How do I machine stone or rock
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79spitfire
Member
Haven't figured it out yet. You may be able to grind it with a diamond wheel
stonepecker
Member
How large of a stone are you talking about? That would be a help in giving you advice.
Very small, rough grind it to shape and then tumble it to polish. This can take up to 30 days.
Larger pieces are shaped with pressure cutters. diamond saws, or 'chipping' by hand and chisel.
Any stone (like granite) is worked with diamond wheels/cutters.
The problem with stone is if there are any fractures in the piece you are working.
Like cracks in wood.....these are the rough spots.
Are you close to a monument shop that does it's own engraving/blasting?
If you can talk to them they can be a help.
Boring pieces that are fairly large can be done with a boring maching and diamond hole saws.
Boring a little stone. You might need a diamond cutter that fits a dremel tool.
Very small, take your time, LIGHT pressure and you might be able to do it.
Good luck,
Stoney
Very small, rough grind it to shape and then tumble it to polish. This can take up to 30 days.
Larger pieces are shaped with pressure cutters. diamond saws, or 'chipping' by hand and chisel.
Any stone (like granite) is worked with diamond wheels/cutters.
The problem with stone is if there are any fractures in the piece you are working.
Like cracks in wood.....these are the rough spots.
Are you close to a monument shop that does it's own engraving/blasting?
If you can talk to them they can be a help.
Boring pieces that are fairly large can be done with a boring maching and diamond hole saws.
Boring a little stone. You might need a diamond cutter that fits a dremel tool.
Very small, take your time, LIGHT pressure and you might be able to do it.
Good luck,
Stoney
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junosdad
Member
Coolant
Another thought to consider...
If you're referring to raw stone (as opposed to the resin impregnated stuff commonly used for pens) coolant becomes important, as heat builds up very quickly when abrading stone and can lead to failures of the stone matrix.....(said another way, your piece breaks or flies apart). Often this is accomplished with recirculating water, not complex, but it is an additional important consideration.
Search locally for 'lapidary supply'....a good supply house will introduce you to a whole new world of specialized stone working tools and be able to provide guidance.
Cheers,
Sam
Another thought to consider...
If you're referring to raw stone (as opposed to the resin impregnated stuff commonly used for pens) coolant becomes important, as heat builds up very quickly when abrading stone and can lead to failures of the stone matrix.....(said another way, your piece breaks or flies apart). Often this is accomplished with recirculating water, not complex, but it is an additional important consideration.
Search locally for 'lapidary supply'....a good supply house will introduce you to a whole new world of specialized stone working tools and be able to provide guidance.
Cheers,
Sam
mtassie
Member
There is a guy on here that does alabaster and granite, GW pens( Ihttp://www.penturners.org/forum/member.php?u=14386) think and they look beautiful. I've tried alabaster with just a skew, you will need good ventilation and breathing mask, go slow because it will heat up and crack and blow up. Alabaster is soft like soap stone turns nice
Rich L
Member
Can you specify what kind of live cutters or tooling you have? RPM? Shank size or collet size?
Ornamental turners do a lot of this on soft materials (malachite) to hard materials (rock crystal). They do it with diamond wheels and they typically do it wet. Doing it wet may be a problem and also keeping all the rock dust and the errant diamond specks out of your machine ways. These diamond wheels are mounted on a variety of cutting frames to get the cutters in at various angles. Are you just trying to turn a cylindrical blank or get more exotic
Rich
Ornamental turners do a lot of this on soft materials (malachite) to hard materials (rock crystal). They do it with diamond wheels and they typically do it wet. Doing it wet may be a problem and also keeping all the rock dust and the errant diamond specks out of your machine ways. These diamond wheels are mounted on a variety of cutting frames to get the cutters in at various angles. Are you just trying to turn a cylindrical blank or get more exotic
Rich
Small
Small pieces of stone I need to make rings or washers no bigger then .750 od and bore the ID 5/16 hole.
The stone is going to be laminated to wood, ivory or antler.
The OD of the stone will have to be polished to size and the wood cut to the same size as the stone.
If I could cut V groves into the stone then I would inlay the wood into the stone too.
I know of a out fit that makes head stones maybe I will call them up see what they have to say, even marble would look good.
farmer
Small pieces of stone I need to make rings or washers no bigger then .750 od and bore the ID 5/16 hole.
The stone is going to be laminated to wood, ivory or antler.
