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Safety Equipment
Being safe is the most important rule when dealing with any carving equipment. Having your own pair of safety glasses is an absolute must for protecting your eyes from any stone material that may fly to your face. You should also get a respirator mask as stone dust will appear when carving, especially if you are using granite, which contains silica and other toxic components. Ear protection mufflers are also needed when you use high-powered equipment such as pneumatic tools and diamond saws, which generate a lot of noise. Finally, shock-resistant gloves should also be worn to protect your hands from pneumatic tool vibrations or sharp chips from the stones you are carving.
Chisels
There are several chisels that you should have in your arsenal for stone carving. First you will need the point chisel, which is used to rough out the general shape of your stone material. Second, you will need a tooth chisel which is used to refine the general form created from your point chisel. Then comes the flat and rondel chisels which smooth out the remaining texture of the stone. Finally, there are hand chisels which are applied to harder stone types, and come in different types like the Japanese style or the carbide hand chisel.
Hammers
Hammers are used to apply force to the chisel to carve out certain elements of the stone. The rule of thumb is, the heavier the hammer used on a point chisel (between 1 1/2 to 3 pounds) the more stone will be carved out. When applying lighter hammers, such as a 1-pound hammer, they are intended for small or finer detail carving in tandem with the tooth, flat, or rondel chisels.
Handsets, Rasps, and Sand Paper
In stone carving, handsets (also known as pitching tools) are used for knocking away huge chunks of stone from the edge of a square block. It is generally used for eliminating plenty of stone very quick. Along with the handsets comes the tracing tool, which shares similar functions but creates a more precise line along the stone block's edge. Then there are rasps, which are files that leave natural textural finishes onto soft stones. Finally, sandpaper is the final process for removing dust particles out the stone and can be used either on a wet or dry surface. Sandpaper comes in three grit levels: coarse, medium, or fine.
Pneumatic Tools
Pneumatic tools are powered tools that run under compressed air. The pneumatic tools shares the same chisel elements, but have different "hammers" in the form of internal pistons. These hammers expend a high number of rapid strikes per seconds, and come various sizes such as 1/2" for lighter material going up to 1 1/4" for heavier set stones. The pneumatic tools also comes with bushing tools, which are used to create patterns such as criss-crosses or concave surfaces onto the stone. Finally, for any pneumatic tool to function it needs to have a compressor to power them. Typically, a 5 HP compressor with a 60-gallon tank will be enough to run your pneumatic tools.
Power Tools
Unlike the pneumatic tools, the power tools run on electricity and have multiple purposes depending on what you want to do for the stone. The grinder, for example, is a tool with a 4 1/2" blade that can be used to cut straight lines, parallel cuts, or smoothing out rough surfaces. The die grinder tool is used for soft stones such as alabaster for carving minute details such as crevices or holes. Then there are hammer drills for drilling deep holes within the stone, but not through it since the impact of this tool will create a blown-out exit hole. Finally, there is the polisher tools, which are used to create shapes and other designs on the stone.