I need to re-arrange some red patio stones (1-1/2" thk) to accomodate my new
deck steps. Gotta cut/break some in half/quarter/etc. I don't have any
chop/tile saws or anything to deal with stone. Any other methods to
cut/break stone? Hammer/chisel? Stones just set in sandy mountain soil
with almost instant drainage. Thnx.

nb

notbob wrote:
I need to re-arrange some red patio stones (1-1/2" thk) to accomodate
my new deck steps. Gotta cut/break some in half/quarter/etc. I
don't have any chop/tile saws or anything to deal with stone. Any
other methods to cut/break stone? Hammer/chisel? Stones just set in
sandy mountain soil with almost instant drainage. Thnx.


Angle grinder with masonry blade?

In article ,
notbob wrote:

I need to re-arrange some red patio stones (1-1/2" thk) to accomodate my new
deck steps. Gotta cut/break some in half/quarter/etc. I don't have any
chop/tile saws or anything to deal with stone. Any other methods to
cut/break stone? Hammer/chisel? Stones just set in sandy mountain soil
with almost instant drainage. Thnx.

Speaking out of vast inexperience, I'd use either an appropriate hammer
and chisels (mason's hammer and chisels, for instance--obviously not
wood chisels!) or else a smallish set of feathers and wedges. Lee
Valley sells one such set that sounds as though it should do the trick
nicely.

I'd imagine a lot depends upon the structure of your red patio stones;
if they're fairly soft or brittle and have a cooperative grain
structure, it might be possible just to crack them carefully over e.g.
an iron bar with a heavy hammer or whatever.

I suppose a third option might be to devise some sort of a "decorative
accent" around the steps that happens to be made from smaller and
possibly different-colored pavers.

--
Andrew Erickson

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot
lose." -- Jim Elliot

On 2009-06-25, HeyBub wrote:

Angle grinder with masonry blade?

Like a 4-1/2" right angle grinder? Do they cut thru or just mark for
breaking? I know even less about stone than wood!


nb

"notbob" wrote in message
...
I need to re-arrange some red patio stones (1-1/2" thk) to accomodate my
new
deck steps. Gotta cut/break some in half/quarter/etc. I don't have any
chop/tile saws or anything to deal with stone. Any other methods to
cut/break stone? Hammer/chisel? Stones just set in sandy mountain soil
with almost instant drainage. Thnx.

nb

Do you have a circular saw? Get a masonry blade for it.

Max

"HeyBub" wrote in message
...
notbob wrote:
I need to re-arrange some red patio stones (1-1/2" thk) to accomodate
my new deck steps. Gotta cut/break some in half/quarter/etc. I
don't have any chop/tile saws or anything to deal with stone. Any
other methods to cut/break stone? Hammer/chisel? Stones just set in
sandy mountain soil with almost instant drainage. Thnx.


Angle grinder with masonry blade?

or a cheap dry diamond blade in a (disposable) HF angle grinder. don't
breath the dust. put a groove halfway through where you want the break, and
crack over a dowel.

notbob wrote:


I need to re-arrange some red patio stones (1-1/2" thk) to
accomodate my new
deck steps. Gotta cut/break some in half/quarter/etc. I don't have
any
chop/tile saws or anything to deal with stone. Any other methods to
cut/break stone? Hammer/chisel? Stones just set in sandy mountain
soil
with almost instant drainage.

If it's what I'm thinking, your patio stones are actually concrete.

A mason's chisel and a 2 lb drill hammer worked for me when I built
some stone planter beds many years ago.

YMMV

Lew

I need to re-arrange some red patio stones (1-1/2" thk) to
accomodate my new
deck steps. Gotta cut/break some in half/quarter/etc. I don't have
any
chop/tile saws or anything to deal with stone. Any other methods to
cut/break stone? Hammer/chisel? Stones just set in sandy mountain
soil
with almost instant drainage.

If it's what I'm thinking, your patio stones are actually concrete.

A mason's chisel and a 2 lb drill hammer worked for me when I built
some stone planter beds many years ago.

YMMV

Lew


That's really all you need, and you will get good at it, fast.
Any kind of masonry blade on a grinder or saw can help with the scoring
accuracy, but when it comes down to the breaking, the sledge and chisel
are usually the best.

If you want to get high tech, rent a 12-14 inch brick saw from a home
center for $75 bucks.



