The Slab’asaurus Rock Holding Fixture // Finally a Good Way To Hold Odd Shaped Rocks

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Did you enjoy this video and find it to be informative? You can help ensure that more videos just like this get made by supporting the project on Patreon. www.patreon.com/currentlyrockhounding

[@problemwithauthority]

Cool. If you are worried about a rock twisting in the jaws you can add a few screws from the back side slightly pressing on the rock for stability, It won't go anywhere. This is a good accessory.

[@graemero5532]

Excellent soloution. Well done Slab'asaurus.

[@mpaulk2023]

That's badass! I'm just sitting here smiling at the thought of such home-made products like that shown above. Freaking badass. Thanks for showing this and thanks to the inventor for allowing you to show this!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

It really gives me hope that future is bright for lapidary if we can keep seeing people make stuff like this.

[@largent45]

See, and thats why we like and trust you. When you say a product is good, its because you have tried it, and tested it, and have determined that it is not only good for doing what it was designed too,but it was tested by you a some different situations and it passed with flying colors. then it is Jared approved! This really does look to be a game changer in these situations and we can see by way of loading it into your saw, what you mean by other clamps not working and having problems cutting certain rounder rocks, with your saw. You wouldnt be able to get close enough to cut a thunderegg thats round and not big, to be able to cut it straight and down the middle, because you cant clamp it properly. And to be a slab saw as it was meant to be, you wouldnt be able to clamp it well enough to get real slab cuts and maintain the same clamping because it will fail towards the end cuts. This truly is a innovative product, and now it has the Jared seal of approval, we can trust that its been tested and approved. And thats a shame about your thunderegg. I know they weather so much from extreme heat to freezing for millennia before they are collected, so its going to be crumbly in the rhyolite parts. But it sucks because that one would have been gorgeous and a great display piece with one being a water line and the other not, and good size too! As a member, it looks like a members only monthly prize rock to me! Just because i would love to own it! lol Thanks for your wonderful testing of the slab'asaurus! it looks awesome!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Thank you for the kind word. I really do like this thing. I think in the perfect world I would also have a drop saw, with that style of saw I think a fixture like this is less useful but I both down have a saw like that and I don't have room for a second saw but with this its kind of fixes that issue.

[@rustythecat2163]

Product has thoughtful and useful benefits. Price point seems reasonable. The maker was wise to enable you to demo the tool. Jordan we appreciate each and every tool demo you do. Thank you!

[@nhrockaholic6038]

Sweet, then I am all set. The 14” comes with the Horizontal Vise. Returned my 10” High-Tech Diamond saw. Had nothing but issues with it and very unhappy. Hopefully I will be thrilled with the Highland Park saw. Thanks again. :)

[@ocklawahaboyrocks]

Cool clamp and cool egg. You should find someone with a drop saw like mine and test it. I'm afraid those rods would get in the way. For a slab saw it seems like the best thing yet.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Thank you. Depending on the head of the drop saw I think they would get in the way for sure. I would love to have a drop bigger than 14" personally since I mostly want to just cut big things.

[@ocklawahaboyrocks]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding I sold my 2nd identical drop saw and almost instantly regretted it. I'm pretty sure that all you would have to do is fabricate a splash guard and you could put an 18" blade on a lortone 14. There is plenty of room everywhere except the guard.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

@@ocklawahaboyrocks That's good to know. 18" is the size that I'm looking for my next saw to be.

[@offyarocka]

That is friggen awesome!!!! Might have to get one for my lapidary clubs saw!!!!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Its pretty good!

[@markattardo]

That fixture is fantastic! The T egg yoke is awesome too!! BTW, great rant👍👍

[@annajablonski9624]

Rant on Jarod. You are absolutely correct. This is something I would be interested in and am glad you brought it to my attention. Hopefully with your support and encouragement this is a start to many more new things to come. Another great video. Thank you.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Thank you! :)

[@a3skywarrior929]

Awesome idea! That thunder egg , even with the flaws, is brilliant to me 😍

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Thank you!

[@RagnarRocks]

Super handy little device there! Even though it was crumbly, definitely one of the sweetest double eggs I've ever seen!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Thank you! Sometime you should try cutting the rhyolite off of the outside of some of these tumbling them.

[@RagnarRocks]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding Good call! I've got a bunch of those white fir and tnt ones from Nick that would be perfect

[@kylaabegglen1275]

Very cool, love this! Made in the USA. Great thunder egg too. Thanks for sharing this with us!✌️🤠🤘

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Thank you!

