Question on drilling alabaster

["Patricia Lawson" <patlawson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello group,

I'm Patricia Lawson and I'm new to your group. I am a turner and pen maker,
(not a sculptor), and am starting to work with alabaster for turning bowls
on my lathe. I would love to make some writing instruments from alabaster
too, but am having problems drilling the alabaster pen blanks.

I need to drill a hole through the middle of the pen barrel blanks which I
cut to approximately 2 inches long and 3/4 inch square. I have tried using a
masonry drill bit  (7mm) in my drill press and it did okay for about the
first inch, (with frequent stops to remove dust and build-up on the bit),
but in the last inch the alabaster cracked into pieces. Being new to working
with stone, I don't know if the problem is with the type of bit, the drill
speed, faults or unseen cracks in the alabaster, or what.

Any advice on how to successfully drill holes through alabaster would be
greatly appreciated!

Pat L.