Turning 2 stone

["Bob Hackett" <kinfolk@zzzzzzz>]

Here's what I have in mind. Being surrounded by granite(I live on the coast
of Maine) and looking to do something different from woodturning(been at
that 10+ years),I've decided to combine my two addictions(woodturning and
stone) and try making vessels from granite.The question is,how far in over
my head am I getting?

I figure to convert a large lathe I have to accommodate a machinist's
compound cross-slide,mount an air powered diamond wheel to that and then let
water handle the cooling and dust control end of things.The folks who turn
alabaster and talc have already done the R+D for me as far as mounting the
rough stone blanks.I know from experience what diamond tooling will do for
shaping a static piece.

Has anyone got any input for me as far as combining a rotating blank with
powered tooling?Has anyone here ever undertaken anything remotely connected
to this?I am prepared to boldly go here no stonebasher has gone before,what
I'm hoping to avoid is making the same simple mistakes that someone else may
have made.Oh yeah,avoiding serious bodily harm is also something I try to
incorporate into most of my endevors.(don't ask about the time I pulled a
handkerchief out of my pocket with a chainsaw.That was simply a bit of
freelance magic) So,what say you all,is this lunacy or inspiration?(It gets
to be so hard to tell them apart these days)

Mainely,Bob