GETTING STARTED WITH ROCK CUTTING?

Stay Safe with These Tips

- STORY AND PHOTOS BY JIM BRACE-THOMPSON

Beyond beginner lapidary projects, your first “big” project will likely be crafting a cabochon which involves rock saws and grinding wheels. These machines call for respect. Here are steps to keep workshop safety top of mind.

GET AN INSTRUCTOR

Join a rock club with a workshop and shop stewards to get the ins and outs from folks with years of experience. Most clubs have age limits (generally, no younger than 10) for using mechanized equipment. Many also require a certification session with an instructor and for you and a parent to read and sign a sheet outlining workshop safety rules. Use this opportunity to learn as much as you can about the equipment you'll use.

BEWARE “THE BIG FOUR”

Per Murphy’s Law, anything that can go wrong will. The Big Four hazards in a lapidary workshop include the following.

1. Rotary Motors and Shafts.

Many lapidary machines have spinning shafts and attachments that can grab anything in an instant: long hair, loose clothing or dangling jewelry. Remove jewelry, don’t wear loose long sleeves, and tie back long hair when working with anything that spins.

2. Flying Objects.

A spinning wheel can snatch a rock from a dop stick and send it flying. Protect your eyes with safety glasses. Wear them when grinding rocks and when using a trim saw. With a saw, you want to protect against small rocky bits that might fly up as well as splashing saw oil.

3. Rock Dust.