Mark842 Posted October 19, 2016 Report Posted October 19, 2016 11 hours ago, RockyAussie said: Note: I have noticed in the past when doing long knives like this after a while they start to bow down a lot in the middle. I have made a practice of putting a sacrificial piece of hard veg on the 2 ends on top to help counteract it but a little build up weld on ends would be better if using a lot. If the bow goes too far the next thing is wanting to go sideways as well and you know what that means. Regards Brian The die shown is 26" long. I've been using that die daily for going on 3 years now, approximately 30-40 cuts a day. Its perfectly straight and level. I hit it with two shots on the swing arm, never in the middle. I always move it around on the cutting surface to keep the wear even and the board gets resurfaced every 3 months. 15 hours ago, Big Sioux Saddlery said: Mark842 how big is your clicker? That is a lot of cutting surface! I have a Fipi F-36 that was purchased used 5-6 years ago. Not really sure what the ton rating is on as I have seen them listed under that model number from 18 to 25 ton. There is nothing on mine that indicates which it is but it gets the job done. I will be buying a new press in the next two weeks from CJR here in Utah. I have an appointment with them to have them use my largest die to see what size press I need to go with. I'm curious to see how the old compares to the new. Outside of a few switches on the handles the Fipi has been an extraordinary workhorse that shows no signs of giving up. I'm just getting to the point where I need 2 presses going at the same time.
Members Big Sioux Saddlery Posted October 19, 2016 Members Report Posted October 19, 2016 15 minutes ago, Mark842 said: The die shown is 26" long. I've been using that die daily for going on 3 years now, approximately 30-40 cuts a day. Its perfectly straight and level. I hit it with two shots on the swing arm, never in the middle. I always move it around on the cutting surface to keep the wear even and the board gets resurfaced every 3 months. I have a Fipi F-36 that was purchased used 5-6 years ago. Not really sure what the ton rating is on as I have seen them listed under that model number from 18 to 25 ton. There is nothing on mine that indicates which it is but it gets the job done. I will be buying a new press in the next two weeks from CJR here in Utah. I have an appointment with them to have them use my largest die to see what size press I need to go with. I'm curious to see how the old compares to the new. Outside of a few switches on the handles the Fipi has been an extraordinary workhorse that shows no signs of giving up. I'm just getting to the point where I need 2 presses going at the same time. That is a testament to a great die and a smart user! Congratulations on needing a second clicker. It's nice to have enough work that you need to buy more machinery:-)
Mark842 Posted October 19, 2016 Report Posted October 19, 2016 Just now, Big Sioux Saddlery said: That is a testament to a great die and a smart user! Congratulations on needing a second clicker. It's nice to have enough work that you need to buy more machinery:-) Guess that is my unofficial plug for Texas Custom Dies. That being said I have no one to compare them to. I did a lot of research before I purchased and they have made all my dies. Never had any problems at all. They even talked me out of a few mistakes that would have made them a whole bunch more money off me. Not sure how their prices compare to all the other Die manufacturers but as long as I get the quality and service I need I ain't looking elsewhere.
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