Method and apparatus for cutting and polishing marble slabs

An automatic marble slab finishing machine comprising:

• a rotatable turntable comprising a flat, rigid, disk shaped support having a center pedestal thereon, and a plurality of locator apertures therethrough, which are arranged in concentric circular paterns about said center pedestal, and a plurality of peripheral spacers having bodies of the same height as said center pedestal and locator pins adapted to fit into any selected locator aperture, whereby said center pedestal supports the center and said perhipheral supports support the periphery of a marble slab to be cut and polished,
• means for driving said turntable in rotation about a turntable axis,
• a track means disposed parallel to said turntable and extending perpendicular to said turntable axis a spaced distance from said turntable,
• a first carriage mounted for longitudinal reciprocal movement along said track means and including an arm extending toward said turntable and carrying a saw blade perpendicular to the orientation of said turntable, and a saw motor for driving said saw blade in rotation on one side of said turntable axis,
• a second carriage mounted for longitudinal reciprocal movement along said track means and including a polisher motor and a polisher arm extending toward said turntable and carrying a polisher driven by said polisher motor for rotation about an axis perpendicular to said turntable axis.

A method of cutting and polishing marble slabs using a turntable having a flat, disk shaped support with a center pedestal thereon, and a plurality of locator apertures therethrough which are arranged in concentric circular rings about said center pedestal, and a plurality of peripheral spacers having bodies the same height as said center pedestal and locator pins which fit into said locator apertures, comprising

• selecting one of said rings of locator apertures which is of a diameter closest to and less than a desired diameter of cutting of a marble slab,
• placing said locator pins of said peripheral spacers into said locator apertures of said selected ring of apertures,
• mounting an unfinished marble slab on a turntable for rotation about a turntable axis, so that said center pedestal supports the center thereof and so that said peripheral spacers support the periphery thereof proximate to and within a circular pattern to be cut,
• mounting a saw blade and a saw motor on a first carriage so that said saw blade is rotatable about a blade axis perpendicular to said turntable axis,
• moving said first carriage along a track extending parallel to said turntable at a spaced separation therefrom to position said saw blade at a selected distance from said turntable axis on one side thereof,
• concurrently rotating said turntable and said saw blade so that said saw blade cuts said slab along a circular pattern into a round disk of said desired diameter,
• mounting a polishing wheel and a polishing motor on a second carriage so that said polishing wheel is rotatable about a polishing wheel axis which is also perpendicular to said turntable axis,
• moving said second carriage along said track to position said polishing wheel at said same selected distance from said turntable axis and opposite said saw blade,
• concurrently rotating said turntable and said polishing wheel and resiliently biasing said polishing wheel toward said edge of said round disk so that said polishing wheel finishes the edge of said round disk.