Rawhide Report post Posted August 13, 2007 I have the 1 1/2 inch thick by 12 inch square slab that I got from Tandy, but it seems small for some of the larger carving pieces I want to do. So I found a 2 foot by 3 foot slab out in my back yard that had been there for who knows how long, I bought the house 4 years ago and it was out there when we bought the house. I grabbed it up and got to looking at it, I scrubbed it clean with dish detergent and water and got all the dirt off it, but it is pitted and I fear it will harm the cased leather if I try to tool on this the way it is. What I am wondering is if there is some type of poly cote I can put on it that will smooth it out and allow me to tool on it without fear of it harming the cased leather. If not some type of poly something else I can cote the slab with to seal it and make it usable for tooling...Anything you folks can come up with is much appreciated! Thanks Mike I don't know what kind of resin you can buy to fill the voids and eliminate the pitting, but I'm sure you'll pay at least $20 for the chemicals. You can go to a head stone maker (grave stone) and get one of the screw-ups for little or nothing. I bought a piece two feet, by four feet and had them split it into two tooling stones for $40. I could have had the one for $20. Just my $.02. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gtwister09 Report post Posted October 16, 2007 We have had a couple of requests for additional information on the ergonomic sit-stand workbench. Have included 3 PDFs that provide pictures, details, notes and such for the workbench and also for tooling racks. Sorry that it took so long to get these out there! Enjoy. Regards, Ben Mobile_Ergonomic_Sit_Stand_Workbench.pdf Additional_Details_and_Notes_for_the_Mobile_Ergonomic_Sit_Stand_Leather_Tooling_Workbench.pdf Mobile_Ergonomic_Sit_Stand_Workbench.pdf Additional_Details_and_Notes_for_the_Mobile_Ergonomic_Sit_Stand_Leather_Tooling_Workbench.pdf Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Craw Report post Posted October 16, 2007 This is another great topic, but one which I wish I had been a part of about a year ago, before I ran all over Southeast Georgia looking for that perfect stone. Mine is a piece of marble, the broken off bottom of a crypt door that had been thrown out in a field behind an undertaker's business. Mine was very rough, but if the one you have access to is marble, and you have a random orbit sander, you can make is smooth as silk by working down from very course to fine (240 or so) grits. Also, don't discount a free slab if it's only 12" x 18" x 1.5" or thereabouts. After wrestling my 2 foot by 2 foot by 2 1/2 inch thick prize home and sanding the entire top, I find that I only use the 18" x 12" portion right in front of me. The rest of the top could have been plywood covered with laminate or heavy polyurathane to protect it from the moisture in the leather. If it's the same level as your tooling surface, you can tool large saddle parts without worrying about them falling off the bench. Because of a back injury, I mounted mine on a table about chest height, so that I can tool standing up. Mike Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
robert Report post Posted October 17, 2007 (edited) my dad got new granite countertops installed, and they cut out the hole for the sink on site... they started to haul it off, but good ol' dad was thinking about me and told them to just leave it. but you gotta figure they do that at just about every job... the first piece i had was also from a countertop place- they took their scraps and threw them in the mudholes in their work yard... i think they laughed when i was fishing them out of the mud... Edited October 17, 2007 by robert Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chris B Report post Posted October 17, 2007 Wow, thanks for all of that info... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Elton Joorisity Report post Posted October 17, 2007 I am a full time carpenter so I get to find lots of great deals and ideas. Our Granite supplier told me that they probably send two or three ton of waste granite out every three months or so. Jeff told me that I could get all I wanted and he even delivered me three 24 x 18 x 1 1/2 inch pieces the last time they were out. I have since found a piece the same width and length but 4 1/2 inches thick and find it a lot better to stamp on. I have started to use the 1 1/2" to skive on and let Candace wail away on some stamps on it when she's bored. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gtwister09 Report post Posted October 17, 2007 Sorry... I placed two of the same file in the previous post. Here's the real 3rd PDF that contains the tool racks. Regards, Ben A_Modification_of_Verlane_and_Dale_Tool_Racks.pdf A_Modification_of_Verlane_and_Dale_Tool_Racks.pdf Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
