Has anyone ever tried to turn stone on the lathe

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I fear asking this because I think many many many hazards must be associated with this technique. BUUUUUUUT I was looking up a new stone distributor and I fell upon this guy http://www.turnedstone.com - a stone lathe turner -
under the works area - I’m in love with the 4th one down from the top. Serious love.

I do not believe I will be trying this anytime soon because I have very little experience on the lathe. Nor do I really want to be in the room as someone is “experimenting” with a 50lb rock hurling around.
But I just wanted to feed this into the interwebs.

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yes I’ve done some alabaster. As a friend once said - it is the sort of thing you want to do IN SOMEONE ELSE’S SHOP. There was dust everywhere in everything for months.

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In general stone needs to be worked wet to keep it
from geting to hot and cracking,

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I carve soapstone with my students…I am permanently covered in a fine layer of dust…I think it keeps me well preserved. I’m actually 85 years old.

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I use to carve jet, which is basically fossilized coal with
my flix shaft, I would get covered in a fine black dust, I would
take a bath and It would remain in places, Take a bath, empty the
black water, refil cal huby to find the spots that are still bkack

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What he is trying or should be meaning to say is “Not in Machine Shop but maybe Wood Shop.”

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Soapstone might be different since it is not a heat sensive

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This is the sort of thing you do on a junked out lathe (like the old south bend) in a confined space you are OK never getting clean again.

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We do not want the grit from stones in our machines, unless they are grinding machines designed to handle the grit and abrasive nature. Period. End of paragraph. Next Chair and or by committee vote may allow it - I won’t.

It will contaminate coolant, pumps, clump, mess with ways, possibly do other unknown evils. If another committee wants to risk their machines, they are free to do so. I wouldn’t put talc or gypsum into the machines so don’t want soap stone grit/powder in there either. Machine Shop allows: Metals, Plastics, and Wood (although you’ll get poor results with latter) - which is a wide range of materials.

If lapidary type work, e.g. working with stone or minerals is desired then there are tools designed for that. I hope a committee will acquire such tools in the future, I’m sure there is interest.

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empty the black water,

Ol’, black water, keep on rollin’

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Don’t try to turn stoned on the lathe either.

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Most people I know who do this use a wood lathe and scrapers. Personally I would like to try it some day but it creates so much in the way of heavy dust we should not do it at the space. We aren’t good enough at cleaning up after ourselves or protecting the guy next to us from our creations. I will say I love the 4th bowl down in the gallery Nicole linked as well. Wonderful shape and translucence.

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As with most things, power tools are not usually the best way…

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I agree. this is how I learned at the AAW symposium in the 90’s. I did mine on a regular wood lathe and a scraper. Another master at this type of work is Max Krimmel at max krimmel.
And I have to agree with @Photomancer. If that was ever done in the machine shop it would cover everything from automotive to Vector. At least the wood shop is confined (heh heh).
no seriously, if anyone wants to do this, it needs to be done OUTSIDE.

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