Eureka
Sign up freeSoon

Barranca Diamond (MK Diamond Products)

The lapidary line of a Torrance diamond saw maker with roots in an 1868 marble mill

Where
Torrance, California (MK Diamond Products headquarters; no storefront)
Makes
HP30, HP18-24 and HP14 slab saws; MK-101, BD10, BD7, BD Drop Saw and MK-170 trim saws; Cab Combo; BX-4, MK-2002 and MK-5000 core saws; GP6, GP6-6 and GP8 Super cab makers; lapidary blades, core bits, cup wheels and polishing tools
Part of
MK Diamond Products, maker of diamond saws and blades for tile, stone, masonry and concrete
Orders
Add to cart on the lapidary pages, through MK Diamond distributors, or direct from MK Diamond; parts by phone
Phone
800-421-5830 (customer service); 800-474-5594 (technical support)
Email
customer_service@mkdiamond.com
Build time
HP18-24 slab saws: about 6 weeks from the order
Warranty
HP18-24: 1 year against manufacturing or material defects
Since
MK traces its family business to San Francisco in 1868

Builder: builds the gear it sells

Builds the HP and BD slab and trim saws and the GP6 Cab Maker for lapidaries

Sells online or by order: no storefront to visit

Works from Torrance, California.

Builds: Lapidary equipment

What they sell: Lapidary equipment

Makes: HP14, HP18-24 and HP30 slab saws; BD10, BD7, BD Drop Saw and MK-170 trim saws; core saws; GP6, GP6-6 and GP8 Cab Makers and Cab Combo; lapidary, glass and drag saw blades; core bits, cup wheels and polishing tools

mkdiamond.com ↗facebook.com ↗

Email:

What Barranca Diamond (MK Diamond Products) builds

Lapidary division of MK Diamond Products, 1315 Storm Parkway, Torrance, California; MK traces its diamond tools to Los Angeles in 1919.

HP14 Slab Saw ↗

14-inch slab saw with power feed · Lapidary equipment

  • 12- to 14-inch blades; 4-5/8-inch depth of cut
  • 1/2 HP continuous duty motor; feed 3/16 inch per minute with automatic shutoff
  • Cast iron carriage and vise; 5-3/4-inch vise opening
  • 170 lb; 2.4 gallons of oil; 14-inch BD-301 blade included

HP18-24 Slab Saws ↗

Large slab saws for big rocks · Lapidary equipment

  • 18- to 24-inch blades; up to 9.5-inch cut with a 24-inch blade
  • 1-1/2 HP motor; brushless 24 V vise feed from 0 to 1/2 inch per minute
  • 18-inch vise opening; 720 lb
  • Electric pump for oil; blade not included

BD10 Power Feed Trim Saw ↗

Trim saw for facet rough, opal and slabs · Lapidary equipment

  • 8- to 10-inch blades; 10-inch 303 blade included
  • Cast aluminum tank, table, vise and blade guard
  • Power feed 3/16 inch per minute; vise swings away for hand trimming
  • 73 lb

GP6-6 Diamond Wheel Cab Maker ↗

Six-wheel cabbing machine · Lapidary equipment

  • Six 6 x 1-1/2-inch diamond wheels from 80 to 3,000 grit
  • 5-1/2-inch Nova disc and polishing pads
  • Submersible pump and six stainless water valves
  • 1/3 HP, 1,800 RPM; 81 lb

Also builds: HP30 slab saw, BD7, BD Drop Saw and MK-170 trim saws · Core saws and core bits · Lapidary, glass and drag saw blades · Cup wheels, polishing tools and supplies.

How to order

  • Add to cart on the Barranca lapidary pages, or through an MK Diamond distributor
  • Direct orders and parts by phone with MK Diamond Customer Service
  • HP18-24 slab saws are built about 6 weeks after the order; 1-year warranty

Around here, the land is mostly private

Within 50 miles of Torrance our maps show no open public land: the clubs and pay-to-dig sites below are the easiest legal way to put new gear to work.

Nearest open public land on our gem and mineral map: about 52 miles away.

See the nearest open land on the gem and mineral map →

Prospecting and collecting rules in California →

About Barranca Diamond (MK Diamond Products)

Barranca Diamond is the lapidary division of MK Diamond Products of Torrance, whose main catalog is diamond saws and blades for tile, stone, masonry and concrete. Under the Barranca name it offers diamond blades, bits and polishing tools for lapidary professionals and hobbyists, together with slab saws, trim saws, core saws and cabbing machines. MK tells its story on its own site: Joseph Musto, a fifth-generation Italian stone cutter and tile setter, opened the Musto Steam Marble Mill in San Francisco in 1868; his son Clarence came to Los Angeles in late 1919, and by 1949 the renamed Musto-Keenan Company was known for diamond tools that cut marble and tile; from 1977, under Robert J. Delahaut, the company moved toward precision power cutting tools and diamond blades.

The slab saws are the heavy end of the line. The HP14 takes 12- to 14-inch blades, cuts 4 5/8 inches deep and has a 1/2 hp continuous duty motor with thermal overload protection, a cast iron carriage and rock vise opening to 5 3/4 inches, chrome-plated rails, a bronze clutch block and a geared power feed of 3/16 inch a minute that shuts itself off; it holds 2.4 gallons of oil, weighs 170 pounds and comes with a 14-inch 301 blade. The HP18-24 takes 18- to 24-inch blades and cuts 6.5 inches deep with an 18-inch blade, 7.5 with a 20 and 9.5 with a 24; it has a 1 1/2 hp motor, an 18-inch vise, a 24-volt brushless drive that sets vise travel from zero to half an inch a minute, a hood on two gas shocks, a bottom drain for sludge and a submersible pump for lubrication and cooling, and it weighs 720 pounds, blade not included. The HP30 goes up to 30-inch blades with a 2 hp motor.

For smaller rough, the BD10 power-feed trim saw is meant for facet material, opal and slabs: an all-cast-aluminum tank, table, vise and blade guard, a hinged table for cleaning, 8- to 10-inch blades, a 3/16-inch-a-minute feed and a vise that swings away for trimming by hand, at 73 pounds with a 10-inch 303 blade. The GP6-6 cab maker carries six 6 x 1 1/2-inch wheels, brazed metal-bond diamond at 80 and 180 grit and resin-bond Nova from 280 to 3,000, plus a 14,000 grit Nova disc, diamond paste, polishing pads, a submersible pump and six stainless water valves, on a 1/3 hp motor at 1,800 rpm. Core saws such as the MK-2002 take 14-inch blades and samples up to 12 inches long and 5 deep.

Several lapidary pages have an Add to Cart button, and MK says its products can be bought from a local distributor or ordered direct. For parts, customer service wants the saw's model and serial number, where and when it was bought, and the part number and description. The HP18-24 is built in about six weeks from the order and carries a one-year warranty against manufacturing or material defects, and 220-volt motors for it are a special order.

Clubs and places nearby

Other shops and gear makers nearby

Access

No storefront: sold through MK Diamond distributors, online from the lapidary pages, or direct by phone. Based in Torrance.

Sources