Cutting an Arkansas Stone

[JCKT]

What is the best way to cut an Arkansas stone? I see that there are masonry cutting wheels for angle grinders, do you think this will work for an Arkansas stone? Or is there a better method out there? Are there any other considerations I need to make?

Link to cutting wheel example: http://www.harborfreight.com/pack-of-10-4-1-2-half-inch-cut-off-wheels-for-masonry-45431.html

Thanks again for all of your help!

 

[HeavyHanded]

You can buy a diamond grit sawsall blade and do it with one of the manual blade adapters. It will cut anything and a lot of it, if used with some moderate pressure. I used it to cut the downside of my soft Arkansas stone into a waterstone lapping/flattening stone - cut it pretty easily as I recall. I also used it to cut slices off of all my waterstones for matching "Nagura" stones and cut a combination stone right down the middle - blade is still going strong.

 

[JCKT]

You can buy a diamond grit sawsall blade and do it with one of the manual blade adapters. It will cut anything and a lot of it, if used with some moderate pressure. I used it to cut the downside of my soft Arkansas stone into a waterstone lapping/flattening stone - cut it pretty easily as I recall. I also used it to cut slices off of all my waterstones for matching "Nagura" stones and cut a combination stone right down the middle - blade is still going strong.

Thank you for the quick reply, where would I get one of those? Any major home improvement store?

Also, if you were going to round the edges of a stone, how would you do it? Would you use a belt sander or a different method?

Thank you again for your time!

 

[HeavyHanded]

Thank you for the quick reply, where would I get one of those? Any major home improvement store?

Also, if you were going to round the edges of a stone, how would you do it? Would you use a belt sander or a different method?

Thank you again for your time!

Pretty sure I picked it up at HD or Lowes, cannot remember the brand but think it was Diablo. Make sure its diamond because they sell a carbide one that isn't as robust. It ran about $20, but I am impressed at how much material it has cut and continues to cut.

To round the edges I'd use some silicon carbide grit on a tile rubbing stone or similar. A hardware store silicon carbide combination stone will work well too, just rub it down by hand. Assuming you're talking about the long edges, I'd use the cheap SIC stone and plenty of water, maybe even thicken it up with some dish soap to make sure it doesn't glaze the Arkansas. It will work plenty quick.

Martin

 

[Bill DeShivs]

A diamond bladed tile wet saw would work well. Dust from grinding whetstones is very bad for you.