provided by: 
I have focused on tools to fabricate solid surface materials for more than two decades. Thoughts of offering stone and e-stone (quartz surfacing) production tools continually got pushed to the bottom of the list mainly because of our lack of knowledge of what tools were needed. We have offered handling equipment for years but it was never our focus.
Recently our general manager and I took a trip to Elberton, Ga., "the Granite Capital of the World." After spending a day with importers of stone tools, we both realized stone fabrication is no more difficult than solid surface fabrication; it's just slower and the tools are a little different. We both feel that our existing database of fabricators is more than capable of making the transition if shown a clear way to do so. What we decided to do is to offer our thoughts on how to make the transition.
Let's start with the basics. We quickly saw that a forklift is a must to handle the slabs that range in weight from 500 to 800 lbs., far more than a typical sheet of solid surface material, commonly weighing in at 135 lbs. You'll need a boom for your forklift to get the slabs off the truck, and you'll need what is called a lifter. A lifter hangs from the boom and is placed over the sheet kind of like you would place your hand over the sheet. The lifter clamps tight to the slab allowing it to be lifted (thus the name) and carried to a dolly or worktable. A slab could then be placed on an A-frame cart handler to be transported to a fabrication table.
The next thing you will have to do is to cut the slab into manageable pieces. Cutting straight lines can easily be achieved with a rail saw that cuts the slab while water cools the blade. Did I say water? I did, and you use lots of it. Many shops have been built to handle the wastewater through drains in the floor, and some even have sediment tanks that separate the water from the grit by gravity. Many shops just pump the wastewater outside their shop. You'll have to see what your local ordinances allow you to do before you start cutting.
Once slabs have been reduced in size, it's time to fabricate. Here's where things differ from solid surface materials. First of all, as I mentioned above, everything uses water and lots of it. If you're fabricating quartz surfacing, you'll use even more. The router you're used to is replaced with either an angle grinder or an edge polisher. Your carbide bits and blades are now all diamond and your sander no longer exists. The material has changed and the tools have changed but the fabrication is basically the same.
Grinders are used for profiling and differ as much as routers do. You can purchase an inexpensive one from the big box stores or you can invest in more expensive tooling that is designed to last. Some of the better tools are designed to be multipurpose, meaning that in many instances you can use the same tool for different jobs by changing the tooling being used.
Profiling the front edge should be done with a high-quality grinder mounted to a base that rides the surface of the material. The grinder overhangs the edge and cuts the profile. Profiling is done in several stages using diamond profiling wheels and polishing pads. The stages are simply the individual steps it takes to get the desired finish. Unlike router bits, the profiling wheels are limited to just a few common shapes and a few more exotic ones. Most profiling wheels have bearings to index against the work much like a router bit. The polishing wheels are used free-hand once the shape has been made.
Sink cutouts can be a problem if you are trying to free-hand them using a grinder and a concave diamond blade. The hole produced free-hand could take hours to finish. Some companies offer grinders fitted to fixtures that ride either an oval or a round template. The template is typically held in place with a vacuum, and the better systems cut most all common bowl sizes and tables if you have a need by adjusting the tool on the template to cut the needed dimensions. Using this type of fixture, a fabricator can cut and finish a bowl cutout in as little as 30 minutes, a huge time savings over the free-hand method. Mounting a sink bowl can be accomplished using sink-setter brackets.
While you are fabricating these stone products, it's important that you don't scratch the surface. Unlike solid surface materials, the stone products come prepolished, and refinishing a stone surface is no easy task.
Once your top is done, it will need to be transported to the jobsite. The use of heavy-duty carts aid in this task. A-frame type carts can be forklifted or rolled onto your delivery truck. Careful strapping is a must because of the weight of the tops being transported.
Installation is similar to solid surface. A double check of the template and measurements before the top is taken off the truck is recommended, as with any top. Field seams are glued using a color-matched adhesive, but the seam will be visible, so let your customer know that in advance. Shimming the top can easily be accomplished, and composite shims work well for this because they are not affected by the weight of the top or any moisture they may come in contact with.
That's about it. As you can see, these materials can be fabricated by shops currently producing solid surface tops if they are willing to make necessary changes for the transition. The investment to get started fabricating these materials, excluding a forklift, can be as little as $20,000 to $25,000. Fabricating stone isn't for everyone, but for those who want to keep up with the growing trends in surfaces, it's a must.
About the author:
John Michaels is owner of Specialtytools.com, P.O. Box 600696, Jacksonville, FL 32260, 904-880-4944, john@specialtytools.com, www.specialtytools.com.
author: By John Michaels