What do you mean by "cutter", greg?
Do you mean a saw?, or a "grinding/polishing unit"?
If what they have is a saw, they're supposed to go slow.

I suggest you go to this lapidary supplier's catalog and browse for what you are looking for;
http://www.kingsleynorth.com/

Good Luck,
Joe

Yes, a polishing unit would be for polishing cabochons from the slabs you would be cutting/sawing with a rock saw.  You do not necessarily need a rock saw and slabs to polish stones however.  If you have a small enough rock to start with, you can grind the rock until you get the shape you want and then finish polishing it.  If the rock is too big you would would spend hours or even days grinding it down to a workable size, also wearing out the diamond grit on your wheels -- thus the rock saw should be used.  You could risk it by hitting the rock with a hammer trying to break off manageable pieces, but chances are that you'll waste and destroy much of the rock before getting a good workable piece.