ATTN: Tom aka tmac

[chris mabbott]

Hey Tom,

A while back you asked me to post a shot of my Jacot setup the next time I used it, today was that day! I couldn’t find the thread where we spoke about it, so a new one was summoned 😆

If you thought I was kidding about the elastic band drive belt, you can see it in yellow 😯
Hope this helps ya bro..

[tmac1956]

Chris:

Very nice. I’m using the old hand pull method – I do use an elastic cord to which I attach some fishing line. If it happens to start slipping, I just put a little beeswax or fiddle bow resin on it.

Thanks!
Tom

[david pierce]

Chris,
That is a perfect solution, thanks for sharing it. When I was in the 10th grade back in the early 1960s one of my school mates was given a Unimat for Christmas. He used rubber bands to drive the lathe but in that case they did not work as well as the O’Ring belts. For a set of Turns or a Jacot tool the torque requirements are much lower than a lathe, even a Unimat or other watchmaker size lathe, so a rubber band will work in that case. For Turns or a Jacot tool, thin monofilament fishing line will drive the pulley but there is no reasonable way to turn it into an endless belt. No matter how good someone gets with a bow the process is choppy at best and continuous rotation is much smoother. It will also free up my left hand so I can also do shots of moonshine while I am using the machine. It looks like a rubber band solves the problem.
Thanks Again,
david

[Bob Tascione]

Chris and David,
Yeah I agree…I think you guys are both correct. Nice setup Chris! A motor probably makes it much easier and efficient. For me though there’s just something that feels ‘right’ about using a bow. I guess it’s a connection with the past or something and that need for experiencing the way it used to be seems to grow stronger as I get older. Also choppiness on a turns when using a bow is a real concern but for a Jacot tool or pivot polishers I’ve never felt that was a problem. The hand crank was a big improvement over the bow when it came to turning though.

Bob

[tmac1956]

Chris:

Is that a variable speed motor? Where did you pick that one up?

Thanks!
Tom

[tmac1956]

All:

Using the pull method leaves me only one free hand, but that balances things out – I mean, since I only have one eye and all.

Later,
Tom

[arutha]

@Bob Tascione wrote:

Chris and David,
Yeah I agree…I think you guys are both correct. Nice setup Chris! A motor probably makes it much easier and efficient. For me though there’s just something that feels ‘right’ about using a bow. I guess it’s a connection with the past or something and that need for experiencing the way it used to be seems to grow stronger as I get older. Also choppiness on a turns when using a bow is a real concern but for a Jacot tool or pivot polishers I’ve never felt that was a problem. The hand crank was a big improvement over the bow when it came to turning though.

Bob

Don’t worry Bob, at least we can polish pivots when the aliens invade and use their elctro magnetic pulse gun! 😆
Paul.

[Bob Tascione]

Don’t worry Bob, at least we can polish pivots when the aliens invade and use their elctro magnetic pulse gun! 😆
Paul.

Thanks Paul that helps since my argument for the use of the bow didn’t hold much water. We definitely have a solid foundation for our defense now!

Bob

[david pierce]

Tom,
Almost any small sewing machine motor can be regulated with a foot reostat. If the motor has brushes it can be regulated this way. The motor from Sincere is an induction motor and cannot be controlled that way. I am sure that small sewing machine motors can be purchased from Ebay at a low cost. Dayton motors had a 1hp sewing machine type motor that used to be sold in the WW Grainger catalog. If you look them up under Dayton Motors you should be able to find a fair selection of these types of motors.
Bob, Paul,
In fairness to the Bow vs Motor debate, a bow can give you a sense of feel that cannot be obtained with a crank wheel or a motor. This may prove to be an advantage for extremely delicate turning. On the other hand, why use a sling shot when you can drop an Atom Bomb. The debate rages on!
david

[Bob Tascione]

On the other hand, why use a sling shot when you can drop an Atom Bomb.

So true David. When it comes to turning, a motor always wins out. For pivot polishing and burnishing it’s very much a matter of preference. When using the Jacot tool my belief is that you will get pretty much the same results with either motor, bow or draw string in about the same amount of time. I think there’s more of a learning curve for using the bow or draw though. For me there’s just that feeling of being an extension of the machine when powering it with a perfect rhythm of the bow. Feels right to me when using a traditional tool.
On the other hand, why use a horse when you can drop a 427 Chevy into a Stagecoach?

I’m just playing Devils advocate here guys. I’m actually guilty of putting motors on just about everything I can put one on. I think I mentioned to you David in one of our many phone conversations the old staking set I had converted into a miniature drill press many moons ago. It was ridiculous looking but actually worked pretty well!

Good topic,
Bob

[david pierce]

Bob,
A stacking press would be a pretty good tool for that, especially for reaming and tapping. I have a Marshall Tri Duty stacking set that has the ability to convert to a drill press and has pulleys and a belt included in the set. I also have some old watch repair books that show how to use a bow drill. As with woodworking tools and techniques there are a lot of tools and methods from the past that should be remembered and respected if for no other reason than these are the roots of the profession.
david

[chris mabbott]

Whoa, this is funny, because we had this same conversation in the thread I mentioned at the start of this thread 😆
This was just in response to Tom’s request to see my motor setup from that post BUT, I’m happy to see my photo caused so much passion, not a bad thing

David, that is funny about dropping a bomb LMAO but I am trying to retain a touch of the original ways by using an elastic band 😆

[chris mabbott]

@tmac1956 wrote:

Chris:

Is that a variable speed motor? Where did you pick that one up?

Thanks!
Tom

Yes sir, it’s a sewing machine motor with a variable foot control that I picked up on the bay.. The only limitation is the amount of control one has in one’s foot 😆

[david pierce]

Chris,
Those motors can turn pretty fast. Have you entertained the thought of putting reduction pulleys between the motor and the Jacot tool?
david

[chris mabbott]

I did consider that David but I wanted a not much messing around, quick set up, and yes, although it would probably only take a few moments to set it up, those few moments to a lazy sod like my lovely self, seem like hours 😆

I’ve actually got very good precise feather control and like our buddies the bow users, after the slight learning curve, it’s a piece of pie, or is that cake 😆

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