Many attachments are designed for natural stone cutting applications. Attachments that are not designed for use on natural stone are likely to fail or break when used for natural stone cutting applications. Diamond-tipped grinding wheels, saw blades and drill bits are available at most home improvement stores. Diamond-tipped attachments can easily rip through any natural stone work piece. Tungsten carbide is almost as hard as diamond. Tungsten carbide attachments are designed to cut through hard natural stone such as granite. Diamond-tipped and tungsten carbide stone cutting attachments are among the most expensive stone cutting attachments available.
Granite is one of the hardest types of natural stone on Earth. The Moh's scale measures hardness on a system that ranges from 1 to 10, with 10 being the hardest. Granite ranks a 6 on the Moh's scale. Diamond (10) is the hardest naturally occurring material on the planet, which is why it's an ideal material to use for granite cutting applications. Tungsten carbide offers an approximate hardness value of 9 on the Moh's hardness scale.
Natural stone such as granite can be found across the planet, while marble is not as prevalent. However, they're both mined and shipped in similar fashion. A significant percentage of the granite and marble mined across the globe is used in the creation of tile and countertop slabs. Granite and marble slabs are usually cut to dimensions between 5 and 6 feet wide, between 8 and 9 feet long, and either a 3/4-inch or 1 1/4-inch thickness.
Working with stone cutting tools can be very difficult and dangerous. While cutting natural stone, debris can become airborne, posing a risk to the safety of the tool operator and surrounding bystanders. Cutting through natural stone creates a lot of dust. Respirators or dust masks, plus safety goggles or face shields, can dramatically reduce the risk of injury while employing natural stone cutting tools. Consumers should become familiar with their natural stone cutting tool safety and operations manual before they attempt to cut natural stone. Most circular saws can be fitted with blade guards and collars, which decrease vibration and the likelihood of chipping while working on natural stone.