By Adam Kelliher
The short answer: to start cutting stones you need two machines, a trim saw and a cabbing arbor with diamond wheels, plus a few cheap extras such as templates, an aluminum scribe and dop wax. If you can afford it, buy both machines new, run them with water, and leave the specialty gear until you know what you like to cut.
If you already tumble, this is the next step. Here's what I'd buy first, why, and what can wait. It follows the equipment advice in my book Beyond Cabbing.[1]
Why lapidary gear costs so much
Stone equipment is a niche. Not many companies make it, demand is low, and so are the volumes. That's the reason for the price, and you won't find most of it in a hardware store.[1]
New or used?
A lot of people start with a used machine to save money. I'd buy new if you can. A used machine that doesn't run right is the fastest way I know to kill a new hobby. You spend your evenings fixing it instead of cutting. A machine that works straight out of the box is worth a lot when you're learning.[1] Used is fine once you know what a healthy machine sounds like. Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist can also turn up local welders and machinists who build lapidary machines at fair prices.[1]
1. A trim saw
This cuts slabs down to a workable size. A 6, 8 or 10 inch economy lapidary blade is plenty to start, either continuous-rim sintered or plated. Don't use a tile-saw blade. Skip the niche opal blades too, because as a beginner you'll be cutting lower-grade agates and jaspers and you want a blade that can handle them.[1] Trim saw blades are usually 4 to 8 inches across, and they're all diamond.[3] Run your trim saw with water, not oil.[1]
2. A cabbing arbor with diamond wheels
The arbor is the machine that shapes and polishes. Think of it as a high-end bench grinder with a thicker, truer shaft, waterproof bearings and a steady water drip.[1] Compact 4 to 6 inch machines suit a garage or den. Eight-inch machines are heading toward production scale, with bigger motors and a bigger footprint.[1]
The book's standard setup is seven wheels: steel-hub wheels at 60, 100 and 220 grit for shaping, then sponge-backed wheels at 280, 600, 1200 and 3000 for smoothing and polishing. Most arbors hold six, so the 100 is the one you can skip.[1] Get 1.5 or 2 inch wide wheels. The 1 inch ones are really for carvers.[1]
Why the water? It cools the wheel and stone, and it traps the dust. Dry grinding stone makes fine silica dust, which you don't want in your lungs.[1] We cover that in more detail in our post on silica dust and wet cutting.
3. The small stuff
- Templates and an aluminum scribe. Lapidary templates help you mark clean shapes. An aluminum scribe draws a much finer line on stone than any felt pen.[1]
- Dop sticks and dop wax. Dowels from 3 to 10 mm, 4 to 6 inches long, for holding the stone. UV resin is an alternative.[1]
- Safety gear. Safety glasses and a dust mask.[1][3]
What can wait
A flat lap, a rotary tool with diamond burrs, felt wheels and diamond paste are all great, but they're not where I'd start. Buy them when a project needs them. A rotary tool is the exception if you want to carve or drill. It can get into spots a wheel can't.[3]
Your first project
Start with a standard 18 x 25 mm cabochon. It teaches you every basic skill: sawing, shaping, the dome and the polish.[1] We walk through it in How a Cabochon Is Cut, Step by Step. For material, a good jasper or agate rough is forgiving to learn on.
Lapidary equipment for beginners does not have to be bought all at once. Start with what you need for your first stones, then browse our full tool range and lapidary tools as you go.
See what's new: browse our newest arrivals for the latest pieces added to the shop.
Sources
- Adam Kelliher, Beyond Cabbing (A Lapidary Handbook), Section 1: Tumbling and Cutting a Cabochon; Volume II: Abrasives & Compounds and Lapidary Safety.
- Kingsley North, The Ultimate Guide to Lapidary Equipment for Beginners: trim saw blade sizes, diamond blades, rotary tools and safety gear.