Anyone cut a granite worktop?

[Lee Nowell]

Hi All,

I have bought some pieces of granite worktop for my outdoor BBQ and I now n eed to do a bit of cutting to get them to fit correctly. Searching around for advice on whether this is a DIY task provides mixed reviews. One site I saw suggested getting a diamond tipped blade from a circular saw and go t hrough it very slowly and drop a few mm each time.

Does anyone have any experience in doing this? I have a few straight cuts around 100mm long to make and then one about 300mm.

Failing this, has anyone had experience about asking a professional to do i t - any indication of cost?

thanks

Lee.

[Adrian]

We had a granite worktop fitted in our old place. All cut to size/shape offsite from templates, then delivered and installed, except for tap holes needing to be cut, which they did after installation.

Blimey o'Reilly... Considering that was a pro specialist doing it, what a bloody long job! A well of plasticine or something similar around, filled with water. Then a VERY slow and long session with a holesaw. Must have taken the thick end of an hour for the two holes.

Frankly, bollocks to that.

For outdoor, angle grinder may well be good enough. If so, shouldn't take so long. You've got the granite? Give it a crack! What is there to lose...?

[The Natural Philosopher]

I have cut sandstone with a diamond equipped angle grinder and quartzite with a diamond tile saw. It works, but te latter is very slow.

Did this for marble - they supplied granite. Its expensive. About half the cost or more of what it costs to get them to supply the lot. They were also complete tossers and couldn't read drawings - only 'templates'

[mark]

I have bought some pieces of granite worktop for my outdoor BBQ and I now need to do a bit of cutting to get them to fit correctly. Searching around for advice on whether this is a DIY task provides mixed reviews. One site I saw suggested getting a diamond tipped blade from a circular saw and go through it very slowly and drop a few mm each time.

Does anyone have any experience in doing this? I have a few straight cuts around 100mm long to make and then one about 300mm.

It cuts easily enough with a 9" angle grinder with a diamond blade. I would smooth down some masking tape on the cut line and mark your cut line on that. It'll be easier to see when the dust gets going. I would cut it on a board, you don't want the bit you cut dropping on your foot.

Mask....it's dusty Ear protectors... it's noisy.

mark

[Brian Gaff]

Can it be that hard? I notice that they still make granite table lamps turned out of granite and polished. very nice but don't drop them on your foot! Brian

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I'm from Aberdeen where at one time pretty well all houses were built with it. And yes, it is hard. A normal hammer drill and masonry bit won't touch it. Only thing which did work (before SDS) was a RawlTool. And that was very hard work.

I'm assuming SDS will work - I've not actually tried it since I left Aberdeen long before they were invented. ;-)

[Nick]

I have bought some pieces of granite worktop for my outdoor BBQ and I now need to do a bit of cutting to get them to fit correctly. Searching around for advice on whether this is a DIY task provides mixed reviews. One site I saw suggested getting a diamond tipped blade from a circular saw and go through it very slowly and drop a few mm each time.

Does anyone have any experience in doing this? I have a few straight cuts around 100mm long to make and then one about 300mm.

Failing this, has anyone had experience about asking a professional to do it - any indication of cost?

thanks

Lee.

Definitely a job for the angle grinder. I presume your worktop is 30mm thick. Use gloves, goggles and plenty of water as you cut. A cutting disc in the grinder will work fine. Make several light passes. I have a tenant of 20 years standing who is a stone worker. He has industrial diamond tipped saws for cutting slabs but uses an angle grinder for smaller stuff. Also industrial polishing machines. Some of his product is truly amazing. Old school bloke and very good. IIRC a metal cutting disc will cut stone but a stone cutting disc will not cut metal. Also IIRC stone cutting discs are more prone to shatter. HTH Nick.

[Jonathan]

need to do a bit of cutting to get them to fit correctly. Searching aroun d for advice on whether this is a DIY task provides mixed reviews. One sit e I saw suggested getting a diamond tipped blade from a circular saw and go through it very slowly and drop a few mm each time.

s around 100mm long to make and then one about 300mm.

it - any indication of cost?

We paid as much to get ours cut as the granite cost. It was three three met re lengths though. they did a great job.

Jonathan

[harryagain]

I have bought some pieces of granite worktop for my outdoor BBQ and I now need to do a bit of cutting to get them to fit correctly. Searching around for advice on whether this is a DIY task provides mixed reviews. One site I saw suggested getting a diamond tipped blade from a circular saw and go through it very slowly and drop a few mm each time.

Does anyone have any experience in doing this? I have a few straight cuts around 100mm long to make and then one about 300mm.

Failing this, has anyone had experience about asking a professional to do it - any indication of cost?

thanks

Lee.

It will need a diamond disk and cooling water. NB There are diamond disks and diamond disks. The el cheapos have fewer diamonds and no good at all on granite.

I can't imaging the work ther must be in manufacturing thes ethings.

Even more so these Victorian granite columns you see. Some mad bastard here. Wouldn't fancy his method (water +230 Volts)

[GMM]

I'd be inclined to agree with that approach. A little while ago I laid some granite floor tiles. Only 10mm thick, unlike a worktop, but they cut easily on a regular cheapo diamond wheel tile cutter, which is pretty similar to an angle grinder. The greatest challenge is to keep it on a steady line. I noticed recently that Evolution do a stone cutting disc for a circular saw. No idea, but that might be simpler to get a good line with, running it along a guide (or sawboard).

[John Rumm]

Pretty sure I have trimmed the end of a granite slab once with a diamond disc in an 9" grinder. I would be inclined to do it with water running over it slowly - and you will need a very good quality hard materials disk (the cheaper diamond ones will tend to glaze and stop cutting on things like granite)

[Lee Nowell]

Hi All

Thanks very much for your replies...

I have decided to give it a go and will post back the results. I am a little concerned about getting a straight edge with the grinder and also stopping it from jumping.... So.... I am going to try the circlar saw option...

thanks

Lee.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Grinder wont dump, but saw if wetted is much better.

Take it very slowly

[JimK]

/water +230 Volts/q

Thought USA was 120?

Jim K

[Adrian]

They use 120 mostly, but have 230 for "big stuff".

[JimK]

They use 120 mostly, but have 230 for "big stuff". /q

Er... like...? ....Industrial use in machine shops? If so, why do we 'need' 3 phase etc to do ours?

Jim K

[S Viemeister]

Electric cookers, air conditioners, clothes dryers.

[Andy Burns]

Seems to be a "left hand drive" saw, but he also seems to like pulling it backwards, OK it's not a toothed blade he's using, but I'd have though he might get less judder by pushing it ...

[sm_jamieson]

I must admit I thought granite was harder to cut than that. Diamond blades in circular saws usually sounds like a bad idea, but a tile blade is a lot safer. Simon.

[fred]

In article , Lee Nowell writes

I'm surprised no one mentioned it but there's nothing stopping you clamping a bit of ply (12 or 18mm) to the workpiece to act as a guide for the angle grinder disc. Obviously the guide is soft but you wont be applying any force to it, it is purely there to limit wander and to provide a sacrificial surface should there be any of the jumping you are concerned about (there shouldn't be if you use light strokes. Once started the slot becomes its own guide but retain the ply for protection.