Abracs Quick-lock abrasive tool

[Alistair Robertson 1Participant @alistairrobertson1]

Hi,

A few weeks ago we had a guy who was re-sealing a press that is used to crush small rocks for research.

i was not really involved but I was intrigued that the guy had a tool like an angle grinder (but a bit smaller) that used Abracs Quick-Lock discs about 50mm in diameter to polish up various surfaces before proceeding with the re-seal.

The tool was a really nice bit of kit that had variable speed up to 25000 rpm. and the head could be adjusted from 0 degrees to 90 degrees. There was no makers name that I could see and the guy was not very communicative but he said he thought it was Australian.

Can anyone cast some light on what this tool is and where it could be bought, I can find nothing on-line.

[Alistair Robertson 1Participant @alistairrobertson1]

[V8EngParticipant @v8eng]

I seem to remember seeing something vaguely like that in the Proxxon cat not sure about the Abracs system though.

Edited By V8Eng on 29/12/2019 19:54:17

[davebParticipant @daveb17630]

Is this the same as the Clik system used by Dremel?

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

No more like 3M's Roloc

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Alistair Robertson 1 on 29/12/2019 18:10:17:

[…]

the guy had a tool like an angle grinder (but a bit smaller) that used Abracs Quick-Lock discs about 50mm in diameter to polish up various surfaces before proceeding with the re-seal.

The tool was a really nice bit of kit that had variable speed up to 25000 rpm. and the head could be adjusted from 0 degrees to 90 degrees. There was no makers name that I could see and the guy was not very communicative but he said he thought it was Australian.

.

If I am reading you correctly, Alistair … that would be a very nice bit of kit

25000 rpm through a variable angle head would be a major engineering challenge !!

Please let us know if you ever identify the tool.

MichaelG

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

The colour may be helpful in tracking down a manufacturer.

Mike

[Alistair Robertson 1Participant @alistairrobertson1]

Hi, All.

The colour was a wee bit lighter than Makita Industrial Green with almost a blue tinge to it.

The tool had a speed scale on the variable speed knob with 5000, 10000, 15000, 20000 and 25000 markings and from the noise generated I am sure that these speeds were close. There was a power supply/transformer on the floor, not very big about 100 x 150 x 65mm so it could have been DC voltage, The head looked as if it could swivel from in-line with the axis to 90 degrees like a 41/2" grinder. It must have been a bevel gear but the diameter of the housing was no bigger than about 30mm. The system may not have been Quick-lock but very similar. (I have some Quick-lock stuff so that is what came to my mind!)

When the festivities are past I will try and contact the press company and see if they can help but I don't think the contractor was employed by them directly.

[PeroParticipant @pero]

Hi Alistair

If the tool is indeed Australian, the only manufacturer I can think of is a company called Arbortech. It is a local ( Western Australian ) company that has invented a number of interesting machines, mainly for woodwork but other things as well.

The machine that most closely fits your description is the Mini carver ( updated from the one previously sold as the Mini grinder ).

You can check the Arbortech website for their product range and they also list a number of UK distributors.

They don't seem to have a fitting for the Quick-lock system but do have a 50 mm rubber backed disc system for sanding and polishing.

The only other possibility, and going down in size a little, is the Proxxon long nosed angle grinder.

From memory both of these are mains voltage machines so the transformer leaves me wondering a little.

Best of luck with the search,

Pero

[DalboyParticipant @dalboy]

If he believes it to be Australian then try asking on this SITE

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Pero on 31/12/2019 00:52:18:

[…]

The machine that most closely fits your description is the Mini carver ( updated from the one previously sold as the Mini grinder ).

You can check the Arbortech website …

.

Not quite what I first visualised … but you may well be right: **LINK**

ARBORTECH MINI CARVER MKII 109686

110V safety transformer ?

MichaelG.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Me neither, from the description I was thinking of an adjustable head more like the Ryobi multi tool that takes it from a straight grinder to angle grinder and anything in between but with rotary action, they do a corded version too

Edited By JasonB on 31/12/2019 07:59:33

[Martin ThomsonParticipant @martinthomson36607]

Sounds like a Biax mini electric grinder. The colour sounds right and the external power supply is the dead giveaway. If I remember correctly it was an external VFD driving a tiny three phase motor in the handset.

I can't immediately find any reference to it, they all seem to be air grinders from Biax now, It was in the "If you have to ask you can't afford it" price range, something daft like £6k.

[Author]

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