[@sfbfriend]

Very good design, reminds me of another very simple machining tool, parallel blocks! Companies as in Diamond Pacific and the Genie have not changed one thing in probably 50 years! No change equals low overhead equals immense profit. That tool is a simple design and functional. When I do get a slab saw I will look into one, or even get one for the saw at my club. The first 22 years of my work was with a Mom and Pop engineering company, the 22 years of its existence was never more that 150 employees and more frequently less than 100. This was the back bone of aerospace in Southern California and how it got its start. We need more of this and less of mass manufacture from China. Good video.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I agree with you about the design of this. Not changing anything does mean more profits but I think at some point that will no longer work when you have a competitor willing to sacrifice some profits who is going to innovate.

[@sfbfriend]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding Yes! Absolutely, if they wish to stay competitive companies like DP will need to change. The founder recently passed, he was in his 90's and still rock hounding. Will be interesting to see what happens to the company, it is a little over 2 hours from me and they have a huge rock collection area that is open to the public. 50 plus years of collecting is there and they sell it for 3 bucks a pound.

[@silverback5033]

Jarod, looks like another good piece of equipment. Another very interesting video. Keep Safe

[@rockfishdad]

Yup - will be adding that to my 'need it' list. I have enough trouble with clamping tri-angle shaped chunks of rough rock, not to mention thundereggs... Thanks again Jared.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

It's a really good option for this odd shaped rocks.

[@soomcire]

This design is a lot like “cole jaws”, for holding a bowl by the outer rim on a lathe to finish the bottom. Very cool

[@tobiasfrey2793]

That's exactly what I need! :D I'm finding a lot of odd shaped agates here in Germany, and when I tried cutting them in the past, I often had to take suboptimal angles or even cut a small end off just to create an area that holds in the clamp. I'll definitely gt myself one of those (if they also ship to germany)! :]

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I think they ship international.

[@utahrockhoundingcouple]

Looks like a super helpful tool, and that thunder egg is pretty cool!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Thank you! It's been very useful to have.

[@dustinfindsrocks]

This is DEFINITELY something I'd be interested in! Pretty much ONLY odd shaped rocks here that I'd like to cut. So it's not perfect but that double egg is pretty cool. I like seeing how something so close in proximity can form so differently. It's a cool specimen even if it is a bit crumbly.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

It is a really handy tool to have for these odd rocks and the design could be scaled up and down.

[@roman11469]

Love the innovation here. I want to see more of it.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Likewise.

[@OriginalSithMonkey]

Just ordered one. Thanks Jared

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

You will love it! I don't use it much but when there is no other way to really hold a rock its the go to option for me.

[@falseteethrealtarotAllRocks]

Awesome Product… Wow!!! 😊

[@hogtownpens]

To your closing point - Coming into the lapidary world as someone with a lot of tool experience, I have to say I'm shocked at the prices of the tools. It's ridiculous! Especially when the housings are all plastic?! It makes no sense! Love this fixture and I think I'll be building my first flat lap...

[@spetkovsek57]

I suggest you place the Slab'asaurus in the vice without a stone in it, then square it up with the blade, then make some alignment marks on both the vice plate and the Slab'asaurus so that each time you go to use it, you know it's face is in alignment with your saw blade. That way you won't have to "fiddle" with it each time. I think I'll have to get one of these. I can already envision a few uses for it. Currently I glue a stone to a block of wood, with this I wouldn't need to do that anymore. Thanks for the info and ignore those naysayers. This is a well thought out product.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Since making this video I'm pretty much doing what you suggested here to keep it all in alignment but I have an idea for a way to just bolt an extra top plate to it so I can take it on and off and get the perfect alignment back. I have also done the gluing a rock to a block and it works but it is an extra step and sometimes I just don't want to wait for that process, I just want to cut stuff and for speed this is really good.

[@spetkovsek57]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding I agree about the waiting for the glue to dry and then afterwards waiting for it to dissolve. Since watching this video, I've placed an order for one of these.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

@@spetkovsek57 I think you will really like it. One thing I was going to do with mine today is cut some thick slabs in half that I have. Someone gave me some 1/2" thick slabs that I want to split down the middle with this fixture.

[@spetkovsek57]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding Don't forget to take into consideration the blade thickness. You could end up with a couple of slabs less the 1/4 inch thick. Which seems to be the standard for cutting most slabs for cabochons. If you start with 1/2 inch, you can't get two 1/4 inch slabs from it. You might be able to get two 3/8 thick slabs which are still thick enough for small cabs, but very challenging for 30x40 and larger. Cutting larger thin cabs can be done (I've done it myself), but you have to either have a flat top, or a vary shallow dome. Both of which are acceptable, even in competition.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

@@spetkovsek57 I kinda want to try making something out of these really thin slabs. I agree that 1/4" seems like the standard and that's normally the size I work with but recently I saw a really thin cab with a very shallow dome on it which is something I would like to try my hand at. Gotta start at some point right?

[@dougodette4582]

Great new product, thanks for reviewing it!🇺🇸⛏⚒

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I'm glad you liked it.

