Pond edging / stone splitting

[mrbadexample]

Greetings all. Any stone masons amongst us?

I'm constructing a wildlife pond. I've done the digging, and the lining, God did the filling last week. I've bought the plants. Well, most of 'em anyway.

I need to construct some edging to anchor the liner down. I managed to get some (free ) Yorkstone reclaimed from an old wall. Trouble is, it's in great big blocks:



I'd like to split each block so I end up with two or three long slim slabs. Is that a realistic goal? They vary in size - around 20" long and 4-8" wide / high. I'll have a better idea once I've cleaned them up and removed any old mortar.

Thoughts? Tips? Advice? Any input appreciated, as always.

Cheers,
MBE

Edit: That's not the pond in the picture.

[Urban]

Bolster, lump hammer, lots of practise
Might be able to find some vids on the tube

[roitelet]

Possibly hire a large angle grinder 'or some such' if you haven't got one. I think in the long run you will get less wasteage. Splitting stone is difficult.

[mrbadexample]

Splitting stone is difficult.

That's what bothers me. Stone masons take years to become competent for exactly that reason.

I've got one of the small grinders. I wonder if I might be able to cut a channel and then use the chisel?

[Kleftiwallah]

Inspect the stones and try and see the 'lay' so you don't try and crack them against the grain. H & S. don't forget your safety glasses, kryptonite gloves, titanium plated steel boots and buffalo leather apron. Cheers, Tony

[bearded bloke]

Does the stone have a visible direction of grain ?
Do you have hammer,bolster,sand box,safety goggles,etc ?
How much (in square metres) do you need ?

[mrbadexample]

Does the stone have a visible direction of grain ?

It will have once I've cleaned it up.

Do you have hammer,bolster,sand box,safety goggles,etc ?

Yes, yes, no, yes.

How much (in square metres) do you need ?

I'm guessing, but at least two, probably not more than three.

Are you volunteering to pop round and do it for me?

[bearded bloke]

I'm guessing, but at least two, probably not more than three.

Are you volunteering to pop round and do it for me?

Nooooooooo,I am trying to remember how much random thickness "paving" is on the pallet in my drive & if enough do you want to bring the blocks over here & take similar weight of slabs back ? here being near J7 M54

[mrbadexample]

Nooooooooo,I am trying to remember how much random thickness "paving" is on the pallet in my drive & if enough do you want to bring the blocks over here & take similar weight of slabs back ? here being near J7 M54

Wow, thanks BB, that is a generous offer. I'm going to try without for now - see how I get on with what I've got. Mostly because it took two trips to collect that lot, and the car was a "bit" on the heavy side. I'd be looking at 2x50 mile round trips to you, and I don't much fancy travelling 100 miles with that sort of weight on board.

Having said that, if I can't split these then I'll happily accept!

Will yours be there long? Have you got a photo? If you don't mind me asking, why do you want to swap? What are you building?

[bearded bloke]

Hokey dokey,no probs

Make/get yourself a strong wooden box & fill with sand,use this as a base to cut the blocks in/on (sand will take the irregular shapes of the block & help contain the shock generated within the block).
Basically what you need to do is generate up a fault line by generating shockwave's,so with your hammer & bolster go around the block (both sides & both ends) & mark a line,do this repeatedly, start with light hammer blows & increase them with each full revolution of the block,until it splits.


"Will yours be there long?"

There were/are loads of areas of sandstone paving around the house & garden,one in particular needed removing so in deference to disposal I put it on a pallet thinking it would be handy one day,been there about 3 years already,the only bits used were by a mate when he edged his pond.

Will unbury (new word patent pending ) it at the weekend & guesstimate the quantity & get a picture for you.

[mrbadexample]

Make/get yourself a strong wooden box & fill with sand,use this as a base to cut the blocks in/on (sand will take the irregular shapes of the block & help contain the shock generated within the block).
Basically what you need to do is generate up a fault line by generating shockwave's,so with your hammer & bolster go around the block (both sides & both ends) & mark a line,do this repeatedly, start with light hammer blows & increase them with each full revolution of the block,until it splits.

Sounds like good advice to me. I've got a nice big metal tray I can fill with sand that should do the job nicely.

Looks like I don't need to rush making up my mind about yours then.

[Potstubsdustbins]

If its something you haven't done before then I would say go mechanical. Tool hire do block spliters and 9" disc cutters. I would pop in your local tool hire and ask advice they may well be able to help at a reasonable cost.

Colin

[mrbadexample]

If its something you haven't done before then I would say go mechanical. Tool hire do block spliters and 9" disc cutters. I would pop in your local tool hire and ask advice they may well be able to help at a reasonable cost.

Colin

I know what you mean Colin, but I don't want to pay anything at all - kind of defeats the point of getting it for nothing. I might just as well have paid for the right stuff.

I'll have a crack at it and see how I get on. If it all goes horribly wrong then I'll try alternatives. I do have a small angle grinder which might come in handy - maybe to score the block before splitting. I think I've got plenty so wasting a bit wouldn't be the end of the world.

[Terry1968]

I know what you mean Colin, but I don't want to pay anything at all - kind of defeats the point of getting it for nothing. I might just as well have paid for the right stuff.

I'll have a crack at it and see how I get on. If it all goes horribly wrong then I'll try alternatives. I do have a small angle grinder which might come in handy - maybe to score the block before splitting. I think I've got plenty so wasting a bit wouldn't be the end of the world.

Its all about having the "knack" so to speak?

maybe practice on a few old housebricks?

it is possible though but obviously you dont want to damage any of those nice bricks...i went on a bricklaying course last year and one of the things we learned was to split the brick in the way that you describe.

Funny enough i mastered it almost straight away. you have to tap the bolster along the line you want to snap and give it a short sharp whck

good luck..

[mrbadexample]

If it stops raining long enough I might have a little trial tomorrow.