supply for short durations. You should touch the motor every 15 minutes to make sure it's not getting hot. Warm is ok, hot is not. A reasonable threshold is about 40 degrees C. If you press harder at higher power levels, the machine will heat up more quickly. At 12v with mostly gentle cutting you can cut indefinitely.

Vibration:

Spinning parts are likely to vibrate unless they are absolutely balances. It is normal for there to be some vibrations in the machine. If the machine is vibrating such that it is moving about, you need to fix the cause of the vibrations, not just hold the machine down. If you have heavy discs and the machine is vibrating aggressively, slow it down. If you have lighter discs, sometimes speeding it up a little can reduce vibrations. But vibrations are normal to some extend, but if the machine is moving it's time to balance things better.

Safety:

It's a machine that spins a disc that cuts stones. This comes with some safety risks. Use your common sense, and if something doesn't feel safe, stop. Keep the power supply dry. Don't stick your fingers in the discs. Don't leave it running unattended. Be ready to pull the power cable out. Don't be heavy handed. Don't run the discs dry, rock dust can cause silicosis which is serious business. 

If you drop the machine in water, switch it off at the socket. Make sure discs are secure and stay secure, otherwise stop and secure them. Common sense stuff people!

Support:

Please read the (actually very short) terms and conditions. Support and service is entirely discretionary.

Shipping:

Although I try to build machines and send them as quickly as possible, when I'm very busy it can take a little longer. Once a parcel is in the post, you and I have the same information and ability to find out more information, through the tracking code. Shipping, particularly international shipping, can take a long time. Anywhere from 7 days to "who knows". As frustrating as that is, the only thing we can do is exercise patience. 

Sometime items are damaged in transit. Often I'll be able to find someone to print replacement parts in your country, but you may need to some some unscrewing of parts and screwing back together. Sometimes it will only make sense to send parts to you from the UK. Either way I'll do my best for you.