[@chuckneese1282]

thank you

[@edwardrick7388]

I really dig your videos and ethics in regards to transparency, product evaluation and your thoughts on innovation and product development.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Thank you!

[@charlenecastaldo3602]

Really cool product!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I have been really happy with it.

[@ResortDog]

I bought one of those the first time I saw one at the Madras Show. No regrets. You are allowed to Cactus Juice or use fracture sealers on the crumbly rhyolite before you start. Nobody looks at the outside as a rule.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I'm enjoying the fixture for sure. I haven't really worked with cactus juice at all but I should try it.

[@jamesh5460]

Very very cool. With how popular your channel is becoming, I hope many more opportunities like this are in your future.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Ha, I wouldn't call my channel popular but I am happy that people like it and because of the channel I have some opportunities that I otherwise wouldn't have.

[@cactusmann5542]

This does give me an idea for future projects. No slab saw, but might use it for grinders...

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I would love to see what you come up with.

[@charlesfosterrocks]

Love this. I have to get one.

[@outdooradventureswithfayde6832]

Very cool, well thought out, innovative tool! Well made in America, too. You put it to the test, and it performed just as it should. It is sad how much money businesses take and not putting back in. Great video! 👍

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I think if a lot of companies took like 1% of their yearly profits and put it back into making better or new products with we would be so much more advanced in the his hobby than we are currently.

[@mindseyeproductions8798]

nice! I am only 15 mins late missing your awesome video drops. Congo Rats on the rock holder.

[@mindseyeproductions8798]

thanks for not drawing your video to a second drop; I was fearing having to wait to see the testing

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Thank you!

[@patriciamckean4186]

Nice... an innovation for rockhounds. See a problem, fix it!

[@gregderksen1996]

another insightful video. were I to get my hands on a reasonably priced slab saw, i’d definitely be looking to get a jig like this. kudos to the innovator! I hope it does really well for him!!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Reasonably priced slab saw? Whats that? :)

[@gregderksen1996]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding apparently a pipe dream🤣

[@nickbraun2488]

@@gregderksen1996 Maybe not! There may be some irons in the fire, so to speak. The future looks promising!

[@Rocktwister]

I like it! Thanks for the info!

[@LetsGoExplore]

I think the commercial industry is just behind the times. They had to sell machines at high prices because demand was so low. But because of information exchange and channels like yours, more and more people are wanting machines which increases demand. Used machines are impossible to find! They sell right away. I looked into building my own 6 wheel cabber, and the most expensive part is the lapidary specific wheels!

[@eveishard2334]

Curious, now that it's been over a year, just curious if you've used this tool a bit more and if you've got any further thoughts on it. I don't cut thunder eggs, but this looks really useful for odd shaped rocks in general.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I still love it and he now has a 2.0 version of it which has some improvement to the design. If you want to slab weird rocks, then this is a great tool.

[@NewZealandRocksDownunder]

Running a business and markup is largely misunderstood by people who only see the margin of markup as being excessive. Owning a small business is made all the more difficult by home hobbyists selling product considerably cheaper thinking they are helping others without having to account for the taxes wages and expenses that a legitimate business has to cover, being primarily funded by the markup margin. If one can't cover the expenses plus profit then one isn't in business for long. Sorry if I have taken your comments the wrong way but here we're constantly having to compete with home traders in the rock and crystal world who by pass the legal requirements for trade and undersell until the Man catches up with them. But cool ideas needs to be explored, I've seen a couple versions of this clamp over the years and it's nice to see it being used by you.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I agree with what you said here but a key aspect you didn't address is the lack of innovation. You should be taking some of the profit and rolling it back into new ideas and research otherwise someone who is willing to take less profit will come along and do it. The current state of lapidary machine manufacturers is kind of disappointing.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

The company making this fixture is Braun Precision Lapidary Equipment [e-mail] You can reach out to the creators of this on their Facebook page: facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084024909108 Currently this is the means of ordering the fixture: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdD1E_lnM8uhAGqg0wWJqtL5XtHuNDANqO3SijRk2vR4GkRGQ/viewform

[@johnzaehringer1330]

I know this is older, but are they still selling these? I sent note to Slabasuarus but have not heard back? Is there an alternative?

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

As far as I know, he is selling them in batches still.

[@chuckneese1282]

I purchased a Rayteck 10 inch saw with feed and I'm not happy with the vice. Do you have any suggestions?

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Currently, there are not many good options for you other than building your own vice for that saw.

[@lornetremblay2828]

Looks like a great tool and appears well made. Anyone know how the person can be reached to purchase one outside of Facebook. I have never had a Facebook account and at my age I am probably not going to start one.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Currently they are in the process of setting up a way outside of Facebook for people to buy.