--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

notbob wrote:
I need to re-arrange some red patio stones (1-1/2" thk) to accomodate
my new deck steps. Gotta cut/break some in half/quarter/etc. I
don't have any chop/tile saws or anything to deal with stone. Any
other methods to cut/break stone? Hammer/chisel? Stones just set in
sandy mountain soil with almost instant drainage. Thnx.

nb

Circular saw + masonry blade (disk, actually). And yes, you can easily cut
completely through your patio stones.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

Hi,

A hand held circular saw with a diamond blade with do the trick. I
have used blades that were made of what looked like abrasive ceramic in
a fiberglass mesh and have learned that a cheap diamond blade is much
faster.

Thanks
Roger


notbob wrote:
I need to re-arrange some red patio stones (1-1/2" thk) to accomodate my new
deck steps. Gotta cut/break some in half/quarter/etc. I don't have any
chop/tile saws or anything to deal with stone. Any other methods to
cut/break stone? Hammer/chisel? Stones just set in sandy mountain soil
with almost instant drainage. Thnx.

nb

On Jun 25, 2:34*pm, notbob wrote:
I need to re-arrange some red patio stones (1-1/2" thk) to accomodate my new
deck steps. *Gotta cut/break some in half/quarter/etc. *I don't have any
chop/tile saws or anything to deal with stone. *Any other methods to
cut/break stone? *Hammer/chisel? *Stones just set in sandy mountain soil
with almost instant drainage. * Thnx.

A diamond blade is the most accurate way to cut, but you can get
pretty nice cuts with a brick set (aka chisel, they're as wide as a
brick - don't waste your time with a smaller chisel), a 3 pound lump
hammer, and a piece of angle iron. The heavier the angle iron, the
better.

Put the point of the angle iron facing up on a hard surface, put some
wood blocking on either side of the angle iron to support the two
sides of the cut, align the desired cut line directly over the angle
iron, place the brick set on the cut line (with your thumb tucked in
so you don't ruin your thumb if you slip, or use a brick chisel with a
plastic guard), then give the set a single nice and solid whack with
the lump hammer.

http://www.doityourself.com/icat/brickchisels

R

"Max" wrote in message
...

"notbob" wrote in message
...
I need to re-arrange some red patio stones (1-1/2" thk) to accomodate my
new
deck steps. Gotta cut/break some in half/quarter/etc. I don't have any
chop/tile saws or anything to deal with stone. Any other methods to
cut/break stone? Hammer/chisel? Stones just set in sandy mountain soil
with almost instant drainage. Thnx.

nb

Do you have a circular saw? Get a masonry blade for it.

Max

That also worked for me, cut through paving bricks, no problem.

notbob wrote:
On 2009-06-25, HeyBub wrote:

Angle grinder with masonry blade?

Like a 4-1/2" right angle grinder? Do they cut thru or just mark for
breaking? I know even less about stone than wood!


Dunno. You'd have to experiment. I've used masonary blades to saw through
cheap Mexican brick and metal-cutting blades to gnaw through rebar. The
trick might be finding the right blades.

On 6/25/09 2:34 PM, "notbob" wrote:

I need to re-arrange some red patio stones (1-1/2" thk) to accomodate my new
deck steps. Gotta cut/break some in half/quarter/etc. I don't have any
chop/tile saws or anything to deal with stone. Any other methods to
cut/break stone? Hammer/chisel?

Yes. Hand sledge and brick set more specifically.

On 2009-06-25, dadiOH wrote:

Circular saw + masonry blade (disk, actually). And yes, you can easily cut
completely through your patio stones.

Yes. That's what I did. DeWalt 7-1/2" disk for skilsaw. What shocked the
heck outta me was, I decided to buy 3 stringer brackets for the steps. The
masonary disk was $3+ and the stringer brackets (stamped galv sheet metal)
were $4+ each! No wonder houses cost so much. :|

nb

On 2009-06-26, Bob Haar wrote:

Yes. Hand sledge and brick set more specifically.

I looked at those. I'm from the Bigger Hammer School of Mechanics and a 2lb
sledge is a "must have" in my box. A 1/2" masonary chisel was $10!!

We be masonary disking.

nb

On Jun 25, 9:21*pm, notbob wrote:
On 2009-06-26, Bob Haar wrote:



Yes. Hand sledge and brick set more specifically.

I looked at those. *I'm from the Bigger Hammer School of Mechanics and a 2lb
sledge is a "must have" in my box. *A 1/2" masonary chisel was $10!! *

We be masonary disking.

