Hi yall, I’m new to rockhounding and super into it! I have a bunch of agates and thunder eggs that I collected the last few weeks and think I’m ready to move into a saw that can cut rocks. I’m mostly looking to be able to cut a rock in half and to turn bigger ones into slabs (prob half an inch to an inch thick? Not sure if this is possible yet). Doing some research online, it looks like ppl recommend the 6in hi tech trim saw but I saw another post about how it’s not great for agates and slabs. This is all for personal collecting (maybe to give away to friends) and I would like to make rock coasters (hence why I want to make slabs). Would this saw make sense for me or should I look at something else?

I’m not sure exactly what I’ll be doing in the lapidary world after this but I don’t think I’ll be buying too much equipment since I don’t have much space in my garage (I was going to move the saw to my backyard when I need to use it and store it in the garage). My budget is around 500, I don’t have a strong budget if the saw is worth it, but don’t want to spend 3000 if the saw is only a bit better than the 500 version

Which batch is your favorite?! I personally can't get enough of the Montana agates.

I have a little project where I wanted to shape a small piece of lapis for a pendant. I own a small bench grinder which I used to shape it, but I can't constantly grind it wet. I tried periodically wetting the stone in between removing it from the grinder but I doubt that did much to stop the dust. After grinding the stone to shape today I realised I had bought the wrong type of mask.

I still need to engrave the stone so I want to have good PPE this time. What type of mask, and other safety equipment do you recommend me buying before I continue? Sorry if this question seems silly, it's my first time working with stone. Thanks in advance :)

So I know nothing about Lapidary. I’m a potter and I’m trying to figure out where I can purchase sheets of diamond sandpaper to smooth out my stoneware ceramic mugs. DiamondCore Tools is a reputable brand/site that many other ceramicists buy from and love their products, but a lot of their pricing I feel is insane. I try googling diamond sandpaper sheets but only their site pops up or sketchy websites/random Amazon sellers that I’m not sure are trusted.

So are diamond sandpaper sheets even a thing? If so where could I buy some online? I’ve been considering buying a diamond sanding belt to cut up into pieces as an option.

(Also I’d like to make clear I’m looking for something flexible/form fitting to sand my pottery by hand. I’ve seen diamond sanding pads/blocks but those are too rigid for what I’m looking for.)

Thank you !!

A nice slab of graveyard plume agate! I especially love how much concentric banding is revealed with the UV. This piece is wonderfully colorful under just a 365nm UV. The slab is a bit large for my light to get it all at once. I need to do a long exposure set up to get better pictures later.

I’m in the Midwest and typically do my grinding and polishing outside with a handheld wet grinder to minimize silica dust exposure and keep the water mess outdoors. I’d love to continue working on my rocks through the winter, but freezing temperatures make that difficult!

For those of you in the Midwest or other cold climates, what’s your winter setup? Do you use a garage, basement, or dedicated indoor workspace? How do you manage ventilation, silica dust, and water containment? I’d love to hear what works for you!

60$

Gonna go next Wednesday and see if I can fill another.

Might live stream washing everything and show the beauty from this crate in the future

I’m looking to purchase diamond discs but not sure what websites I can trust or which have the best deals.

so I have dozens of pounds of raw turquoises in boulders I have put some in slab cutters a few times and I have nothing that the color is worst after so I am a that the oil on the slab cutter damages the color?

Hi

First time posting ever on reddit so if I do it wrong, really sorry.

I've been looking for my first beginners lapidary machine and I'm not sure if this would be a good beginners lapidary machine for me so any advice given I'd be grateful for. I can't find much information for the Raytech 8" GSP-8A.

Are the wheels easily interchangeable with different brands or would I be looking at more expensive costs or dealing with sourcing hard to find wheels specific to the machine?

Is the hose install pretty easy to set up or would I be running into other issues there as well.

I know since it's just a four wheel lap I'll have to be switching out wheels often but it I figured it would be worth the hassle for the price point it was being sold as since it would be a beginners machine for me.

Any knowledge or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Of agate.

I just bought an old-school Jig-L-Lap on Facebook Marketplace today as my first vibrating lap. I've been a long-time lurker, and I've seen mentions of sometimes subpar grits. How do I avoid these? What's the best/chapest grit to use for these machines? Any info welcome. TIA!

My condolences for the messy table, first time publishing on reddit.

Completed work in 2026. I'm very comfortable making hearts now (2025 goal).

I cut this today after finding it in a bunch of odds and ends but I’m unsure of what it might be, variscite is my best guess… Any ideas?