Using a stone cutting machine? Here’s some tips!

Sometimes, it will be necessary to use a stone cutting machine prior to tumbling or polishing the stone you are planning to treat. If you haven’t actually got a stone cutting machine and are planning to buy one, you should consider checking out the second hand market, as there are a number of companies who offer reconditioned second hand models at very competitive prices, so don’t overlook this option.



Stone and tile cutting adopt very similar techniques; the key part to your stone cutter will be the saw blade. This can be bought from a number of outlets, it is a circular blade with tips reinforced with diamond, and this rotates at a right angle from the machine table on which it is installed. The blade rises from the surface so that the stone you are planning to cut can be maneuvered into the correct position. You can imagine a stone cutting machine very much like a wood saw mill, should you have seen one of these; you will get the idea.



Below the stone cutting table is a water reservoir as the disc saw rotates the blades are dipped in the water which offers both itself as a cooling agent and lubricant, this also reduces the amount of stone dust that is generated to a minimum. Start the stone cutter and the disc begins to spin at the speed you have set, it is now ready for work as an extremely powerful cutting machine.



Diamond, as is well known, is the hardest material known to man. Having a diamond tipped cutting saw, you will have a device that is able to cut any stone. As an additional benefit, the side of the cutting blade is also diamond so it has a dual purpose – on one hand to cut and on the other hand, to grind the surface of the stone to achieve the desired effect. As effectively as can be seen, you have a machine that can perform two tasks in one. With this machine, you can work stones of any size and shape and get them into your desired condition ready for use.



Stone cutting machines do have some drawbacks that need to be taken into account; first of all, they are noisy. There is very little you can do about that except to install soundproofing in the stone cutting room. At the same time, avoid cutting in the dead of night or on Sundays if you have neighbors within earshot. Secondly, the water flying off the blades causes quite a mess so make sure you have adequate drainage installed to remove the excess water. In addition, as the cutting machine generates a lot of noise, you should have some ear mufflers ready for use at all times. Protective clothing is recommended as chips can fly off at any time and these small fragments could cause injury so safety goggles need to be used to avoid an accident happening.



Ceramic tile cutters are actually well adapted to stones that are obviously harder to cut than tiles. There is an advantage using this method, that splits indentations and any other flaws can be rapidly removed or you can cut along the crack line to produce 2 stones without flaws. This can also allow you to shape specific stones that will be flawless.



The best piece of advice is that if you are not an industrial user of stone machinery; always look out used stone equipment for sale as they can easily perform the job well and yet comes at an economical price tag.