Plans, pics, and blueprints for the shaker table...

[Jim in Idaho]

One of our members requested the plans for my shaker table (see here:), so I decided to get to work. It took almost 40 hours of effort to come up with, what turned out to be a 41 page PDF document. The blueprints are in a separate doc. Both of them will cost you $20 on T-Net. I'm going to charge $25 on Ebay. The plans for the drive unit, which I will custom build, and sell, will be an additional $10. Hope nobody complains about the price...I've got a ton of work in this stuff. The table plans include some improvements made since the video was done. You can PM me for purchase info.
Jim
EDIT:...had to whack it down to 21 megs by shrinking some pics...now 33 pages...the email server couldn't send that 64 meg file. Then it couldn't send the 21 megs file, so had to split that in halves...finally got 'er done, though. I should have looked at the file size before posting it was ready...would have known it wouldn't work. Got the cart before the horse.
Jim

 

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[Oakview2]

Excellent job, looks like you have a excellent product.

 

[Jim in Idaho]

LOL...that little table has been through a lot. I've been butchering it for 2 years, making improvements, testing, etc. Still more to come. In the process of writing up the build instructions, an improvement dawned on me, so more surgery coming, once it warms up a bit...ha! Running out to the shop for pics and measurements sure didn't take me long...Ha! Must have made 50 trips out there this week.
Jim

 

[rodoconnor]

I can sure appreciate your effort Jim. I've been building one for about 2 years myself. Great job !

 

[Amrfixit]

Hey Jim!
Nicely done done...
I also am in the process of fabrication of my very first shaker table, I am an electrician and hobby enthused welder so metal is my choice of material..
I wanted to ask why you chose to go with raised ripples instead of grooves of valleys for separation of the con's...
I am still working on my table top and shaker mechanism but it is taking shape, I am going to start on my plumbing soon...
do you have any tips?

 

[Jim in Idaho]

I did that because it was simpler, and I was using the British geological survey designed table (Mongolian Shaker) as the basic plan. Now, another thing about the grooves is I don't know how that works....the principle. With the riffles, you set the table slope so the tops of the riffles are level side-to-side. So, the table slopes up a little bit. Going up that slope, the heavies move faster than the lights, and that's how you get your separation. With the grooves, do you make them a constant depth, and then set the table slope like you would for the riffles? If so, how does the material get out of the grooves going up the table? Or, are the grooves deeper at the feed end, and progressively shallower as they go toward the cons end? That would require the table to slope down as it goes toward the cons end, or be dead level, which is contrary to all that I've read about shaker tables. I just don't know the operating principle, so just used the riffles. I know that CA Sluicebox is now offering a grooved table surface made of 1/4" ABS, so that makes building a table easier. Still doesn't give the operating principle, though. If you don't understand the principle, you can't do a good job of adjusting the table settings. Now that I think on it, maybe that level table , with tapering grooves would work really well.....hmmmmm? Maybe I'll make a new top for mine, and try that. I've got mineral jig kits to make though, so won't get at it until late winter.
Jim

 

[Bill_saf]

I don't know if any one is looking for info or not but these are some of the best that I have found

http://goldpanningforums.com/downloads/diy/


Bill

 

[Jim in Idaho]

Yup...those table articles are really good. I've read, and reread them several times. I got a lot of the ideas for my table from those. There are lots of different ways to build these table. I'm starting to lean towards very litle slope on the riffles, which means very little slope up the hill from right to left. He mentions in there that 1/8" in 48" is a typical slope. I'm using almost that much in 25 inches. It takes so long to build these that changes come slowly. One thing those articles don't mention is having a "pause" in the table motion. With very fine, flat gold, that pause can allow the particles to settle after being disturbed, and help move them up the table.
Jim

 

[Oakview2]

Went detecting with Dale from CS this weekend. He sold his business and I believe two guys from Palmdale area are signing the papers this week. Tried to buy his prototype table setup, but he donated to a club for a upcoming raffle. I saw his run some black sands and it worked as advertised.

I did that because it was simpler, and I was using the British geological survey designed table (Mongolian Shaker) as the basic plan. Now, another thing about the grooves is I don't know how that works....the principle. With the riffles, you set the table slope so the tops of the riffles are level side-to-side. So, the table slopes up a little bit. Going up that slope, the heavies move faster than the lights, and that's how you get your separation. With the grooves, do you make them a constant depth, and then set the table slope like you would for the riffles? If so, how does the material get out of the grooves going up the table? Or, are the grooves deeper at the feed end, and progressively shallower as they go toward the cons end? That would require the table to slope down as it goes toward the cons end, or be dead level, which is contrary to all that I've read about shaker tables. I just don't know the operating principle, so just used the riffles. I know that CA Sluicebox is now offering a grooved table surface made of 1/4" ABS, so that makes building a table easier. Still doesn't give the operating principle, though. If you don't understand the principle, you can't do a good job of adjusting the table settings. Now that I think on it, maybe that level table , with tapering grooves would work really well.....hmmmmm? Maybe I'll make a new top for mine, and try that. I've got mineral jig kits to make though, so won't get at it until late winter.
Jim

 

[Jim in Idaho]

I saw his business was for sale. If it would have been in Idaho, I might have bought it....LOL No way I'm ever going back to CA.
Jim

 

[Gelmac]

Looks good Jim. I have another set of plans. But building one is a time consuming, and I have other projects to complete.

Nice work !

 

[Oakview2]

I can't blame you for have the good sense to not come back to this mess.

I saw his business was for sale. If it would have been in Idaho, I might have bought it....LOL No way I'm ever going back to CA.
Jim

 

[Lookinghard]

table drive plans

Being a three year old thread I presume you are not selling the drive units but the plans are still available hopefully. Do you have any reason to believe this type of drive would not be suitable for a wave action table, a simple bump table? Action Mining wave table uses a weighted pulley and bump and spring, but no eccentric action. It would be great to have a convertible drive base.

Thanks

 

[Jim in Idaho]

I think it would work for the wave table. My table gets a couple of standing waves when running, so I could probably drive a wave table with it. Plans are on Ebay.
jim