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Author Topic: Cabbing on the Road  (Read 3858 times)

xcvator

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Cabbing on the Road
« on: August 05, 2018, 11:12:13 AM »
I'm getting a bit interested in doing a bit of cabbing both at home in the cold weather but also "on the road" when on holidays. The on the road part presents some special problems, mainly size and weight. Would it be possible to buy/make/build a portable ( miniature ) cabbing set up that could be carried easily in the boot of the car or in the caravan (very small ) powered by either a cordless drill or an electric drill set up like a spit
Is this just a dumb idea

Bucket

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Re: Cabbing on the Road
« Reply #1 on: August 05, 2018, 12:41:07 PM »
Not a dumb idea but not sure if a drill motor would have enough torque to do the job efficiently. Would it need to be a low voltage motor or would 240 volt be OK? I know of many facetors that have 12 volt systems running their machines for exactly the same reason you have asked. I think the actual weight of a cabbing set up may be the largest hurdle to get over.
Common sense isn't exactly common

xcvator

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Re: Cabbing on the Road
« Reply #2 on: August 05, 2018, 04:06:06 PM »
Thanks Bucket   :)

But I found this  https://www.aussiesapphire.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=111_143&products_id=2517

which would do the job I think

Andrew

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Re: Cabbing on the Road
« Reply #3 on: August 06, 2018, 05:05:28 PM »

sapphireminer

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Re: Cabbing on the Road
« Reply #4 on: August 07, 2018, 07:57:44 PM »
What about the 6 wheel 4 inch cabbing unit they are quite small I have just bought one for the exact same reason you mentioned.
Dave

Aussie Sapphire

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Re: Cabbing on the Road
« Reply #5 on: August 08, 2018, 07:41:09 AM »
What about the 6 wheel 4 inch cabbing unit they are quite small I have just bought one for the exact same reason you mentioned.
Dave

The Diamond Pacific Pixie is definitely an option for those wanting something very compact but at a much higher price so budget will factor into the decision.  Almost $2500 for the Pixie compared to an All-U-Need at either ~$800 for the 6" package or $965 for the 8" package.

Convenience with the Pixie as you can just move from wheel to wheel to cab a stone but they are only small wheels. Bit of a compromise on convenience with the All-U-Need as you need to swap discs for each stage (although this only takes a moment to do) and you do get a bit more space to work with particularly on the 8 inch laps.  Maybe not quite as many polishing options on the Pixie - it comes with a 4 inch canvas end plate for polishing with diamond compound.  The All-U-Need comes with a Tech 10 polishing pad but you can use anything you like - ie. felt, leather, pre-charged polish pads, etc to use either diamond or oxide polishes so perhaps a bit more flexibility there.

Both machines are extremely compact and will do the job while travelling.

cheers
Leah

Aussie Sapphire - The Lapidary Warehouse

xcvator

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Re: Cabbing on the Road
« Reply #6 on: August 14, 2018, 12:12:52 PM »
I'm liking the look of the slanted "all-u-need" flat lapper, but I'm not liking the price  :o if I find this sort of thing is not for me what sort of resale value would it have ?

https://hitechdiamond.com/shop/slant-cabber-lap-machine-rock-mineral-model/

Aussie Sapphire

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Re: Cabbing on the Road
« Reply #7 on: August 15, 2018, 01:26:33 PM »
I'm liking the look of the slanted "all-u-need" flat lapper, but I'm not liking the price  :o if I find this sort of thing is not for me what sort of resale value would it have ?

https://hitechdiamond.com/shop/slant-cabber-lap-machine-rock-mineral-model/

We used to stock the Slant Cabber as well as the All-U-Need but found they were really slow sellers.  Most people just did not go for the slanted version for some reason so we have now standardised on just the All-U-Need.   

The two machines are essentially identical - same size motor, same package of laps included, etc.  The footprint on the All-U-Need is quite a bit smaller though which may be relevant for your need for a compact machine to use while travelling.

Keep in mind that part of the price is made up of the lap package - these are compatible with just about any standard machine that uses a half inch centre spindle so probably need to discount your "sunk cost" for the machine by that amount when considering resale value.  Well over $350 worth of value in laps, backing plates, etc included in the $965 package.

Pricing for the two machines is the same - note that if you buy direct from USA, the 220 Volt version does not come with an Australian 3 pin plug.  We have our machines fitted with the correct plug and support warranty locally.  On current exchange rate (0.6979 from paypal), our $965 for the 8" package is pretty competitive.

Also note that prices for new stock of any imported machines are under review due to Trump's tariffs - this is causing a lot of upheaval in the market at the moment.  Not sure how it will turn out medium-long term but currently there is upward pressure on pricing.

