Dressing stone (how can I avoid saw blade marks)? pics

[mart]

I’ve been to a demolition site of an old church (in Sheffield) today, to look at some stone. I’m building a stone wall (one course thick)-no more than 100mm depth required, as I am filling the area behind the wall with hardcore & concrete.

The large blocks in the photos are what is available at the site (not got a price yet). The issue or question that I have, is how am I going to finish up with one face of the stone matching all other pieces in appearance without saw blade marks? (There are too many different outer surfaces to match up).

If I cut one of these blocks up for example in to the various random sizes that I require, how do I get one surface the same on all the individual pieces? This would be the side that is facing out towards me. All other surfaces (5) will be hidden.

 

[brightspark]

get rubbing http://www.thestoneyard.co.uk/shop/product.php?id_product=6&gclid=CKfU1df837kCFXLItAodszwAfA

 

[DrNik]

If you we're to cut them into the same sized pieces and randomly lay them it would actually look really good, like when they build a wall and some of the bricks are painted white, it all blends infailing that you can either rent a clipper saw or use a hand held grinder with a stone facing attachment

 

[BrokenBiker]

4.5 inch grinder and a stone disc would be my choice

 

[sparky_col]

rock face it, thats the only way to make anything out of that lot, round here it would only be used as hardcore.

 

[brightspark]

if they had been big enough u could have found the grain and split them with a bolster chisle

 

[bpcoryton]

what church is it or whos the contractor leveling it?

 

[MattF]

if they had been big enough u could have found the grain and split them with a bolster chisle

They don't really need to be thick to do that. You can take quite fine slices off with a bit of patience and subtlety. I did the hearth in the front room from old stone slabs, and I intentionally left the surface quite uneven, but I did have to take a few slivers off just to get them how I wanted. Doesn't look too bad either, (I hope ).

 

[mart]

If you we're to cut them into the same sized pieces and randomly lay them it would actually look really good, like when they build a wall and some of the bricks are painted white, it all blends infailing that you can either rent a clipper saw or use a hand held grinder with a stone facing attachment

Just looked at google images to see what a clipper saw was. Most of them are on frames. I would never be able to lift them blocks without cutting them up smaller first.Do clipper saws leave saw blade marks?

Cannot find anything on Google images showing a stone facing attachment. How do thy work-any images/sites to look at?

 

[mart]

4.5 inch grinder and a stone disc would be my choice

I could cut them up using that method, but you would still be left with the problem of saw blade marks

 

[mart]

rock face it, thats the only way to make anything out of that lot, round here it would only be used as hardcore.

It is an option, but I do`nt like the look of that.
http://groundtechgeo.com.au/services/culverts-rock-beaching/

 

[sparky_col]

the rock facing i am on about looks nothing like the pics you posted. to me what you posted is random coursing not rock facing.

 

[sparky_col]

more like this.
http://www.bsint.com.au/images/application/Rock-face walling 02.jpg

 

[sparky_col]

or this
http://www.bsint.com.au/images/product/Rock-face veneer.jpg

its really easy to do.

 

[mart]

or this
http://www.bsint.com.au/images/product/Rock-face veneer.jpg

its really easy to do.

I agree,both the photos in both those links look good.

When you say it is easy to do, do you mean the actual facing? How would you advise/instruct on that (I`ve never done it??

 

[sparky_col]

Sandstone and limestone are sedimetary rocks, they are formed in layers, you have to look at them and work each piece individually, its not like steel its a more tactile medium, once you understand it you can work with it, its not hard, well actually its silica which on a molecular basis is really hard but its predictable, it will split with the grain and shatter accross it.

 

[mart]

Thanks for explaining about the technical composition of the two types of stone. As facing is really easy to do, are you able to explain how to actually do it?

 

[KemppiFrog]

Our house is stone and I do quite a bit of facing. Tool is a sort of plane in wood with lots of hardened blades set in. Our local stone is fairly soft and one can easily cut it with a stone disc, then plane it smooth. Local rent-a-tool has chain saws with special chains for more ambitious work. I will dig out the chemin de fer, and put up a pic later.

Our local quarry (Crazannes) supplied the stone for the base of the Statue of Liberty over in NYC.
KF

 

[sparky_col]

Mart, sorry for the delay, you need a bolster chisel and a big hammer, you put the bolster about 3/4" in from the top edge of the face that will be the finished face and whack it angling the bolster slightly to encourage a flake to come off, work your way along the block and then just turn it to do the edges and underside, its as simple as that, you then can cut the back of the block down to create the size you need.

 

[mart]

ok Col thanks. That does indeed sound straight forward. I guess that if there are a lot of blocks to do it can take quite a while.

Anyone know of a tool/machine to hire/buy that can process these stones to obtain the finished effect that Col has described?