Author Archives: allan
45 Degree Angle Dop
Mike also made me a custom 45 degree angle adapter for cutting and polishing the table on stones. You can read about the issues with the original Omni-e angle dop supplied by Jersey Instruments on this post 45 Degree Angle … Continue reading
120 Index Gear
My friend Mike made me a custom 120 Index Gear for my Omni-e. Jersey Instruments does not make a 120 Index Gear and told me that the gear pitch was too small to manufacture. This index gear is machined from … Continue reading
Resolving the Swing Arm Alignment Problem
Well, this is the way I’ve managed to get rid of the alignment problems between the Base Plate, Swing Arm, Mast and Platen assemblies. A bit extreme, but it definitely gets rid of at least 3 separate intractable alignment issues. … Continue reading
Omni-E Digital Encoder
I’ve just posted an article about the Omni-E Faceting Machine’s digital encoder. I finally got the time and energy to take apart the Omni’s faceting head and encoder and snap some pictures. What did I discover? Nothing that I wasn’t … Continue reading
Omni-E Digital Encoder Disassembly
I’ve opened up the digital encoder used in the Omni-E faceting machine. It’s a US Digital E5 Optical Kit encoder. Click on the link to have a look at the specifications or you can download the E5 specifications in pdf … Continue reading
Faceting Community Loses A Pillar
Jeff Graham, the owner of Faceters.com and a high-profile member of the faceting community passed away on June 20, 2009. While I’ve had my disagreements with Jeff I am profoundly saddened to hear of his passing and wish his family … Continue reading
New – Faceting Rough for Sale
In order to fund my purchase of a new faceting machine to replace the Omni-e, I’m selling off some of my faceting rough collection. Like most rockhounds I have far more material than I’ll ever get around to cutting. I … Continue reading
Measuring Quill Runout
I’ve had a few emails asking the best way to test the runout on your Omni faceting machine quill. I didn’t take any photos when I did it using a standard dial indicator and stand, and I don’t particularly recommend … Continue reading
Omni Digital Encoder Drift
Over the past year and a bit I’ve heard from several people who own Omni-E faceting machines who have trouble with their digital angle readout spontaneously changing degrees without rhyme or reason. I had not experienced that until recently and … Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Digital Inaccuracy
Tagged accuracy, angle readout, digital encoder, precision, repeatability
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My Latest Gem
Well everyone, here’s my latest gem. Weighing in at a monster 19,250 carats (3.85 kg/8.5 lb)! Designed and executed by Celine and Allan, this beauty was finally completed at 10:06 pm Monday March 16, after 41 weeks and 3 days … Continue reading
Posted in Blog
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