Silicon Nitride $(Si_3N_4)$, which is widely used in a variety of applications, is hard-to-machine due to its high hardness. At high temperature (e.g. above $1000^{circ}C)$, however, the machinability can be greatly improved. In this work, we used a $CO_2$ laser with a high absorptivity to $Si_3N_4$ of 0.9 to locally heat the surface of a rotating $Si_3N_4$ rod on a lathe. In order to examine the effects of the laser-assisted heating on hardness, an $Si_3N_4$ rod is heated to temperatures from 900 to $1800^{circ}C$ and is rotated at speeds from 440-900 rpm in experiments. When the rod is naturally cooled to room temperature, we measured the Vickers hardness (Hv); and observed the surface of HAZ using a scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) was used for ingredient analysis. Results showed that when heated at $1600^{circ}C$, the hardness of $Si_3N_4$ decreased from 1500 Hv to 1000 Hv. Also, in order to predict the depth of HAZ, we numerically analyzed the laser-assisted heating of $Si_3N_4$.