The OD of the stone will have to be polished to size and the wood cut to the same size as the stone.
If I could cut V groves into the stone then I would inlay the wood into the stone too.
I know of a out fit that makes head stones maybe I will call them up see what they have to say, even marble would look good.
farmer
79spitfire
Member
I'm sure with a bit of creative brainstorming a water cooled pen lathe setup could be modified/made. Hey farmer, if your ever near Reno, let me know, perhaps we could sit and have a lunch somewhere and brainstorm a bit.
low_48
Member
What lathe do you turn stone on? Someone else's! It will take diamonds and lubricant to turn and drill hard stone.
stonepecker
Member
Ok People.
Lets start with the easy parts. Columns are turned on a lathe. The bigger the columns the bigger the lathe. Polishing is also done either by hand or on the lathe. These have water for cooling and a waste trap in the floor. The monument companies have always made designs easier as they went along. So, Square columns became the way most things have been done for the last 40 years. With the use of computers , some of the old styles are starting to come back.
What you are needing is more for the jewerly kind of saw. These are as small as a older portable TV. The stone is 'cut' in oil. That is why they are called "Oil Saws". Jewerly tools is what you are going to need, Grinders like a carving tool size bits. Looking in lapidary is going to give you the very basics which is where you need to start. With a few changes to a faceting maching you might be able to do what you are wanting to do.
These are not cheap.
The hardness of the stone is going to also make a difference. No matter how you go about this.....it will be a challenge.
You might be better off drilling the stone first. Then taking it to what is loosely called a grinding wheel. This has a 'dripping' source of water from the top. There is a pan under the wheel with a siphon connection to allow the water to fall into a pail at your feet. To polish a stone is much like wood. What you are doing is putting smaller and smaller scratches in the stone. This is what happens when when you change the 'grit' size in a tumbler. On a grinder, you use finer and finer wheels till you get to a point where tin oxide or aluminum oxide can be used as a final step. Which one you would use depends on the stone you are polishing.
Good luck Farmer on what you are trying to do. I look forward to seeing what you come up with.
Stoney
Lets start with the easy parts. Columns are turned on a lathe. The bigger the columns the bigger the lathe. Polishing is also done either by hand or on the lathe. These have water for cooling and a waste trap in the floor. The monument companies have always made designs easier as they went along. So, Square columns became the way most things have been done for the last 40 years. With the use of computers , some of the old styles are starting to come back.
What you are needing is more for the jewerly kind of saw. These are as small as a older portable TV. The stone is 'cut' in oil. That is why they are called "Oil Saws". Jewerly tools is what you are going to need, Grinders like a carving tool size bits. Looking in lapidary is going to give you the very basics which is where you need to start. With a few changes to a faceting maching you might be able to do what you are wanting to do.
These are not cheap.
The hardness of the stone is going to also make a difference. No matter how you go about this.....it will be a challenge.
You might be better off drilling the stone first. Then taking it to what is loosely called a grinding wheel. This has a 'dripping' source of water from the top. There is a pan under the wheel with a siphon connection to allow the water to fall into a pail at your feet. To polish a stone is much like wood. What you are doing is putting smaller and smaller scratches in the stone. This is what happens when when you change the 'grit' size in a tumbler. On a grinder, you use finer and finer wheels till you get to a point where tin oxide or aluminum oxide can be used as a final step. Which one you would use depends on the stone you are polishing.
Good luck Farmer on what you are trying to do. I look forward to seeing what you come up with.
Stoney
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Sylvanite
Member
When I made my Petoskey Stone Pen, I drilled with a masonry bit, chased with a HSS drill bit (although a boring bar would have worked better), turned it on a metal lathe with a carbide cutter, and then sanded smooth. A true lapidary lathe would use a grinding wheel on the cross-slide rather than a cutting tool.
I hope that helps,
Eric
I hope that helps,
Eric
Reno
I will be in Reno in the middle of Feb for the billiards Reno bar box Open at the Grand Sierra .
I am going down to photograph the event, I will be there for 3 or 5 days.
Will also be shooting pool around the clock at Jason;s billiards or the old diamond billiards and dinning at the Atlantis
Tou Can Charlie's and Boom town.
I also will be going over to wood working place to pick up some supplies,
The business is way out on So Virginia past meadow wood mall.
I go to Reno allot, and I always looking to meet new friends or fellow wood workers.
