Will a carbide burr cut rock?

Jeff Wisnia · 2004-05-17T21:45:44+00:00

I've a hankering to date my work by carving "MMIV" in characters about 2-1/2" tall into a flat rock surface in a garden project I bust my hump completing over the last three weekends.Can I do it "freehand" with a 1/4" or 5/16" carbide "ball" burr in a die grinder?I don't own either now, but this might provide the excuse I need to aquire them. (I do have compressed air to run a die grinder with, but I don't think it's enough to try using abrasive blasting through a stencil.)I don't know what kind of stone it is, I'm not a geologist, the rocks are just stuff which grows in the ground here.I did something similar on a manageable size stone by using my drill press and pecking away with 5/16" masonry bit. It came out fine, but the stone I want to mark now is way too big to move into the shop and I wouldn't expect I'm deft enough to freehand it using a drill motor with a masonry bit in it.Thanks guys,Jeff