Silestone

[jkeithrussell]

Is Silestone suitable for turning? A friend has some left over from a kitchen remodel. I can get a pile of it for free, but I don't know whether it is workable like Corian.

 

[its_virgil]

From the silestone website's FQ's:
1. What is Silestone? Silestone® is naturally beautiful, durable quartz. Silestone is the world's leading natural quartz surface - a superior stone for myriad interior surfacing applications because of its ideal combination of beauty and practicality.


2. What is natural quartz? Quartz is one of the hardest, most abundant minerals found in nature - only diamond, sapphire and topaz are harder. Besides beauty, the quartz in Silestone gives it extreme strength, making Silestone highly scratch-resistant.


There is a stone turning group on Yahoo. But, I think turning silestone may prove a bit difficult. It is definitely not as workable as corian, which is an acrylic.

Do a good turn daily!
Don

Is Silestone suitable for turning? A friend has some left over from a kitchen remodel. I can get a pile of it for free, but I don't know whether it is workable like Corian.

 

[gomeral]

My folks had a silestone counter installed years ago. My dad gave me a razor blade and invited me to do my best. It made no mark, whatsoever. If it were me, I'd try turning it, but I'd use someone else's tools.


daniel

 

[thewishman]

Thanks, Don, for the research. I was wondering what it was.

Sounds almost turn-proof to me.

 

[stolicky]

I have a sample of this at home and thought about it, but there is no way you would put a dent into it on a wood lathe with hss tools!

 

[jkeithrussell]

Thanks for the info.

 

[seawolf]

To work the stone it has to be drilled with diamond bits and oil. To shape the stone it needs to be ground with water running on the stones. Check for lapidary shops in your area. Lapidary is a great hobby to. Some of the hobbiests might help you.
Mark