Sam, a good friend of us and a very good customer, after working several years in the Granite Industry, decided to start his own Granite Shop a couple years ago. We have been guiding Sam, through our experience in the Granite Fabrication Industry, to make his business more profitable, and thus allowing Sam to expand it.
We decided to share some of the guidance we provided him through a series of articles, covering the whole Fabrication process, from the Templating to Installation.
We already covered the main stages of Granite Fabrication, in a series of articles which we tagged as Granite Fabrication Tools. This post is a summary of the aforementioned, and is meant to serve as a index of the different stages.
The principle behind the series is to try to respond to many questions Sam had when starting his business. We could summarize these questions, quoting Sam, when he asked:
What are the best Granite Fabrication Tools in the market if I need to build Kitchen Countertops or Bathroom Vanities? How to handle the Slabs? Is there an efficient way of Cutting? What about Edge Profiling? What is the best method for Polishing Granite? How to better Drill Holes to the pieces? Is there any advantage to Wet environments over Dry ones?
Countertop Fabrication: Stages
The bread and butter of any Granite Shop is the Fabrication of Stone pieces, generally Kitchen Countertops or Bathroom Vanities. As in any business, productivity is tantamount to success. Such productivity starts by choosing the right Granite Fabrication Tools.
Let’s dissect the Fabrication process to analyze the different Tools needed and see how the right choice of them will boost Productivity.
1. Handling Stone Slabs
The Fabrication process starts as soon as the Stone Slabs arrive to the Granite Shop. In this article, considerations about the best Handling are discussed. Themes as the best way of moving the Slabs around with Stone Lifters, Securing the Slab by using Stone Clams to transport it from the delivery truck to a safe place, and Storing the Slab by using A-Frames and Racks, are described together with the best Granite Fabrication Tools for that processes.
VIDEO: GRANITE FABRICATION TOOLS FOR HANDLING STONE SLABS
2. Cutting Slabs
The Next Step in the Granite Fabrication process is Cutting the Slabs according to the Template of the Counter that is going to be produced. In this article, we analyzed what needs to be taken into account, like for example repairing any Crack that could be present in the Slabs, the Marking of the Template in the Stone, the appropriate Cutters, and finally the best Granite Fabrication Tools are reviewed for making the actual Stone Cutting.
VIDEO: FIXING A CRACK IN A SLAB
3. Creating Profile Edges
After Cutting the Slab into the pieces needed for the Template, comes the Edge Profile creation stage according to the Customer specifications. In this post, we went trough the steps needed to do it, as the Stone Preparation using by using Cup Wheels, the use of a Stone Router to Fabricating the Profile, the use of Router Bits, and finally smoothing the Edge Surface through Silicon Carbide Grinding Stones.
VIDEO: GRANITE FABRICATION TOOLS FOR EDGE PROFILING
4. Polishing Granite Edges
Once the Profiles has been Fabricated, they need to be Polished. In this post, we discussed the Granite Fabrication Tools needed for accomplish this task. We exposed the best Tools for doing the Polishing in Wet or Dry environments, the best Backer Pads, for ending with a discussion about the actual Polishing Process. We present what, in our opinion, are the best Dry Polishing Pads and Wet Polishing Pads.
VIDEO: GRANITE FABRICATION TOOLS FOR EDGE POLISHING
5. Drilling Countertop Holes
The last Stage in Granite Fabrication is opening the holes that will allocate Sinks or Vanity Sinks, depending on the piece being Fabricated. In this article, we visit the process of Drilling a hole, analyzing Wet and Dry environments, the Stock Removal process using Zero Tolerance Wheels, Finishing Edges with Silicon Carbide Grinding Stones, and finally using Core Drill Bits for opening holes needed for Faucets.
VIDEO: GRANITE FABRICATION TOOLS FOR HOLE DRILLING
I hope this series about Granite Fabrication Tools has been helpful to you. If you subscribe to our newsletter below, you will get articles like this in your Inbox, together with our latest Offers and Coupons to our VIP Customers. Please keep reading to the conclusion.
I hope you enjoyed the Series about Granite Fabrication Tools. Now, it is time to read your comments.
We invite you to express your opinion and let us know what practices you use in your Granite Shop, which Granite Fabrication Tools you prefer, and if you dare, share your best secrets tips. We are sure it will help the entire community.