KME Questions

3

303tango

Joined
Nov 12, 2012
Messages
53
I'm about ready to pull the trigger on a new KME system with the new diamond stones. I don't have any diamond stones yet and this new line at KME looks attractive. What do you think? The sticking point I have is the base. I have a granite surface plate that is 6"x6"x2" that I'm thinking would make a pretty nice base. What I would like to do is adapt the granite piece to work like the standard KME base. In the pictures I've seen of the standard base it looks like a piece of 1/2" dia. steel that is drilled and tapped on one end so a bolt can be inserted up through the wood and screwed into the 1/2" piece. Is that right? Has anyone bought the stud from KME? If it's not available from KME, what did you use to make the base work for you? Your thoughts and experience would be most appreciated. Thanks...

Rgds,
Jeff
 
I don't own the KME but if I were you I just shoot them a email and ask them. I don't see any reason why they won't divulge that information.

Heads up on the diamond stones though use light pressure, if you use a lot of pressure you rip the diamonds out. Also keep in mind that they will be very aggressive at first till they are worn in a bit and smooth out.
 
The piece that sticks up out of the base is aluminum and is threaded on the end. It screws directly into a threaded insert in the wood base. Not sure of the exact diameter of the piece, though. I'll take a measurement tomorrow morning when I get home from work and post it asap. :thumbup:
 
The base mast is aluminum. It rises 2.5" above the base, and is 1/2" thick. The original base is turned down to a smaller thread size. 3/8" maybe? Total length is about 3"

I removed my pistol grip, and I am bolting the main unit directly to granite surface plate.
 
Thanks for the replies guy's. I did talk to Ron and place my order today without the base. I'm going to do as NRA is doing and mount my unit directly to the granite surface plate, so that should solve the base issue I had. I don't see myself using this as a portable or a field unit so the permanent mount should work fine for me. Now I may have to figure out how to drill the granite plate. Anybody have any idea on what kind of drill to use?
 
Not so much the drill, as drill bits. Get something for stone or glass. Diamond bit. To drill plumb holes, you should have a drill press.

I would suggest first attaching your KME to a stout chunk of 2 x 8 lumber. That way, you can see how far you want to extend your KME out over the granite.

I have 90% decided to mount my KME on the corner of the granite, to give me more free space for working. I am mounting the rubber feet in a ways, so the granite can stick off the table some if I want.
 
I found that if you get a good quality dashboard non skid pad that those work better than rubber feet. I imagine having the entire bottom of the granite covered in that stuff will make the thing extremely secure to any table to decide to plop that down on. It may work out better for you than the rubber feet NRA, you end up with one solid flat surface instead of various feet to hold it secure.
 
NRA said:
The base mast is aluminum. It rises 2.5" above the base, and is 1/2" thick. The original base is turned down to a smaller thread size. 3/8" maybe? Total length is about 3"
Click to expand...

Mine measured out at .4915" diameter (I assume the sleeve inside the pistol grip is exactly .5" ID. I didn't think to measure it when I was measuring the post :o). The threads are 3/8" diameter. I don't have a thread gauge that size, but it looks like 3/8-16.
 
Bob6794 said:
I found that if you get a good quality dashboard non skid pad that those work better than rubber feet. I imagine having the entire bottom of the granite covered in that stuff will make the thing extremely secure to any table to decide to plop that down on. It may work out better for you than the rubber feet NRA, you end up with one solid flat surface instead of various feet to hold it secure.
Click to expand...

Wonderful suggestion.

If you end up with a slightly out of level counter, does it take up the difference? I had planned on using just three feet to keep it tight on uneven surfaces.
 
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