OK, not wood turning but ...
Some time ago a fellow gave me a rather big chunk of alabaster. I've been considering what I should do with it. Several pages I've viewed show some really cool items like vases & bowls made from the stuff on a wood lathe. Has anyone here tried working with it?
I've got a diamond tile wet saw but it's only got about a 1.5" thickness capacity so I decided to risk sacrificing a cheap back saw I had lying around. To my surprise the alabaster cut quite easily with the saw. Most of the reference pages suggest carbide scraper tools are the first choice for tool material for working with the stone although high speed tools are considered workable.
1. Has anyone in this forum worked with alabaster and if so -
2. Is HSS effective for doing so and ...
3. Any heads up suggestions on the process.
I'm thinking in my case at least, using it as an inlay. It's extremely soft (I can almost scratch it with my finger nail) so is there a way to reinforce or protect the surface.
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Cheers - Dennis
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