Last week I bought a new cooktop, and undertook this weekend to install it. I figured it would be fairly simple, it's the same layout and manufacturer as the old one, just updated (JennAire downdraft with replacable modules).
Unfortunately the new cooktop is about 1/8" wider, front-to-rear, than the old one.
We have granite countertops.
I bought myself a heavy-duty grinder (4500 rpm) and some masonry grinding discs. Managed to polish the surface of every one of them. Meanwhile the granite warmed up, and in a couple spots blackened -- but did not make any progress in removing that eighth inch.
Bought myself some super-duty carbide-embedded sanding belts, ultra-rough, for my belt sander. Managed to polish every one of those smooth too. The granite laughed at me.
Suddenly my 'half-hour job' was starting to look well-nigh impossible.
I took myself down to the granite countertop shop where we bought the damn things, and they sold me a diamond-encrusted blade for my grinder. It, finally, was able to slice through the stone, throwing off sparks and a ton of fine dust, but 3 hours later I had enlarged the hole.
Gives me new respect for the durability of granite (and the artisans who installed it). That shit is tough!