Upcycling a Solid Marble Table

[Steliz]

I have a large black/brown solid marble (top and base) coffee table. I've never really liked it but my wife does therefore my opinion is irrelevant. It cost a fortune and sits in our living room as a constant reminder of the day we bought it.

Anyway, we are moving house next month and my wife has permitted me to replace the table top with a nice piece of wood which I will look at after the move and once my new workshop is established.

That will leave me with the top part which is about 1200mm x 600mm so the question is, what can I use it for? I have considered small side tables (about 300mm sq) for the living room but I'm concerned about them, or anything, being top heavy.
Has anyone worked with marble? I know it can fracture with out too much effort so, how easily does it cut using normal woodworking machinery? How would I finish the cut edges?

Any and all input appreciated (excluding any mention of saw nibs or I may go postal!) thanks.

Steve

 

[novocaine]

I'm reading Marble, as in stone. Cutting requires a wet saw, you can't work it with "normal wood working tools", you maybe able to cut it dry with a diamond wheel but I'd be going really slow, especially if it's thinish. cut edges can be polished or left as cut.

also, you need a wet saw with a saw nib.

 

[sunnybob]

you dont like it, you dont even like the idea of coffee tables from it, Bin it.

I had a granite worksurface that was left over from a kitchen remodel. Only 22 mm thick, I had it cut down to 30" square (by the stone and granite shop) and epoxy'ed stainless steel round legs to it. It's a nightmare.
I'm 6ft2" and still fairly active for my age, and even moving that thing around for cleaning requires the kind of preparation a weight lifter goes through before an olympic lift.
Its now in the outside "projects" area, but its not coming back in the house, and thats that.
Oh, and if you dont want to be seen to bin it by the boss, just let her watch you try to cut it up with a hand saw. When you have a heart attack, or it breaks into pieces (whichever comes first) she will let you off for the rest of the day. 8)

 

[novocaine]

To follows Bobs advice, whoops it fell of the step, I could maybe make a mosaic out of the bits.

 

[sunnybob]

less effort, same result.... I like it =D> =D> =D>
only downside is the things are so heavy they will take a lump out of concrete.

I've used the excuse "its not safe when the grand kids come to stay". Thats another sure fire way to get it removed from the premises tout suite.

 

[stoatyboy]

I saw a project in one of the Mags where he used marble as the worktop for a potting bench that could live outside. Might be worth a thought if you or she like gardening. Or how about an outside BBQ food prep worktop area thingy? Both would keep it out of the house

 

[Just4Fun]

This is a risky post but I'll post it anyway. Is it flat enough to use for a sharpening station? I have used a marble tile to put wet & dry paper on for sharpening. A large slab like that would be great for that purpose if it is flat enough.

 

[Lazurus]

Angle grinder and diamond blade and make some cutting boards for the new kitchen! also great for pastry and sweet making as it is always cool. if it turns out to be Corian it can be worked with wood tools.

 

[sammy.se]

Angle grinder and diamond blade and make some cutting boards for the new kitchen! also great for pastry and sweet making as it is always cool. if it turns out to be Corian it can be worked with wood tools.

Pastry board, yes! Cutting board... Nooooooo.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[sammy.se]

This is a risky post but I'll post it anyway. Is it flat enough to use for a sharpening station? I have used a marble tile to put wet & dry paper on for sharpening. A large slab like that would be great for that purpose if it is flat enough.

Side-jack of the thread: what did you use to attach the wet n' dry?

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[novocaine]

water. spritz the surface, lay down W&D, couple of squirts of water on top then away you go. no different to a lapping table.

 

[sammy.se]

haha! thanks...

back to the marble... You could learn stone carving?

 

[Steliz]

This is a risky post but I'll post it anyway. Is it flat enough to use for a sharpening station? I have used a marble tile to put wet & dry paper on for sharpening. A large slab like that would be great for that purpose if it is flat enough.

I had considered keeping a section of it for a sharpening plate but, judging by the comments here, chopping it up is goig to be a challenge.

 

[Steliz]

I saw a project in one of the Mags where he used marble as the worktop for a potting bench that could live outside. Might be worth a thought if you or she like gardening. Or how about an outside BBQ food prep worktop area thingy? Both would keep it out of the house

Nice idea but it seems like I would end up with a very posh gardening work bench. I'm not sure the effort is worth it though.

 

[Garno]

Make a coffee table out of it

 

[Steliz]

Make a coffee table out of it

Haha Brilliant! and it just so happens that I have a matching base.

 

[angelboy]

Has anyone worked with marble? I know it can fracture with out too much effort so, how easily does it cut using normal woodworking machinery? How would I finish the cut edges?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--h-d6EVvkg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlXId-YhEv0

Check this guy out! Clearly ZERO health and safety but he uses a piece of ice up against the blade instead of water!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3hk6P6KErM

 

[Blockplane]

I had some largish pieces of marble left from a fireplace. Cut them up with diamond wheel and angle grinder and made a garden trough.

 

[sunnybob]

Its actually quite easy to cut using a disc cutter and stone cutting blade, but making the edges look nice, thats a whole different matter.

 

[mbartlett99]

Don't know why people think its difficult to cut - marble is soft as s**t. Grinder + cutting disc + eye protection = ok surface plate or pastry thingy. Profiling the edge is a different deal. Sounds ideal for a bbq food prep surface.