Hand tools like chisels and hammers are the first stone working tools for most beginners. Hammers come in a variety of weights. A 1 ½ lbs. iron hammer is a good beginner's choice. A selection of beginner's "firesharp" chisels, made of hardened steel, includes a narrow flat chisel for adding details and working with soapstone or alabaster, a simple point chisel, a regular flat ½-inch chisel and a large 4-tooth chisel for removing large areas of stone when roughing out designs.
Carbide chisels suit work on harder stones like granite and marble. This type is very hard but also quite brittle. You will find a file for all-purpose stone work in local hardware stores. You will buy the other tools mentioned at specialty stone-working tool supply shops.
Power tools for stone sculpture are polishers, angle grinders, electric saws and drills. Angle grinders cut and wear down any surface they are applied with a spinning disk that has a pad attached to it. Models come in sizes from 4 to 9 inches. The most common models for small to medium-sized stone sculpture projects are the 4 1/2- and 5-inch sizes. Angle grinders suit working on soft stone like alabaster which tends to shatter along its fissures under harsh forceb such as from a hammer and chisel. Used in combination with a diamond pad, angle grinders cut slots in stone. They cut several consecutive slots and knock out the stone between them to remove large unwanted sections of stone, quickly.
Electric drills for stone sculpture must be powerful. A cordless drill will run out of battery power over the long periods of time you will be it. Hardware stores have the drill, 3/8-inch chuck, and sets of masonry drill bits. Cutoff (chop) saws with masonry blades cut deep slots into stone for decorative purposes and roughing out. A circular saw is a cheaper but slightly less effective solution. It makes more shallow cuts.
Pneumatic stone working tools include air hammers, polishers and chisels. Air hammers are connected to an air compressor unit and tank. The force of the air drives an internal piston which pushes the chisel bit into the stone. They make fast work of the roughing out process. The action against the stone is less destructive than a hammer and chisel's. A variety of sizes, from the size of a pencil to two-handed tools, suit soft and hard stone work. Each model has chisels, or bits, in corresponding sizes.