Thread: Cutting granite bench tops

Mick,It's score and snap, just like glass, only you use a tungsten tip chisel but for a real traditionalist the hand forged tempered steel edge is the go. Then just smooth with the chisel or patent axe very fine taps no cut and bash here. All you blokes have probably got the rest of the gear, start rubbing back with carborundum getting down from harsh to finer grades and then finish off with your finest waterstones. And there is your answer as to why Derek probably is not interested afterwards if doing a large area they will be flat if an edge then they will look very average indeed.

I think I know why a power cord has the edge over the old way.

JohnC

John,
I was hoping we could start from scratch, you know driving wooden wedges in cracks and then wetting them in order to expand them and split off a slab. Or I believe that they used fire to split off slabs also. Then flatten and polish by hand and none of this new fangled carborundum or tungsten either .

Mick the traditionalist
(traditional power tools that is! )

Mick,

I don't know about fire that's a new one to me, the traditional method is with hammer and drill, the drill resembling a chisel with a slight curve and wider at the pointy end than the shaft. You drill about 6" into the stone with the holes about 6" apart running in the line you want to split then fill with water and wait to freeze overnight nature does the hard work. When the weather is to warm you pop a couple of tapered pieces of metal in and a pin in the centre and belt these these things into the waiting holes until it splits. Good stone has a grain like timber, although the advent of the diamond saw means this is not so important these days.

To get the reference edge you use a tool similar to a very blunt bolster to strike a straight line then use a chisel to run a reference edge on the face you wish to polish.

To get a flat surface work it back with a punch, move to an axe, then a chisel, then a patent axe, then various grades of stone to rub back to a polish. Most people reading this wouldn't have a clue what half these tools are but if I ever get out of the stone age and buy a digital camera I'll post a few pics.

How about that and no mention of carborundum anywhere.

I've done the drilling and rough work but have never had a go at polishing granite it's to damn hard, but marble is relatively easy.

JohnC.