Replies

1. 
   iron_helix | Dec 24, 2001 03:52pm | #1

   *
   Rick,

   "Can't see the forest for the trees!"

   You are so close...........just flip back to the home page for FHB and click on the Stonemason Symposium article------links available.

   Have fun with your basalt----hard hard rock!!!!!

   .....................Iron Helix

1. 
   Rick_Danis | Dec 24, 2001 07:31pm | #2

   *I've already checked out the stonemason's symposium. the links don't provide the info I need.

1. 
   iron_helix | Dec 25, 2001 02:58pm | #3

   *Rick,I'll search some of my paper files for you after the holiday.................Iron Helix

1. 
   Verl_Kauffman | Dec 25, 2001 06:30pm | #4

   *RickHave a friend that is semi retired mason that used to do a lot of that type of work, now he is into stone sculpture-all kinds,marble, limestone, alibaster, you name it. His main tools are carbide masonary blades, grinders, and the old hammer and chisel, files. He does beautiful work. He teaches classes on sculpture. He would be glad to help you out if you were close(Indiana). He gets a lot of his stone shipped in from out west.

1. 
   Rich_ | Dec 25, 2001 11:05pm | #5

   *I had been thinking about this post. Basalt is not like other stones commonly used for sculpture. Basalt, being igneous, does not have cleavage--tendency to split along planes in crystal lattice--nor does it fracture similiar to other stones.Also, it is quite fine grained and silica rich. These qualities of basalt will make it hard to cut becuase, one, it is dense; two, the silica will dull cutting tools more rapidly than you may be accustomed.I wouldn't use carbide except for fine or light cutting. Diamond blades and wire would be my choice. Water cutting would be my first choice but I'm not sitting on $100K+ in spare change.No matter the method of cutting or which tools, copius amounts of water would seem to be necessary.Wear a HEPA filter.

2. 
   Verl_Kauffman | Dec 26, 2001 12:55am | #6

   *RickJust realized I said he used carbide blades. He uses diamond blades. I think he uses diamond tipped chisels, also. He wet cuts big cuts.

3. 
   Bee_Jay | Dec 26, 2001 08:44am | #7

   *My Spanish neighbors always had a stone job going on in their yard. A milk jug filled with water and a small nail hole to stream it out onto the cut. The saw was pulled backwards through the stone so that the water was carried down into the cut as they went. At full blade depth (7 1/4 inch diamond blade) they sawed through granite about as fast as I would cut throuh the same depth of wood.BJ

4. 
   iron_helix | Dec 28, 2001 07:10am | #8

   *Rick,try these: http://www.bontool.com http://www.jksboyles.com http://www.contractorstool.com http://www.amazon.com book: The art of the Stonemason by Ian Cramb.....................Iron Helix

5. 
   Rick_Danis | Dec 29, 2001 04:57am | #9

   *Thanks so much for your help, Mark. It seems like basalt isn't a very good stone to work with, but the price was right. Wish me luck.Rick

6. 
   Just_Another_Guy | Dec 29, 2001 07:00am | #10

   *Sounds like what you saved on the stone you will put into tooling.Good luck.

2. 
   Rick_Danis | Dec 29, 2001 07:00am | #11

   *
   I would appreciate any advice you can give regarding my project of placing stone veneer over the face of my concrete retaining wall. I have already gathered the necessary stone from a rockslide in the mountains where I live. I am wondering what the best tools are for shaping and cutting basalt to make the joints clean and attractive. Also, is there a good book or website that can help me learn how to cut and shape stone?