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