[@nhrockaholic6038]

Which vice on a slab saw do you feel is best, vertical or horizontal? Am looking at a highland park slab saw. 14” HT has a horizontal vice the 16” has a vertical vise but is $1100 more. Ideas? Or I can but the vertical vice retrofit for $200. I am new to auto feed slab saws.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Horizontal for sure. I know they cost more, but it will be worth it in the long run for you.

[@mikey-mike8301]

Did you provide a link for how or where to purchase? Sorry if I missed it in the video.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

There is a link to their Facebook page in the description box of the video which is where they are currently selling them but a website and such is in the works as well.

[@mikey-mike8301]

I'm not on FB. Thanks.

[@davidpattullo4881]

That is an awesome well crafted jig! It is on my list. Coming from the aging side, I agree with bobaloo2012, we need to shore up our foundation with the younger generation insuring the rock hounding community's future and wonderful innovations they will bring. Anybody know the national average age of rock hounds?

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Averages of rockhounds I think has gotten younger in the past 10 years with social media making it more of a thing now.

[@randywl8925]

I'm trying to figure out what the materials cost would be if I made that fixture tool. The aluminum blocks.... 20-25 bucks. Yould have to cut it, smooth the edges, drill the blocks, then thread them.... Did I count 40 threaded holes? Plus the accurate holes for the adjustment rods..... etc 🤧 No way. I'm a 100% DIYer, but I have limits. Pricing seems quite reasonable.

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

$125 for all that machining + hardware is a hell of a deal. 13:17 “there were no horrible sounds, so it must’ve went well”… 🤣

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Yeah I would be charging more if I had to tap all those holes. Me and tapping things have bad relationship.... So many broken taps.

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding Haha no kidding, the machining was impressive and made it a satisfying assembly to watch

[@rebeccaofsunnybrookefarm8469]

Thanks for sharing. Jared can I email you for this person's info. My lapidary society shop would love this item

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Currently they are only accepting orders over Facebook but they are in the process of get set up to take orders via email and a website and when they do I will update the video here with it.

[@DonariaRegia]

The last major innovation in precision faceting was in the 1960s and not in America. Unless you count CNC faceting, which is only good for a specific range of gem sizes. Proof of concept without a working model is the biggest hurdle and prototyping is time consuming and also takes money. That said, good engineering and forethought can streamline the process. The machine I am making is 80-90% finished but every component left has to be hand cut/filed/drilled/tapped etc. so that is slowing finalization down. Plus it's cold af lol. Soon!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

What machine are you working on?

[@DonariaRegia]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding It's a system similar to the Bunter SA, a linear design with both locked index and angle, where only the height from the lap varies as the stone is abraded. No other faceting system works this way, every other design alters the angle and height simultaneously. Vertical lap orientation is key, but where my design differs from the Swiss is placing the rail above the lap instead of below. In this way the handpiece hangs instead of requiring constant balancing and reduces user fatigue while also protecting against damage should the handpiece slip out of the user's fingers. I have almost finished building one from scratch, but some existing mast designs can be modified with an interface plus a mechanism to lock the angle and work in the same fashion.

[@houndofrock]

Slab o saurus is calling my name...

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

It's pretty handy, I can bring it over sometime if you want to try it first.

[@DeeDeeDIY]

Coolio

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Thank you!

[@bobaloo2012]

I think the basic issue is you have an aging community. Most of the products are made by small companies, often run by people now in their 60's and 70's who have been making a comfortable living off the same products for the last 30 years. They're not interested in innovation, taking chances, etc. You need some new blood in the hobby, like the fellow featured, to shake things up a little. Of course 30 years from now he'll still be selling the same clamp, that's just how the world works....

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I think you might be correct about the current state of things but I think we need to start leap fogging forward some.

[@Reflect744]

Myself being 30 yrs old I 100% agree. Also love the clamp very awesome idea! Love the channel mate 👍

[@greystonerock5710]

As a young person starting a lapidary business, I have tried to get every bit of info from the old generation they know a lot of cool tricks

[@tinymetaltrees]

Facebook only? Not happening.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Ummm okay, I get that facebook isn't the place for everyone but from the point of view of a small start up there's a large percentage of the rockhounding community their and they make it really easy to get started.

[@BubuH-cq6km]

🤔"Made Here in America" BUT where are the parts made that you use to assemble this❓ Nissan and Toyota just like a Ford or Dodge can claim "Made in America" but really means "Assembled"

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I disagree with your assessment here. The machining of all the part here are done in Oregon and thus it's made in America.

[@nickbraun2488]

All materials and hardware are USA made, the aluminum, the chromoly precision ground and polished shaft, the all thread, everything. All stateside. To make this happen was not easy. Finding good quality hardware in the US, that is not military or aircraft grade and price, is quite challenging. I have personally spent a significant amount of time and money, just on finding hardware. To be honest, I'm not satisfied yet with the consistency of the quality of the hardware, But what we have now is a good start.