While I don’t cut a lot, I have some nice jade that often needs to be a different shape. I’ve learned from Michael Boyd and Ryan Gardener that the easiest way to get a great polish on jade with no orange peel is to shape the jade as desired using traditional lapidary technique. Then to get the high polish, use a series of 14,000, 25000, then 50,000 diamond suspended in bag balm or vaseline on a wooden spool turning on a tabletop lathe at a medium speed. I use the lathe to turn various chunks of wood to the general profile I need. You do have to keep the wood shapes separate by grit used on them.
Judy H
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