The abrasive masonry disks suck. They wear down quickly and have a
tendency to shatter. You can get inexpensive diamond blades on eBay
for small change, and they'll cut much quicker and last much longer
than an abrasive disk.

R

On 2009-06-26, RicodJour wrote:

The abrasive masonry disks suck. They wear down quickly and have a
tendency to shatter.

I figured I'd grind a line and do a break. Can't imagine this thing cutting.

nb

On Jun 25, 10:22*pm, notbob wrote:
On 2009-06-26, RicodJour wrote:

The abrasive masonry disks suck. *They wear down quickly and have a
tendency to shatter. *

I figured I'd grind a line and do a break. *Can't imagine this thing cutting.

Probably a wise idea. The abrasive blades can shatter when they bind
in a deep cut.

Next time you have a need to cut something hard, look into the diamond
blades. For ten or fifteen bucks you'll get something you can keep,
doesn't throw grit everywhere, cuts lots more stuff than just masonry
and you can say, "Diamonds are a guy's best friend."

R

RicodJour wrote:
On Jun 25, 10:22 pm, notbob wrote:
On 2009-06-26, RicodJour wrote:

The abrasive masonry disks suck. They wear down quickly and have a
tendency to shatter.
I figured I'd grind a line and do a break. Can't imagine this thing cutting.

Probably a wise idea. The abrasive blades can shatter when they bind
in a deep cut.

Next time you have a need to cut something hard, look into the diamond
blades. For ten or fifteen bucks you'll get something you can keep,
doesn't throw grit everywhere, cuts lots more stuff than just masonry
and you can say, "Diamonds are a guy's best friend."

R

http://search.harborfreight.com/cpis...mond&Submit=Go

On Jun 25, 11:34*am, notbob wrote:
I need to re-arrange some red patio stones (1-1/2" thk) to accomodate my new
deck steps. *Gotta cut/break some in half/quarter/etc. *I don't have any
chop/tile saws or anything to deal with stone. *Any other methods to
cut/break stone? *Hammer/chisel? *Stones just set in sandy mountain soil
with almost instant drainage. * Thnx.

nb

I can't believe nobody suggested a hand-held concrete saw. They make
them especially for this purpose. It is made like a chainsaw except
with a diamond bladed 14" or so circular saw. You can rent them (or at
least I can and have), or add to your collection.

wear a good dust mask or have someone with a hose there while you are
cutting.

For some examples of what I mean:
http://www.contractorsdirect.com/Con...e-Masonry-Saws

Luigi

I can't believe nobody suggested a hand-held concrete saw. They make
them especially for this purpose. It is made like a chainsaw except
with a diamond bladed 14" or so circular saw. You can rent them (or at
least I can and have), or add to your collection.

wear a good dust mask or have someone with a hose there while you are
cutting.

For some examples of what I mean:
http://www.contractorsdirect.com/Con...e-Masonry-Saws

Luigi

Have one of these at work, called a "man eater", but nobody has gotten hurt
using it. Cuts 4" Al plate.

On Jun 26, 12:43*am, Luigi Zanasi wrote:
On Jun 25, 11:34*am, notbob wrote:

I need to re-arrange some red patio stones (1-1/2" thk) to accomodate my new
deck steps. *Gotta cut/break some in half/quarter/etc. *I don't have any
chop/tile saws or anything to deal with stone. *Any other methods to
cut/break stone? *Hammer/chisel? *Stones just set in sandy mountain soil
with almost instant drainage. * Thnx.

nb

I can't believe nobody suggested a hand-held concrete saw. They make
them especially for this purpose. It is made like a chainsaw except
with a diamond bladed 14" or so circular saw. You can rent them (or at
least I can and have), or add to your collection.

wear a good dust mask or have someone with a hose there while you are
cutting.

For some examples of what I mean:http://www.contractorsdirect.com/Con...e-Masonry-Saws

Sigh. I wasn't sure why you were recommending a tool with such a
large blade, so I went back and re-read the original post. Somewhere
between my eyes and my brain there was a disconnect - I was suggesting
a brick set as I thought the OP was cutting pavers - I guess I
confused posts. Sorry about that!

In other words, forget the brick set and go with the abrasive blades
you have in a circular saw. That's the cheapest and easiest thing to
do. Next go round, get a diamond blade.

The gas cutoff saws are great - messy, noisy and a handful, but they
cut great and are much faster than any other tool. I don't know if
the OP would want to rent one as they ain't cheap.

R