To keep waste to a minimum when I lay a floor of irregular flagstone, I first lay the large pieces of stone without cutting any of them. Then I try to match the voids between the stones with smaller stones. The problem with this method is that the perfect puzzle pieces never seem to exist in nature, so I have to make a few of them.
To create a missing piece, I lay a piece of aluminum foil over the void and I fold back the edges until it fits the vacancy. I can also add bits of foil to the template if it’s too small. When I’ve got it right, I carry the template to the pile of material and find the flagstone that most closely follows the lines of the foil. Then I trace around it with a nail, and saw off the excess stone. This method also works well for finding missing stones in a rubble wall. The foil can be used over and over again, and when you’re done with the wall you can use the foil to bake a potato.
Stephen M. Kennedy, Orrtanna, PA
Edited and Illustrated by Charles Miller
From Fine Homebuilding #33
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I like the aluminum foil idea especially for rubble wall. But I have used ordinary cardboard as a template for flagstone. Each piece can only be used one or two times, but it does not bend out of shape.