I've worked a block of soapstone that I bought at Dick Blick, and then a block directly from a California quarry at work. Both of them cut like basswood. A wood bandsaw blade flies through it. I used a skew on the pen I turned. I found a vein through it when it got thin, and it took thin CA to fill and hold that together. Ever use a soapstone marker to mark steel for welding or cutting? It almost feels like a crayon. Really, it doesn't feel like stone at all.
Remember.. there are different types of soapstone. You are referring
to the one commonly used by artists, carvers etc. It has a much higher
talc content and is therefore softer. The other type of soapstone is
commonly used for kitchen countertops, stoves, fireplaces etc. and
is much harder, This one DOES feel like stone, although with a soapy
feel. It has a lower talc % and that can vary throughout the piece. Some
parts will cut like a hard wood while others will stall like you're cutting
granite.
The artistic soapstone is a snap to cut. You could probably make a
pen with a pocket knife. But it's usually white/gray and not much of
a pattern.. not much to look at. But steatite can be gray, green, brown,
gold, red.. with lots of patterns running through it.