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.
What remains now are issues with the design and manufacture of the Faceting Head, Rack and Pinion, and Mast. At least now I can reliably and repeatably set an angle and index, change laps and come back to almost the exact position I need to be. Before, moving the Swing Arm meant that I’d have to use the Cheater to find the exact alignment again. Tedious and completely unnecessary with an effective design and execution.
How To Eliminate the Swing Arm Alignment Problems of the Omni-E Faceting Machine
hi Allan,
I think it looks great, alligned and youser friendly.
but i hope you continue with the omni base, i learned a lot and i think that it could work!!!! only thing is you have to do everything from scratch!!!!! baseplate, swingarm, mast, faceting head enz,enz,enz
wy not design one we all can be proud of and buy,i think you have the knowhouw (even a wel thoughtout drawing wil do. (so we can copy!))
all the best off luck, Storm.
ps after all of this, i think omni should give a propper one without all these foulds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you showed that your machine whas not made by anny standard and i think that they should do this. not REPLACE just PLACE
Thanks for your comment – I’m glad you are able to learn something on how to correct any problems you may have with your machine. I will continue to post things as I come across them, but as you have guessed I will not be doing much with my swing-arm base in future.
As for creating my own faceting machine – analysing and fixing problems with an existing machine is much easier than designing one, at least in my case. While I toyed with that idea, there are several other faceting machine manufacturers that are creating excellent products. Plus, I don’t need the headache!
I prefer to find a quality machine that is made and supported well by a competent manufacturer. That way I know that the machine I’m buying is going to do what it’s supposed to do, and that if I run into any problems the manufacturer will be there to provide support rather than blame it on the user.
If you are interested in a good do-it-yourself design, I suggest you take a look at Jon Rolfe’s freely-available design (for personal use) at Gearloose.com – Revision H. He also has a Delrin-based design at Gearloose.com – Revision J.
I have not built either of these machines – I don’t have a machine shop and frankly would rather leave the building to someone more qualified than myself (I’m an IT geek, not a machinist). However the design for the base would be a good one to use if you are considering changing your Omni swing-arm base to a platform model.
Good luck!
-Allan