kinda curious

[vibes]

I was hunting in the St. Joe river and found a rock I can't seem to figure out...it's the one on the left above the horseshoe. The green and cream colors are amazing...and it's SO smooth, but just that part, not the bottom of the rock.

 

[Mike_of_Tenn]

brand new a small one runs around 100-$200 for about a 4 incher, 8 inchers probably $500-1000. I'd look on e-bay as there is always one for sale there, or google used lapidary saws, there are loads listed

Do a search on home-made lapidary tools. You can build one pretty cheap. Also I have seen LOTS of home-made rock tumblers made from old tires and other things. Just some food for thought.

Mike

 

[mnlineman]

Jasper maybe?

 

[goldinmypan]

Look into a 10" tile saw. I found a MK tile saw at a yard sale for $300. It handles up to 4 inch rocks, larger if you cut from all sides. One of my favorate things is finding out what the rocks look like on the inside.

 

[EggyOG]

You don't have to worry about cutting your fingers off. I'm sure you could do it, but it would take an awfully long time and a lot of pressure. One of the jokes we play on people when we show them how to cut is we "slip" and hold our fingers on the blade. If you scream a little bit it really gets a reaction. The problem is that the diamond wheel doesn't cut your skin, much less lop off fingers.