# Splitting Stones



## lazy8man (Mar 22, 2008)

Was wondering if anyone has any experience splitting fieldstones. Rather than use the cultured stone I would like to use actual fieldstones. I have a block wall that is bare now but would like to split the stones and attach them to the block just as if they were cultered stone.

Anyone try that or have suggestions

Chad


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## swampbuck (Dec 23, 2004)

I have worked on the same site with an old stone mason, he is retired now.

He had his stone hemmer (like a splitting maul) and chisels custom made. At 70 years old he would stand back and look at a 18" rock, read the grain. and split it with one hit. I could beat on it all day and be lucky to chip it. He wanted to teach me, I should have done it.

For a quality job you are probably looking at $125+++ per sq ft.


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## tangleknot (Oct 8, 2001)

We made a walkway with some and we'd get a bonfire going, throw the rocks in and then pull them out and hit them with a sledge. Random pieces but they did split fairly easily.


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## Oct.1 (Jun 29, 2000)

I dont know if technology has improved but when I was a kid my dad and I split enough stone to do our house, garage, family room and breezeway. It took a couple years to do it. I used a cold chisel and scored the stone with medium hits all the way around about 4 times. Than, increase the intensity of the blow one more revolution. Than one more good whack, or maybe two, possible three rotating the stone each time. Its a lot of work, very time consuming and something I wouldnt do again. You will break a few in places you wish you didnt. 

Good Luck.


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## nitetime (May 11, 2006)

I read some place that you can soak a rope in diesel,lighter fluid. Then tie it around the rock the way you want to split it then lite it, when the flame goes out hit it with a hammer. Never tried it though.


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## starky (Jun 19, 2006)

I too,did alot of this with my dad. We would go to the local gravel pit on Sat. Mornings and split stones. Our front and back porch and garage are all cut fieldstone. We just used a maul and you learn to read the grain. Makes my back hurt thinking about it!


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## bigcountrysg (Oct 9, 2006)

Sounds like to much work. 

But on the DIY channel they have a show called Rock Solid. I seen them guys splitting rocks on there. They would drill a couple holes in the rocks, then using wedge pins they hammer the pins into the hole. After about 5 hits to each pin the rock would split into two halves.


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## mdad (Dec 4, 2007)

I am going to try and answer questions on this thread without sounding to much like a sales pitch. Tecnology has improved but a good machine costs about $160,000.00 from Park Industries from Minnesota. You can order stone mauls from Trow & Holden in Barre, Vermont 1-800-451-4349 or www.trowandholden.com You can expect to pay about 200.00 for a masons mash hammer and handle ( I recommend not getting one bigger than 12lbs ). Forget about using fire or ropes with with gas it does not work very well. Always use a full face shield when splitting stone and keep away from windows as flying stone chips tend to cut and break anything within 20'. The other option is just go to a local stone yard and buy them. There are two options now full veneer 4-6" thick about $7.50 per square ft. and thin veneer natural that is split and then the back side is cut off so it can be laid like the manmade light weight stuff with out a footing. Flats are about $18.00 per sq. ft. and corners (cut out L shaped) are about $23.00 per sq. ft. Masons are charging about 25 - $45.00 per sq. ft. lay them. Cost may vary because of columns, windows, scaffolding or having to tent in to keep from freezing. I will pm lazy8man with my name and # if he has more questions as I do not want to be using this to beg for business.


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## lazy8man (Mar 22, 2008)

Thanks for the input. 

I will lay them myself (cultured or natural) but figured I would try to split some myself. The stones I would split would be smaller.

I have heard about grain in a stone. I have looked at many and although some obviously look like they run a direction others are not very obvious. Any suggestions for that?

Also several of you refered to heating the stones. What about frozen stones. If they were very cold would that matter?

Mdad I will stop by and see you I do not live far from you.

Again thanks for the info


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## Topshelf (May 24, 2005)

It was an interesting subject line that sounds like some serious work. 

My 2 cents: What ever you do, make sure your wearing safety glasses when you do the splitting. This is coming from a industrail safety guys point of view. To many guys lose eyes working at home because they either forget about it or think it will never happen to them. :yikes:


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## eddiejohn4 (Dec 23, 2005)

lazy8man said:


> Was wondering if anyone has any experience splitting fieldstones. Rather than use the cultured stone I would like to use actual fieldstones. I have a block wall that is bare now but would like to split the stones and attach them to the block just as if they were cultered stone.
> 
> Anyone try that or have suggestions
> 
> Chad


Remember that you will need a brick ledge, as the weight is significantly more in real stone. I wish I could help you with your original question, but have never split stone. I use culture.


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## geronimo10468 (8 mo ago)

When I was a boy our neighbor would make a fire and put stones in it.He kept adding wood to the fire and then the amazing thing happened the stones glowed red he would have a small hammer tap the stones and they s


eddiejohn4 said:


> Remember that you will need a brick ledge, as the weight is significantly more in real stone. I wish I could help you with your original question, but have never split stone. I use culture.





eddiejohn4 said:


> Remember that you will need a brick ledge, as the weight is significantly more in real stone. I wish I could help you with your original question, but have never split stone. I use culture.


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## bobberbill (Apr 5, 2011)

13 yr old thread. We'll probably never find out what happened.


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## Kristine1 (Feb 2, 2015)

nitetime said:


> I read some place that you can soak a rope in diesel,lighter fluid. Then tie it around the rock the way you want to split it then lite it, when the flame goes out hit it with a hammer. Never tried it though.


Had an old Mason tell me the same thing. Soak the twine in fuel wrap around the rock then light it on fire. Split once the fire is burned out more or less.


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## Martin Looker (Jul 16, 2015)

My Great Grandpa was a stone Mason. He tried for hours to teach me how to split stones and being a dumb kid I never did learn how to do it. His hammer wasn't very big and he didn't hit the rock very hard but they usually cracked after one or two hits. Sure wish I could read a rock like he did.


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## Walleyze247 (Mar 20, 2009)

I guy I grew up with is a stone mason. I worked with him for a week building a subdivision sign. What hard, rewarding work that was/is. I was really surprised how much waste/chips are created. As others have said, he read the grain and chipped accordingly. He would hold a rock in one hand and use a chalk to mark the shape he wanted. He is also the toughest man I have ever met.


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