Thread: Question for you rock hounds.

Well no chips falling off. It looks like it was chipped from hitting something. I do know that slate comes in many colors...I guess I didn't say that right. It's not the color so much that makes me think it's not slate. It's that it doesn't seem like it's layered.
I'm going to take the diamond wheel to the top of it then lap it on SIC and see what I get. I just wanted to post some pictures before it was cut to see if anybody had an idea.

I'll venture a guess at a quartzite.
If it is, it may make a good hone but will take some work to lap it.

I thought that might be it also and BOY are you right about taking a lot of work to lap. I figured I would "just" knock down the high spots with the cutting wheel or the grinding disc on the angle grinder. Yeah, well the angle grinder barely even touched it. The belt sander with the Al oxide belt did a little better but that makes an unpleasant mess so back to hand lapping on the diamond plate first. I have one I got in a lot of stones that I don't really use for much as it is too course. After that it will be back to the SIC plate. What is so far revealed though is a beautiful medium dark green and almost gem like smooth surface but opaque. Think of a yellow coticule except green and shinier. I can't wait to see how it turns out.

Please, post pics of your progress with it.
My quartzite cut fast with slurry from a diamond plate on one side and give a nice frosty bevel with oil on a well prepped and burnished other side.
If you're happy with it after lapping, you may want to find someone to cut it so you can use 2 sides. Double the lapping fun

I had actually thought about cutting it in half or possibly into three. I think three would be a little bit too thin though. I think that would take more than just a wet tile saw as hard as this thing is. Probably need to take it to a granite cutter I would imagine.

If it's quartzite that's metamorphosed sandstone and is tough stuff indeed. You need a proper saw to cut that stuff like a diamond saw.

This is a pic of some purple quartzite found in the devils lake area of Wisconsin, unique stuff.

I have a friend who has a tile saw but I'm afraid that this stone is just a little big for it. The wet tile saw will cut it I'm sure but it is usually used for tile which is normally 3/16 to1/4 inch thick and certainly always less than an inch. Maybe I'm wrong but I'm sort of thinking it would be like trying to cut a railroad tie on the table saw. You could do it but it's really pushing the boundaries.