Medium size machine shop lathes are adequate for rock work and most of the rock work on lathe can be done dry, without using any cutting or cooling liquids and the only modification is the provision of a dust extractor, apart from the tool post fittings.
For grinding the cylindrical surface, the core samples may be put into the lathe directly in the way metal is mounted, or they can be held in steel end cups under an axial force exerted by the tailstock. The rotational speed of the specimen should be fairly low (about 300 rpm, for 15.4 mm diameter cores to 200 rpm for 54 mm diameter cores) to avoid danger of heating and fusing the surface under the tool. The grinding can be done either by a tool post grinder or a stationary single point diamond.
The lather can also be used for grinding the ends of cylindrical specimens. A specimen is held directly in the chuck, rotated at 200-300 rpm, and the grinding wheel, its axis inclined about 15o to the specimen axis is passed across the end of the specimen while rotation at 6,000-8,000 rpm. For finishing, less than 0.0254 mm only should be ground at each pass.