Granite Slab Question

[johnggrg]

I would like to know if a granite slab 9x12 x2 inch thick piece be good enough for tooling or would I need 3 inch thick? Please let me know. Thank you. John

[TapTapTap]

I would like to know if a granite slab 9x12 x2 inch thick piece be good enough for tooling or would I need 3 inch thick? Please let me know. Thank you. John

John,

The thickness of the marble you have is adequate for just about anything to do with leatherwork. The main thing you must do is ensure the slab is sitting on a smooth level surface so that you don't get any movement. With a small size slab ( 9 X 12 ) I would make a false top on my workbench to make it level with the slab. This will help you when you are carving a large project. I got my slab of marble (18 X 18 X 2) from a stone mason who made head stones. They quite often have off cuts. I used to tell people that the underside had all the details carved on it except for the date. But then I have a weird sense of humour.

regards,

TapTapTap

[azrider]

The ones I use are 1 inch or 1.5 inches thick. As long as your surface under the stone is solid, you should be fine witha two inch thick one. I added a bunch of reinforcement under my desk I tool on, and was amazed by what a difference it made.

[johnggrg]

Thank you for the replies. That's all I needed to know. Great help thank you. john

[Gawdzilla]

You can also corral it with quarter round to keep it in place.

[wolvenstien]

I think the main idea of a slab is two fold, something smooth for the leather to work upon and something heavy enough to pound on without giving bounce. Suchs to have bounce when tooling and you get a double or triple imprint of your tool. I use a 1.5 inch thick slab that I picked up as scrap from a granite counter top shop. Piece weighs about 75 pounds and it does not move when I tool.

[RobDude30]

I think you will be fine as well as long as your bench is stable as someone else mentioned. I have a very heavy workbench (metal frame with 2" thick wood top) and use a large piece of granite tile 1 1/4" thick that came off the side of a high rise building downtown. It does just fine and doesn't move a bit when I beat on it.