# routing stone



## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

Can it be done? 
I have just had a new granite work surface fitted. the men cut out an oval for the sink to fit in. They just used a diamond disc in an angle grinder so the edges are terrible.
With some cleaning up this offcut would make a nice occasional table.

Anyone?


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

I don't know about routing granite, but it's easily cut with your average wet saw.

Now if you could find a bit for your router that was covered in diamonds, that should work. But maybe carbide bit would work as well. Do they make diamond bits for routers?

Not sure if it would need water or not, but you could easily take care of that.

Are you trying to cut it neatly? Or do some sort of design?


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Bob; you're living in the land of ancient sculpture...are you saying there's no marble /stone workshops around?! *shock*
An angle grinder would be my first (and only) choice.
Grinding disc for polishing granite, marble, terrazzo and engineering stones


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

Dan, I'm living in a land that makes concrete copies of ancient sculptures.

Apart from that, I'm a cheapskate. Having paid over 700 US$ for the worktop, I dont particularly want to pay twice for the same piece.

I had a much smaller granite top that I tried to remove when I enlarged the outside kitchen area, but it broke. Because i was buying the new piece, the company cut the old piece square and rounded over the edges for free. So I have one 30" (75cm) square coffee table, I thought a smaller oval, about 30" x 15" would be nice.

What I really would like is a round over edge, I dont see any way I can make that evenly around a permanently curving edge with a disc cutter.
No fancy designs, just a rolled edge oval


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## Keith Hodges (Apr 30, 2013)

Monuments are cut with specialty bits, not sure what kind, but they create a ton of dust, and water is used for lubrication, as well as dust control. Haven't cut or carved granite, but have used a diamond drag bit with my CNC router on granite for some pretty impressive floral designs. A diamond drag bit just scratches the surface, with the router turned off, basically just a bit holder. Not going to help with rounding over, but food for thought for the top.


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Bob, do you have a picture of the piece?


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

havent bothered with a picture. its a cut out for a sink, dark grey granite, 30" long, about 20" across oval shaped, and an inch thick.

looks like i need to ask the company nicely because its not worth spending large sums of money on specialist bits.


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## neville9999 (Jul 22, 2010)

sunnybob said:


> Dan, I'm living in a land that makes concrete copies of ancient sculptures.
> 
> Apart from that, I'm a cheapskate. Having paid over 700 US$ for the worktop, I dont particularly want to pay twice for the same piece.
> 
> ...


It cannot be done with a router, end of story. N


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

The edge can be rounded over with a series of small grinding/sanding wheels in your angle grinder. But they are not cheap.

Somewhere on YT there are videos of this method, and the edge ends up being polished the same as the surface.

I needed to smooth over some edges on some pink marble tile a few years ago, but it ended up being cost prohibitive.


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

sunnybob said:


> havent bothered with a picture. its a cut out for a sink, dark grey granite, 30" long, about 20" across oval shaped, and an inch thick.
> 
> looks like i need to ask the company nicely because its not worth spending large sums of money on specialist bits.


Probably the best idea.


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Do a search for diamond router bits for granite/stone etc.

granite tools, granite router bit items in Diamond Tools store on eBay!

Herb


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

another site...

https://www.granitecitytool.com/storefrontCommerce/


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Herb Stoops said:


> Do a search for diamond router bits for granite/stone etc.
> 
> granite tools, granite router bit items in Diamond Tools store on eBay!
> 
> Herb


Amazing...never seen anything like those router bits before. 

Are they used at high or low speed do you know?


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Bob _will_ be pleased!
https://www.granitecitytool.com/sto...r-uom=EA&warehouse-id=6&item-number=3904-0078


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

DaninVan said:


> Bob _will_ be pleased!
> https://www.granitecitytool.com/sto...r-uom=EA&warehouse-id=6&item-number=3904-0078


Gotta git a couple of those.:surprise::surprise::surprise:

Herb


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Herb Stoops said:


> Gotta git a couple of those.:surprise::surprise::surprise:
> 
> Herb


Herb, I think you should probably buy out their entire stock at that bargain price!


