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Jim,
Cutting should be accomplished using a wet diamond blade. Some small chipping can still occur but tape at the cut line helps.
Edges can be polished using a belt sander w/ progressively finer grits; we do this dry frequently. Drilling holes the size you require for a sink faucet should be done w/ a wet core diamond bit, we do this with a hand held hilti core drill. Marble won’t take any heat when drilling or cutting so to prevent spalling keep it wet. Good luck, Bob
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Jim,
Cutting should be accomplished using a wet diamond blade. Some small chipping can still occur but tape at the cut line helps.
Edges can be polished using a belt sander w/ progressively finer grits; we do this dry frequently. Drilling holes the size you require for a sink faucet should be done w/ a wet core diamond bit, we do this with a hand held hilti core drill. Marble won't take any heat when drilling or cutting so to prevent spalling keep it wet. Good luck, Bob
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I must have been lucky as I cut a slab of marble with a dry diamond blade for the cabinet in my wifes summer kithen. Used a 7"solid rim in the circular saw no chips no cracks .
*Bob - "a wet core diamond bit" could this be used in a regular drill motor? Does it have a piolet bit? - jb
*You guys - should I make several passes scoring a bit deeper each time as I cut?
*Jim, If you diy I would say you have a 50/50 shot at screwing it up! Call a specialist who does this all time. If you are set on cutting it yourself at lesat go watch someone do it a couple of times. Most installers could do the job onsight. Ask yourself if you want to replace those pieces yourself. Calling a stone man in will probably be less than buying a dimond blade.
*Thanks Rick, and I couldn't agree more. Unfortunately, she doesn't. Very unique situation. As soon as I knew we were going to save this marble, I chased down a company that does this all the time to plan a schedule. Got the facts, she said "nope, we'll do it ourselves. It won't be any problem." Now, as the time comes, I am just trying to get as much info as I can. Believe me, I am a firm believer in hiring professional help when I have little or no experience, and I have made it clear to her too. - jb
*I cut marble all the time with a solid diamond blade, I used to use a fiber blade but got tired of buying the fiber blades. I have always cut it dry, going wet reduces the chiping. However, I have never had a piece of marble run on me. I make a few cuts each one getting deeper and deeper with a skill saw, all cut lines are taped to keep from chiping. After the cut is made, I use the belt sander, 80 grit to smooth out, 150, 220, and then do what polishing I have to with 400 by hand. I really use a lot of 400 to get the finish -- if you can get a couple of grits finer than 400, it will really look like a prfessinal job (reportedly my marble guy goes as high as 5000.)>good luck
*Jim, I also had a customer like that. I cut 1" marble with my PC trim saw with carbide blade. Taped it, ran water over it.Plugged into GFCI. Cut on 3/4 ply for support under cut edge.Five or six passes with very few small chips that dressed out with random orbit. I have done this a few times with no problems.
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Jim,
I've seen dry core bits with an arbor that would fit in a 1/2 drill motor. Hilti and Core bore are two of the products that come to mind, Hilti quality always first rate, I 'm sure that you could use a pump sprayer with either one. We drill the required hole size in a piece of 3/4 ply and either clamp or stand on it. Drilling thru the ply eliminates the need for a starter bit like in a carbide core bit. Just curious, is this for a friend or customer?
Bob
*Also Jim,I just remembered how the dry bits are configured; they will screw on a 5/8-11 arbor similiar to the arbor on a 4 1/2" grinder. Ours came with adapters to go from that hole size to a 1/2 hex shank that you could chuck up in a drill. I've used both successfully although a 10,000 rpm grinder should be treated with respect.Bob
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Hey Dudly, kkearny, thanks, you're givin' me confidance. I did find a diamond blade to cut it with, really, thanks for the info. - jb
*Thanks Bob. I'm gonna try to track down a bit tomorrow and/or Monday. It is for a customer, but they are very particular about who comes to their home. She is very artistic, and has many unusual ideas. She really has a gift for design. I have been working for her for 6 months and everything she has proposed turns out "right". So, while I do trust her, I'm just trying to get as much info as I can, from anybody who'll talk. Thanks again - jb
*Good Luck Jim I have run across a few of those types before. They can be a pain but if your their man it can be profitable. Also my tile man is a beliver in using battery saws to reduce risk of electrocution.
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She has two marble slabs, 1" thick, and wants me to cut them down to fit on the new cabinets. We also have to drill for sink faucet and insta hot. She doesn't want me to take it to a stone cutter. I'd appreciate any tips or ideas. Thanks - jb
*Jim,I can't imagine why you can't take them to a stone cutter. My marble man keeps a mini-grinder with a diamond blade for making unforseen adjustments when he's installing. In fact he has 3 mini-grinders. One with the saw, one with a grinder, and one with a random orbit sander he uses various grits on. The grinder and sander use special abrasives made for stone work (diamond I assume.)You should be able to drill marble with a masonary bit, using water for a lubricant. I drilled a 3/8" hole in marble flooring this way but I was afraid to use the hammer drill. Took me about 15-20 min. to go through 1/2". Use plenty of water, keeps the drill bit cool.Your customer won't feel too smug about not letting the marble go to the stone cutter if it breaks while your cutting it. Marble has "grain" to it and can take off away from your cut. I've cut 12x12 marble tiles on a tile saw, and had several pieces go to waste 'cause the tile broke along a grain line.John