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Do your prepwork
•
Semi Precious stone cut only wet
(with water). In either case, it’s a
mess, so set up a work area, with
tables or flat surface on floor that
can support the stone, where the
work won’t affect other areas of
the home.
•
Cutting wet (which will pro-
bably require buying or renting
a wet-cutting saw) will create a
slurry that needs to be hosed off.
Cutting dry creates a dust cloud
that will travel.
•
Ear, eye, and dust protection are
essential.
•
The primary cutting tools for sto-
ne are a circular saw or an angle
grinder. (same use of granite/
marble stone)
Procedure of cutting handing and installation
Materials needed
Seam setter, 4’ level, angle grinder
with diamond blade, caulk gun, acrylic
caulk, shims, painter’s tape, measu-
ring tape, two-part epoxy for nonpo-
rous applications, cardboard or similar
material for template (optional), proper
protective equipment, utility knife, jab
saw, pencil, granite sealer, granite cle-
aner, soft cloth.
How to cut a semi precious stone slab
1.
Set up stone on a stable work sur-
face and clamp it down.
2.
Measure and mark the cut line. To
minimize chip-out, cover the cut
line with blue tape. Remeasure
and mark the tape.
3.
If using a circular saw, blue-tape
the shoe of the saw to minimize
the risk of metalon-slab scra-
tching.
4.
If using a grinder DO NOT remove
the guard. A face shield is recom-
mended.
5.
Set up a straightedge guide like a
shoot board.
6.
Using an angle grinder is a fre-
ehand-cut method.
7.
Whichever tool you use, keep the
tool moving, but do not force the
tool. This will minimize chip-out
and deliver the cleanest cut. If the
tool is really laboring, make the
cut in two passes.
8.
Some installers back-cut the slab.
In other words, they make a 2-inch
kerf at the finished end of the cut,
so the slab doesn’t significantly
chip or break upon completion of
the cut.
9.
Use an angle grinder with poli-
shing pads to clean up the saw
marks on the cut edge and to
“break” or micro-bevel the 90-de-
gree cut edge to soften it. Pads
start at 50- grit and go up to 3000
or more depending on the smo-
othness and sheen desired.
10. The process is mainly the same
to cut granite/marble countertop
for a sink. To transition directions,
holes are drilled in each corner of
the slab at the sink location and
plunge cuts are necessary to en-
ter the slab surface.
General recommendations
Employers who are engaged in the
handling and storage of slabs must
prevent caught-by, struckby, and/or
crushed-by hazards in their workplace.
The following are general recommen-
dations:
1.
Pre-plan work to identify the ha-
zards, safe work practices, and
the equipment that will be used to
perform the work safely.
2.
Develop and implement safe sto-
ne slab handling procedures for
transporting, loading and unlo-
ading slabs from containers and
storage areas.
3.
Provide
mechanical
handling
equipment appropriate to the
task.
4.
Inspect material handling equi-
pment before use to assure that
it is in good condition. Defective
equipment must be immediately
reported and repaired or replaced
before use.
5.
Instruct and train employees on
the proper material handling pro-
cedures.
6.
Ensure that employees follow safe
stone slab handing procedures.
Recommendations for storage
The following recommendations will
minimize the potential hazards asso-
ciated with “stone racks” and other
storage racks for storing stone slabs:
1.
Design storage racks to withstand
the loads and forces imposed on
them.
2.
Design a storage rack system to
secure slabs from shifting, sliding
and collapsing, or provide secon-
dary bracing or a restraint system
to secure slabs from shifting, sli-
ding and collapsing.
3.
Ensure that the “slab racks” are
properly installed. Inspect each
component to ensure that poles
can be inserted into the holes.
4.
Maintain the rack, ensuring that
no debris or other objects interfe-
re with the insertion of the poles
used with “slab racks.”
5.
Develop and implement procedu-
res for the placement and removal
of slabs from the racks, keeping
employees out of danger zones.
6.
Do not allow employees to use
damaged storage racks.
7.
Inspect the storage racks prior to
loading. Ensure that the racks are
properly installed. Look for:
•
Cracked welds;
•
Cracked structural members;
•
Deformed
or
bent
structural
members;
•
Splits in wooden supports;
•
Areas that show that the rack has
been damaged or overloaded;
and
•
Poles or other uprights not seated
properly in sockets or holes.
The following recommendations will
minimize the potential hazards asso-
ciated with handling and transporting
stone slabs:
1.
Avoid manual lifting of stone slabs
where possible. Use mechani-
cal aids (slab dollies, suction li-
fts, scissor clamps, etc.). Lift only
loads that can be safely handled.
2.
Use the proper material handling
equipment, such as an overhead
crane with appropriate approved
attachments, or a forklift truck
equipped with appropriate and
approved boom attachments and
lifting devices, or other equipment
to assist with the unloading and
loading of slabs.
3.
Place the clamp on the secure
area of the stone when moving
and/or lifting a slab with a scis-
sor clamp. Placing the clamp over
a weak vein can cause the stone
to break and fall. Clamps should
be used only on grade “A” marble
and other solid stones without
flaws, open seams, or cracks.
4.
Assure that a suction cup is rated
to lift these types of finishes when
moving unpolished slabs with a
suction cup lifter.
5.
Do not use scissor clamps on
equipment operating on uneven
surfaces.
6.
Never stand under, near or in the
fall shadow of a slab when mo-
ving it with an overhead crane.
Use a tag line to control slabs
being supported or moved while
suspended from a crane cable to
prevent them from falling or top-
pling.
7.
Always walk at the end of the slab.
Never walk in the “fall shadow”
of a slab. The “fall shadow” is the
area on both sides of the slab
where the slab could land and
topple if it were to fall.
8.
Assure that dollies used to move
stone slabs are designed to sup-
port the weight of the slab.
9.
Have employees walk on either
end of the dolly to support the
slab.
10. Raise the load only as far as ne-
cessary to clear the road surface
or obstacles when using powered
industrial trucks
11. Only handle loads within the rated
capacity of the truck when using
powered industrial trucks.
12. Remove the supports and bracing
from the stone slab bundles insi-
de shipping/storage containers
using a sequence that does not
allow for the other slabs to shift or
collapse.
Recommendations for handling and in-house transport of stone slabs
