Cutting Marble?

QDude

I just acquired (free!) an 80" by 40" marble table top.  It is over one inch thick and it weighs a ton!  I would like to use it as a work station for my XL with a hole cut out out for the egg.  I am trying to figure out if cutting this hole in the marble is something I can do myself or not.  Has anyone ever done this type of cut?  And do you have any suggestions for the size of hole that will need to be cut for the XL egg?  Thanks for any advice you can offer!

tgkleman

I would take it to a local granite manufacturer and use their waterjet.  That way you will get a perfect holw without the risk of breaking it.

nolaegghead

I second using a waterjet.

fishlessman

only way i think you could cut that at home is with a router and im thinking it may be dangerous for the router and the guy using it. have cut granite with a straight grinder and a diamond wheel and it works ok for straight cutts

Richard Fl

+1 one for the water jet.  I have a table top without a hole that is made up of a marble mosaic that is 30" x 60" and the pieces were from scrap and then cut into rectangular pieces to fit the table top. Does your work area allow you to make a second table the size of the marble slab and use for serving etc like I do?

gdenby

Umm, what was the reason it was for free? Someone make a very bad order, needed 49 x 80, not 40 x 80?  In which case you have a huge slab of good marble. Or, is there a great big flaw. and during the course of drilling and sawing, the slab will turn to several pieces? Does the slab ring when tapped? Or thunk? A ring/chime  means that it most likely wont shatter when cut or drilled.

QDude

Nothing wrong with it. They are moving and didn't want to move it.

Little Steven

We have marble in a couple of bathrooms, in one the sink pattern was wrong and they cut it with an angle grinder and a diamond blade. Water jet is a better option though.

Botch

Michelangelo used a chisel...  

 

Sooo jealous of your acquisition, that's gonna be one beautiful table!  

:-bd

nolaegghead

Hey, I found a video where they cut a semi-round sink hole into granite.  There are sharper curves than what you'd have.  Marble is much softer than granite, so I think this could be doable without too much trouble. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW6oodFioIA

mikeb9550

For me it would depend on how much it cost to have someone cut it. If its cost more than I am willing to pay, I would give it a shot with a grinder with the correct blade.

For example, I have a Snap on Torq Wrench that I got passed on to my from my father in law. It was a top end electronic one he used on his job. I forget but new it was like $1500 - 3000. The only thing wrong with it is that it wont hold a socket  due to the spring. To fix, I would have to send it in for a high cost. Even at this tools very high cost, for my use, its not worth fixing so I just use a socket extension that I rigged up. I use to for checking lug nuts and so on. buy the way, the harbor freight wrenches are around 10 lb or so off ...  I always wondered and now I know.... My buddies laugh when I break this bad boy out. I look for reasons to use it.

bud812

@mikeb9550 Any Snap-On tool dealer should be able to fix that torque wrench on his truck. I delt with Snap-On for 30 years when I was wrenching for a living.

cortguitarman

bud812 said:

@mikeb9550 Any Snap-On tool dealer should be able to fix that torque wrench on his truck. I delt with Snap-On for 30 years when I was wrenching for a living.

+1 on that. My dad has been a Snap-on dealer for 30 years. Snap-On tools have a lifetime warranty. The man can tear down a ratchet in less than a minute. Even if the torque wrench had to be sent off for repair, it would cost nothing to the owner.

QDude

I found a place here that will do it for $100.  Now the big questionis - What size should the hole be for an XL?

nolaegghead

26.25"

http://www.biggreenegg.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/BGE-TP-XL.pdf

nolaegghead

$100 - that's a bargain.

SamFerrise

Good luck on finding a cheap water jet cutting operation.  If you get creative you won't need to cut a hole.

Ellis

Have them or him come to the house and cut it, and when he is done he can help you set the egg in to make sure it fits.  That way you don't have to drag the stone around town. $100 is a good price.  

nolaegghead

Unfortunately, water jet cutters are not portable.  The hole diameter is 26.25".  That's an extra inch larger than the diameter of the egg.

tgkleman

Transporting the marble after it is cut without breaking it will be the real challenge.  Maybe sandwiching between two sheets of plywood?

burr_baby33

You got a bargain on the slab.  This is not a do at home project.  Pay to have it cut and delivered home, professionals know how to do it.

nolaegghead

If you're cutting a 26" hole in a 40" wide slab, you'll have 7" on each side of the hole.  Should be pretty strong for transportation. 

Little Steven

nolaegghead said:

Unfortunately, water jet cutters are not portable.  The hole diameter is 26.25".  That's an extra inch larger than the diameter of the egg.

LMAO,

We looked at water jet to replace a process in our industry. Far from portable.

mikeb9550

cortguitarman said:

@mikeb9550 Any Snap-On tool dealer should be able to fix that torque wrench on his truck. I delt with Snap-On for 30 years when I was wrenching for a living.

+1 on that. My dad has been a Snap-on dealer for 30 years. Snap-On tools have a lifetime warranty. The man can tear down a ratchet in less than a minute. Even if the torque wrench had to be sent off for repair, it would cost nothing to the owner.

Thanks, I will look into this. It doesnt come apart like a normal wrench.  Different kind of setup.

Ellis

Q if you take that slab to a fabricator, like nola said you have 7 " from the hole to the out side edge. Have them put 2 lengths of pencl rod on each side of the hole @ 3 1/2 " about 3 ft. long.Thats what they do for kitchen sink cut outs and thats only about 3 " from the edge to the sink. I have work with about 6 fabricators and they all use angle granders thats why I would think you could have someone come to the house.