Another Omni Owner’s Spindle and Platen

There has been a bit of huff and bluster from a certain source lately regarding tearing a “pressed bearing apart on the platten of a faceting machine”. He claims that the Omni faceting machine spindle was pressed into the spindle housing bearings “under 20,000 lbs” and that this removal is the cause of the vibrations that I had complained about.

I think that anyone can see for themselves from the photos in the instructions on Removing the Spindle and Platen that the spindle isn’t press-fit into the bearings with any kind of pressure at all. In fact, when I originally removed the spindle and platen from my Omni faceting machine, it literally fell out of the bearings once I flipped the assembly upside down. I ended up catching the spindle on my lap. So much for 20,000 lbs of press-fit!

As for the vibrations – I have some photos sent to me from another Omni-e faceting machine owner from when he disassembled his spindle and platen assembly. I’ll compare photos with one from my own Omni faceter and then his:

Original Spindle and Platen from my Omni-e Faceting Machine

Original Spindle and Platen from my Omni-e Faceting Machine

Underside of Another Platen from an Omni Faceting Machine

Underside of Another Platen from an Omni Faceting Machine

Platen Underside Close-up from Another Omni-e Faceting Machine

Platen Underside Close-up from his Omni-e Faceting Machine

Platen Underside Close-up from Another Omni-e Faceting Machine

Another Platen Underside Close-up from his Omni-e Faceting Machine

Notice the “high-quality” of machining that was done on his Omni platen – what appears to be saw and coarse file marks on the bottom. While at least mine was machined on a lathe, it appears that his platen and spindle were made from cutting a slice from a bar of aluminum and then mounting that on his spindle!

And at the other end of his spindle, notice the rough hand-filing job done. No finesse or attempt at quality machining here either:

Close Up of his Omni Faceting Machine Spindle End

Close Up of his Omni Faceting Machine Spindle End

You will also notice that on this other person’s spindle there are punch-marks where the bearings sit. Again, an old blacksmith’s trick to make the shaft swell a bit so it fits into the bearing races more snugly instead of machining the shaft precisely to fit the bearing. The Omni-e Faceting Machine is supposed to be a high-precision device accurate to tenths or hundredths of degrees, yet instead of doing quality manufacturing they’ve fallen back to smacking their parts with a punch and hammer to make them fit.

So when our loud friend complains that it’s the owner who’s at fault for the vibrations and problems with their machines, I leave it for you to draw your own conclusions.

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One Response to Another Omni Owner’s Spindle and Platen

  1. hacklebox44 says:

    Well, the latest fall apart stunt of my OMNIe has just cost me a very nice stone. Yesterday I was cutting a very nice piece of Tanzanian Sunstone. I had the stone complete except for the table, using the 45 degree fixture as I often do I noticed the table wasn’t cutting like it should. All of a sudden the head of the 45 degree fixture fell off hitting the spinning lap and ending up on the floor. I found my stone broken and completely ruined.
    Upon checking the fixture to see what the heck had just happened I found the fixture was simply glued together and after near three years of use the glue had dissolved and the fixture fell apart. I talked with two other OMNIe owners that I know and they have had the same problem at one time or the other with their machines.

    I must say that quality machining and quality workmanship surely shouldn’t include glueing machined pieces together. Again the quality of this machine has reached another new LOW FOR ME, and I am headed to a local show this weekend to check into the possibility of buying different faceting machine, I am tired of trying to keep this piece of junk running.

    Of course this is my opionion and should be viewed as such.

    David Hudson

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