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Homemade Rock Cutting Tools

Rock hounds and lapidary enthusiasts can make their own rock cutting tools. These tools cut reliably without the expense of purchasing specialized equipment. Many homemade tools are similar to professional equipment, from rock chisels to diamond blade rotary cutters. Use the utmost caution when working with a hand made rock cutter, as the device is untested in a variety of situations.

Chisel and Hammer
- The simplest rock cutting tools are a chisel and hammer, found at any hardware store. The process by which these tools work is simple. The chisel is a long rod of metal with a narrow, flattened end and the hammer is a piece of metal with at least one flat end attached to a rod of hard wood. Place the narrowed end of the chisel against the rock where you want to cut it. Hold it firmly and swing the hammer down on top of the chisel. The force of the strike travels down the chisel, through the narrowed end, driving it into the rock and splitting it apart.
Wood Saw and Carborundum Grit
- Those with time on their hands can cut a good sized piece of stone with the back of a wood saw and some carborundum grit. Place the stone between two vises to hold it firmly in place. Wet the back of the wood saw, the smooth side. Pour some grit into a flat, open container. Dip the wet saw blade into the grit to coat the metal. Place against the stone and begin sawing. Re-coat the blade with more grit as needed. This can also be done with a wire saw.
Rotary Blade
- If you have a shop and the know-how, you can make your own rotary rock saw with a round blade. The saw setup is similar to a table saw with a round blade made of brass, copper or iron, or a diamond tipped blade, attached to a motor and partially immersed in a mixture of carborundum grit and water. A wood splash guard and table surface complete the saw and makes it more user-friendly. The mixture of grit and water should rest in a container underneath the blade, so that it is constantly re-coating the blade with about a 1/2 inch swath of grit.
Tips
- When cutting rock, always where goggles and gloves to protect your hands and eyes from flying rock and grit. Patience is essential when cutting stone, as the wrong move can break the stone or lead to a severe wound. Test all homemade rock cutting tools on sample pieces of stone before moving to the actual project. Smaller stones are more difficult to cut. It's best to use a small chisel or rock tumble to shape them.

Gemology