for you pros.....

[r putnam <rputnam@zzzzzzz>]

Thanks to everyone for their reply's.

I am having metal stands welded up...easy for me to move around and will
hold a lot of weight.  And yes, Norman, I am concerned about it tipping
over...... I guess I can leave the straps of the chain hoist around the top
......at least while I'm roughing in out....

As to the black alabaster.....I had one piece a few years ago that came from
the Black Hills in So Dakota.  A friend used to go there and pick up chunks
where they were putting in new roads.  It had a lot of thin white streaks
and big hard chunks of what looked, to me, to be like obsidian....very
shiny, dark black and chisels just bounced off of it.  Still the piece, 3
whales, turned out beautiful....

newmexicoalabaster.com

That's my goal....I am in Rio Rancho, NM now and plan to go to the quarry
tomorrow.  The web site has the different stones available....some blacker
than others...none as black as the black soap stone.  There is another type
of alabaster...some call it Italian alabaster, some call it Italian
ice.....it is vert white and very translucent. I heard this place may have
some too...

I will let everyone know what I find out !!  Keep your fingers crossed for
me !!

  Robin
~No Stone Unturned