Marble?

[Shaunread]

I've asked around various granite and marble businesses to no avail and am struggling to find a marble slab suitable for leathercraft. However, I came upon this (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Extra-Marble-Pastry-Chopping-verygoodbuys/dp/B005VP7LIS) earlier today.

Would something like this be suitable for leathercraft or is it completely not up to the job? I have no idea!

[Northmount]

It will work. Make sure there are no feet on it, else hammering on it will eventually crack and break it. Bottom should rest flat on your work bench. If there are feet that can't be removed, you can cut a wood base to fit it.

Tom

[HippieLee]

I got lucky - The executive boardroom at my company had a granite conference table and one day the CFO leaned on it and the end came crashing down (about a 3x5 foot solid chunk). Just snapped off right where the legs came up. He was lucky too as it just missed all his feet and toes. But when I saw he still had some of the pieces I asked if I could have a chunk and he said yes. So I got a pretty nice (but weirdly irregularly shaped) slab of free granite. Overall a good foot and a half by 2 feet or so. Since I got an end piece it has a nice smooth bullnose along one edge. I love it just because it's not square. And it was free. I probably ought to make him something.

[quirtevans]

???????

Granite is available for free at every granite countertop place I've ever seen...

They have piles of scrap out back they are very happy to have you haul away for free.....

[Eccho]

I agree with quirtevans. I looked in the yellow pages for granite counter tops, called up the first place and the guys asked me what it was for. So, I told him, and he said " well, I have a nice piece of 11/4" by 21" X 18" if you want that". I asked how much, he said, " put a donation in the "Kids Miracle Network " jar on the desk and it's yours. Now I will grant you, it was not free, but I got to make a $20.00 feel good donation, and a kick ass hunk of granite, so win - win in my books. :>)

[hornm]

To summarize again.... You are talking to the wrong people at the shops. The place less than a block from me puts a pile every so often in their driveway for folks to have a go at. You aren't supposed to rummage through their dumpsters but that's where I got my first piece from. Sunday's are good for that but you didn't hear that from me

Horn

[Wild Bill46]

I would agree with the majority,

I too went to a marble and granite counter top manufacturing co, I got one 18" x 28"

and a matching one (same pattern) maybe 12" x 36" for free.

They make you jump through all kinds of hoops though. I need to call the boss for permission, what will it be used for, can you come back tomorrow, ?etc. ? Thats, that much less they have to dispose of. But free is free, and I like mine !

Don't take NO for an answer, Barter if you need to, you can charge a fee to haul it off for them, or you can do it for free.

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

My first slab was Tandy's 12" x 12" x 1". I broke it into many tiny little pieces through average use in just a short time. So I went to a place that makes tombstones. They gave me about a 14" x 28" x 4" or 5" thick piece for free that they had made a mistake on the lettering. It is heavy and on a good day, I can barely lift it myself. I've had it for over 20 years. I skive on a piece of window glass out of a tractor cab, as the granite tombstone isn't polished on the side without the lettering.

[Campchair]

Make a sturdy backing "box" out of 2 pieces of 3/4" plywood glued together with a wood or metal rim running around it. Make sure it is supported 100% on the back side and the countertop weight slab will last forever. I have one I've used for 20+ years. Don't set rivets or snaps on it, though, and don't use a maul too "energetically". Get a piece of laminated solid wood countertop for that.

Get to the right folks at anywhere they actually cut granite for counters, and they will usually let you have all you want. It's a disposal problem for them. Feeding the donation jar is excellent idea, too. Explain that you are not their competition, and they usual are very helpful. And, if you have a countertop job, go back to them and show you remember kind folks who took care of you.

[barehandcustoms]

That granite you linked from Amazon is going to crack the first time you leave any kind of void under it. Dont waste your money on it.

Go grab you a piece of huge granite or marble from one of the dozen stores probably in your area. Just ask to look at their remnant pile. People use those remnants for all kinds of stuff and they are used to people asking about it.

I had one younger guy offer to cut me a *sample* piece for free but I didn't want to impose and found what I needed out in their pile.

Edited June 19, 2014 by barehandcustoms

[sewall]

Anyone ever try "cultured marble" instead of granite..... I noticed places like Restore have fireplace surrounds made of that product.

[keplerts]

I just bought an 15" x 12" piece from Springfield Leather for $18. I bought it and some other supplies to even out the shipping. it is a really nice piece. Although, the first piece I got arrived broken. Just called them up (talked to Emma) and she sent a replacement out right away with a UPS call tag for the broken one. Very pleased with the granite and very pleased with thier service!

Tom

[msdeluca]

I recently picked up a couple of sink cut-outs from my local countertop fabricator. He had a pile of them behind the shop.

I used polyurethane "PL" construction adhesive and glued them together, back to back. It is now 2 1/2" thick and solid... as a rock.

[Camerius]

I recently picked up a couple of sink cut-outs from my local countertop fabricator. He had a pile of them behind the shop.

What I did too here and ended up getting a good square foot of dark polished tabletop marble, all for free.

[cgleathercraft]

I picked up four 3/8" thick pieces of flooring granite at Menards and glued them together with Gorilla Glue. Its solid in the center and heavy. Made the mistake of attempting to set a snap close to a corner and took a sizable chunk out of all 4 pieces. Its cheap, total cost was about $15 and the glue was about $10 of it. Its by no mean a permanent solution but works when your on a budget. My brother works construction so i'll have to ask him if he can pick up some scraps from countertops. He salvages tons of lumber from the dumpster for home projects/gifts. It saves the company on landfill costs so they are ok with it.

[oltoot]

Anyone ever try "cultured marble" instead of granite..... I noticed places like Restore have fireplace surrounds made of that product.

For ~25 years a piece of cultured marble was all I had. I have kept it for an additional 25 yrs and skive on it. My tooling surface is a reject grave marker that I got from a monument place. 12x 24x 3" thick. inlet into a space on a stand that has a truck wheel base with a piece of 6" pipe to a table base of 4x18 C steel (think 1/2 of an H) to a 1" angle iron table frame the top being plywood 2ft x 3ft. 1/2 rubber belting between slab and steel

[JohnD]

I used the free cast offs from a countertop place for a few years, until my brother in law bought out a closed machine shop and ended up with a bunch of granite surface plates that he let me grab a couple of. I built a work bench that the plate fits recessed into from some reclaimed 3x4 oak, so the whole thing cost me only some elbow grease.

[Palermo]

You can buy prefabricated marble slab for $125 big enough for a work bench

You can buy prefabricated marble slab for $125 big enough for a work bench