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How to Make a Rock into a Sink

February 11, 2016

6 tools + 4 hours = 1 sink

The Samurai Carpenter does something today that he has wanted to do for a long time: Carve a stone into something. After finding a rock in a hole, Samurai carpenter has his weekend project.

"You might think I’m going to sit here like Michaelangelo and chisel away, and I wish I had the time and the skill to do that, but I don’t …”

So he turns to a diamond cutoff saw to make relief cuts in the stone, to pound out. Next, he’ll use a diamond grinder to smooth the sink bowl.

But first, he brings the rock to a dark place and uses a laser level to mark a flat line around the bottom of the rock to so the sink will sit on the vanity.

  • He marks the line with a Sharpie.
  • Next, he makes a grid of relief cuts with the diamond cutoff saw and removes them with a hammer and cold chisel.
  • The cuts go to the sharpie line.
  • Then Samurai smooths the surface with the diamond grinder.
  • He uses a large tile to check that the cut is flat and continues to grind until it is so.

BTW, safety glasses are a pretty important piece of equipment when breaking rock in the hot sun.

  • Next, he marks the circumference of the sink bowl with a Sharpie and begins the relief cuts to remove stone for a sink bowl. Note that Samurai has changed fro grid to a series of long cuts and one perpendicular cut. This allows him to knock out bigger pieces and spend less time cutting.
  • Chip out the relief cuts, cut deeper, and repeat.
  • Use a hammer-chisel to clean up the bowl before grinding it with a diamond grinder.
  • Talk on the phone while the camera is running to establish 'contractor cred’ for the video
  • Get back to work as if nothing happened.

Tools needed:

  • Cutoff saw with a diamond blade ($30 rental)
  • Hammer chisel
  • Angle grinder with a diamond blade
  • Hammer
  • Cold chisel
  • Laser level

"If you’re on your way to Home Cheapo to buy a sink, why don’t you just tell them to suck it and make one out of stone …"

The Samurai Carpenter is a timber framer and furniture maker in Victoria, BC. See more on his YouTube channel

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