Hope this helps.

cheers
Leah

Aussie Sapphire - The Lapidary Warehouse

harryopal

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Re: Cabbing on the Road
« Reply #8 on: August 17, 2018, 06:57:08 PM »
The Federal government was re-introducing tax on imported goods under $1000 in value. I haven't bought anything recently so not sure if that is now in place. If it is then the GST will be added at this end. A matter to confirm before ordering on line from overseas. Has anyone had experience of this of late?
harryopal

Rej

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Re: Cabbing on the Road
« Reply #9 on: August 18, 2018, 06:42:32 AM »
EBay has started collecting GST on all purchases, even things that cost a few dollars from China. So yeah, it's happening.

harryopal

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Re: Cabbing on the Road
« Reply #10 on: August 18, 2018, 11:23:11 AM »
The free passage of incoming items under $1000 in value was introduced as I presume the cost of clearing and collecting GST was much much higher than the revenue generated. I can understand the frustration of retailers such as Harvey Norman (and I presume Aussie Sapphire ) with the free entry as it put them at a disadvantage with having to add the GST on their products. Now that free passage under $1000 is out I imagine that processing packages will be more complicated. If one buys overseas using EBAY and they are collecting the GST then I guess that will have to be shown on the invoice accompanying the package. Again the costs for the postal service will blow out. I daresay that will suit a conservative government who will cite Australia Post losing money as a basis for turning it over to private enterprise.
harryopal

Aussie Sapphire

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Re: Cabbing on the Road
« Reply #11 on: August 18, 2018, 04:47:12 PM »
Gerry Harvey was certainly one of the main ones complaining about GST on imports but it never worried us too much.  What he was really complaining about was not being able to charge high prices without being called out for it.  You cant blame customers for wanting to pay a reasonable price and checking the competition.


We pay it when it is due and our pricing is based on our whole import cost - GST is really not the biggest issue for us so we would prefer it to stay the old system for the very simple reason is that there is no workable system for collecting the GST.


If we have a shipment coming in that is likely to attract GST, we usually use a courier who has a proper system for charging the tax - if it goes through the post, that is just a big hassle as their system is non existent and ends up causing a big delay and extra cost for us.


We do find that people comparing prices dont always have an accurate view of the true landed price so that can be tricky for us.  For example, if you compare a small Lortone tumbler, our price might seem very expensive when comparing the USD price to ours but it doesnt account for the fact that they charge more for the 220V version, the exchange rate, shipping to Australia, local warranty, etc.  When you do that comparison correctly, the pricing is very similar and we are happy to compete on that basis.


We would prefer the old GST system purely because it is easier for everyone - I dont think they have really thought this one through and not all the issues have been sorted yet.  They have got Ebay charging GST but individual sellers are not subject to that regime for example and I dont really see how they are going to manage those in a practical way.  Not quite a level playing field yet.


Cheers Leah







Aussie Sapphire - The Lapidary Warehouse

xcvator

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Re: Cabbing on the Road
« Reply #12 on: August 20, 2018, 01:47:09 AM »
I'm liking the look of the slanted "all-u-need" flat lapper, but I'm not liking the price  :o if I find this sort of thing is not for me what sort of resale value would it have ?

https://hitechdiamond.com/shop/slant-cabber-lap-machine-rock-mineral-model/

We used to stock the Slant Cabber as well as the All-U-Need but found they were really slow sellers.  Most people just did not go for the slanted version for some reason so we have now standardised on just the All-U-Need.   

The two machines are essentially identical - same size motor, same package of laps included, etc.  The footprint on the All-U-Need is quite a bit smaller though which may be relevant for your need for a compact machine to use while travelling.

Keep in mind that part of the price is made up of the lap package - these are compatible with just about any standard machine that uses a half inch centre spindle so probably need to discount your "sunk cost" for the machine by that amount when considering resale value.  Well over $350 worth of value in laps, backing plates, etc included in the $965 package.

Pricing for the two machines is the same - note that if you buy direct from USA, the 220 Volt version does not come with an Australian 3 pin plug.  We have our machines fitted with the correct plug and support warranty locally.  On current exchange rate (0.6979 from paypal), our $965 for the 8" package is pretty competitive.

Also note that prices for new stock of any imported machines are under review due to Trump's tariffs - this is causing a lot of upheaval in the market at the moment.  Not sure how it will turn out medium-long term but currently there is upward pressure on pricing.

Hope this helps.

cheers
Leah
Thanks for that Leah, I just thought the slant machine might be a bit easier to use sitting down at a table.
I wasn't planning on buying from the US
My order of priorities are, cost ( under $1000) ,weight and size ( the all-u-need fits ) and resale if I don't use it much ( this has happened before with me  ::) )

Aussie Sapphire

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Re: Cabbing on the Road
« Reply #13 on: August 20, 2018, 06:50:49 PM »
Thanks for that Leah, I just thought the slant machine might be a bit easier to use sitting down at a table.

Perhaps but they were way less popular than the All-U-Need - at the time we thought the same as you but we were obviously in the minority compared to the customers' views.

Noticeably larger footprint though - the All-U-Need will be much easier to fit in a small corner of a caravan for instance.

cheers
Leah

Aussie Sapphire - The Lapidary Warehouse

 

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