I still have a large engine lathe with a working cooling system.
I will be in Reno in the middle of Feb for the billiards Reno bar box Open at the Grand Sierra .
I am going down to photograph the event, I will be there for 3 or 5 days.
Will also be shooting pool around the clock at Jason;s billiards or the old diamond billiards and dinning at the Atlantis
Tou Can Charlie's and Boom town.
I also will be going over to wood working place to pick up some supplies,
The business is way out on So Virginia past meadow wood mall.
I go to Reno allot, and I always looking to meet new friends or fellow wood workers.
I still have a large engine lathe with a working cooling system.
Stone
Thank you for the info, Its raw stone I have a can of the resin stuff,
Send me you address and I will send the stuff to you it looks like jello inside the can.
Farmer
Thank you for the info, Its raw stone I have a can of the resin stuff,
Send me you address and I will send the stuff to you it looks like jello inside the can.
Farmer
Alabaster
I will look into the alabaster, but I am not fond of soft materials.
Thank you for the info.
Farmer
I will look into the alabaster, but I am not fond of soft materials.
Thank you for the info.
Farmer
Live cutters
More exotic ................................
I have 5 live cutters that I can mount on my tool post.
One is a tool post grinder for grinding carbide, I don't remember the name brand of that live cutter and its rpms.
I have 2 live Ridgid veneer trimmers that I can mount on all 5 of my lathes
1/4 shank I think they turn 1000 rpm to 10.000 rpm.
1 dremmel 1/8 shank variable rpms
One home made 4 axis CNC wood router that I am getting it going again, the PC crashed , I got sick and was going through one surgery after another for 3 years.
needless to say I think I have forgot how to use Mach 3 and Cam Bam software.
The CNC is 2 1/4 hp 20,000 to 30,000 rpms and is not water cooled
And have several collets that can be used up to 1/2 in shank.
I also made a polisher that can be mounted on a tool post.
If I could cut stone washer like a metal washer used on a bolt I would be happy, orif there is a outfit that sales them that would work too.
Thank for your help.
Farmer
More exotic ................................
I have 5 live cutters that I can mount on my tool post.
One is a tool post grinder for grinding carbide, I don't remember the name brand of that live cutter and its rpms.
I have 2 live Ridgid veneer trimmers that I can mount on all 5 of my lathes
1/4 shank I think they turn 1000 rpm to 10.000 rpm.
1 dremmel 1/8 shank variable rpms
One home made 4 axis CNC wood router that I am getting it going again, the PC crashed , I got sick and was going through one surgery after another for 3 years.
needless to say I think I have forgot how to use Mach 3 and Cam Bam software.
The CNC is 2 1/4 hp 20,000 to 30,000 rpms and is not water cooled
And have several collets that can be used up to 1/2 in shank.
I also made a polisher that can be mounted on a tool post.
If I could cut stone washer like a metal washer used on a bolt I would be happy, orif there is a outfit that sales them that would work too.
Thank for your help.
Farmer
Thank you
Thanks for the info I will have to do some research and set up one of my lathes just to cut and polish stone.
I will look into diamond cutters and blades and some grinding stones.
It looks like its going to be a challenge.
Farmer
Thanks for the info I will have to do some research and set up one of my lathes just to cut and polish stone.
I will look into diamond cutters and blades and some grinding stones.
It looks like its going to be a challenge.
Farmer
My reply
HI Eric I did a reply and was going to post a picture, couldn't find the right picture and lost everything I wrote as a reply so I have to start all over.
Nice looking pen ( Petoskey stone pen ) you are a very skilled person.
In making pens and photography.
I guess I will do some set up and see what will happen with the drilling and turning od some of the stone I have.
Thank you for you input.
Farmer
HI Eric I did a reply and was going to post a picture, couldn't find the right picture and lost everything I wrote as a reply so I have to start all over.
Nice looking pen ( Petoskey stone pen ) you are a very skilled person.
In making pens and photography.
I guess I will do some set up and see what will happen with the drilling and turning od some of the stone I have.
Thank you for you input.
Farmer
79spitfire
Member
Looks like your way ahead of me in skills and equipment. I have quite a bit of lapidary equipment, but nothing set up to do cylinder shapes. PM me in Feb, when your going to be in town. I'll see if I can get away for lunch.
I have a passion for exotic woods and photography........ that's it.
I will pm you in Feb.