Back from vacation and ready to go

Well, at this point in the process, it was difficult for me to leave for a vacation (I know, we all need 'em!), but Lori and I had a great trip to visit our friend Karen in Paradise Valley, Montana. It was a wonderful and relaxing time, and now I'm refreshed and ready to start the big marble piece. Incidentally, this stone was formerly the base of a monument for a horse, given to me by my friend Alex. Gotta ask him about the history . . .
Today I finally, with the help of my hydraulic crane, got the thing onto my carving bench. Because of its previous function, it's got a few holes drilled into it, so I'll have to work around those (there's another one in the center on the other side). I've done a bit of grinding and lots of tapping. The finished color looks to be slightly off-white with some gray veining which makes me think it might have come from Colorado. I'm anxious to begin my first marble in several years. I'm guessing it weighs around 220 lbs., so I hope that the open design I've got planned will allow me to remove enough stone so that I can carry it to my inside studio when the weather gets too cold to work outside.

Carving bench done

Second post today. I put this carving bench together in a day, using all treated lumber. It's fortified with several 6" lag screws so it will stand up to my heavier stones. To test it, I got up on it and jumped up and down, using all my weight. No movement in any direction, so I'm confident that it will support whatever I choose to put up there. This week sometime, that will be my piece of white marble, estimated weight 220 lbs. The piece I have planned is an open sort of form, so when it's done I should be able to lift and carry it by myself. We'll see!

Canine inspection crew

Over the weekend, Lori and I were able to finish (finally), the cedar fence. I've hit a snag on building the shed because I have to apply for a variance on the deck because one corner is too close to the lot line. I was so caught up in the technical aspects of how to work around the roots of the maple that getting a building permit never entered my mind till the deck was done. So, sometime in October I expect to continue with the shed plan so the rock saw can have a home. In the meantime, I'm going to turn my attention to building my carving bench, and then I can get to work. In the photo, the canine crew seems to be giving tacit approval to my efforts (as long as treats are dispensed at the end!).