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Do _NOT_ let Rick see that!!!


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## smitty10101 (Oct 15, 2004)

we used either silica carbide paper or disks impregnated with diamonds of various grits.
The disk were used with an offset grinder wet & costed about $100 usd about 10 yrs ago.
Check the internet for THK Diamonds out of Hong Kong for diamond stuff--pretty reasonable.
the silica was used wrapped around a wooden dowel to form the cove. 
Eased or round over edges were rather quick & easy with the diamonds


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

Thanks for the laughs lads, I think my 20 dollar offcut can stay just the way it is, as I throw it in the skip.


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## woodknots (Mar 7, 2012)

Bob

When we had our kitchen counter tops replaced with granite, we actually bought the new granite counter tops from a "monuments" place, you know that service the cemetery industry. Don't laugh, they work with granite every day, were a lot less expensive then a counter top business and did a great job. Yes, the advertise kitchen counters in their show room. Everything was measured/laid out with some new fangled laser machine and the counter tops fit perfectly. Included the sink cut out, the cut out for the slide in gas range, etc. The initial cut was done on a CNC machine probably, but the final fit was done with a grinder.

You must have one of these businesses in your area - you might want to check to see what they'll charge you to do the shaping for you.


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

vince, the granite just isnt worth the effort. if I could have got a 20 or even 30 dollar tool to round over the edges I would do it, but anything more than 30 dollars and i can go buy a ready made small table. we dont even need another table, its just me not liking to throw anything away unless it is absolutely impractical.


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

I'd think about taking a stone hammer and chipping away at the edge of the oval. Making for a nice contrast between the finished surface and a rough edge...


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

If I take a hammer to it, it will be 3lb club ( sorry Tom, a 1.36078 kilo), straight across the middle, hold the chisel.


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## woodknots (Mar 7, 2012)

Bob, if you don't want to throw it away, and do any sharpening of tools, plane irons, chisels, etc. with sandpaper, it makes a nice flat surface.


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

vince, got that covered already. I live on a half finished housing estate, surrounded by empty shells. Lots of super smooth marble and granite floor tiles here (lol) That sucker is too heavy to keep lifting on and off the bench


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

sunnybob said:


> vince, got that covered already. I live on a half finished housing estate, surrounded by empty shells. Lots of super smooth marble and granite floor tiles here (lol) That sucker is too heavy to keep lifting on and off the bench


inlay it in the bench...


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

my bench aint got that much spare space!


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## demographic (Aug 12, 2012)

As mentioned, it is possible to rout granite. De-Walt even make a router to do the job but its got a water feed and won't be cheap.









You can also get roundover bits for them but its 90 quid...


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

demographic said:


> As mentioned, it is possible to rout granite. De-Walt even make a router to do the job but its got a water feed and won't be cheap.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You'd definitely need to be in the business to afford a setup like that.


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## ScottyDBQ (Jul 5, 2008)

sunnybob

I was on Amazon today and I did a search for diamond router bits and found that they had a number of different products. Considering the fact that these were not be as popular as router bits for woodworking, they were fairly reasonably priced. There were not a lot of reviews on them so I don't know how well they hold up. I also saw another article on another website that said after using a diamond router bit on granite, marble, concrete etc. it would leave a relatively rough surface. They recommended that after the edge was profiled, that you use 150, then 400, then 800 grit diamond pads which are also listed on Amazon. I did the search is under "diamond router bits" and "diamond pads". Hope this gives you another option.


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

Thanks for all the searching, but this piece just inst worth all this money I would have to spend. i have no plans to do any more stone, so it would all be a one off expense, costing me many times what a new granite table would cost from a shop.


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Maybe you could sell the piece ,someone else might want just that size and shape.

Herb


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