Splitting Rock

[schmism]

Another easy method is to use an Arc Air Exothermic Slice Torch. Easily pierces holes in anything. Rock, Steel, Wood, Concrete, What ever. Pierce a dozen holes and hit it with a sledge hammer and chunks will fall off. Google Arc Air Slice.

spend $40 on a set of feathers and wedges and spend a lifetime splitting boulders with them over and over....

Spend $40 on arc rods and burn 2 holes in a rock and be done.

Ill stick to the feathers and wedges.

 

[gunns]

Well it looks like I'll be using feathers/wedges. Spoke with the people at Trow & Holden and they recommended starting off with the 3/4" sets. Great people to talk to. Per the advice on this site I've been digging out around the biggest boulders (car sized) to ready them for splitting. The smaller ones up to a ton I've been moving by hand with block and tackle and skids since I don't have a tractor YET! One day........... Some of them are half way buried in the ground but still need to come out. I just use a ten foot section of 2" water pipe and rock the boulder back and forth and stack small rocks under it to get it to grade level then pull it off with the bock and tackle and a skid. You'd think at my age, 64, I'd find something better to do but there's something about putting in a good days work like that that makes you feel good. Guess I'm just old fashion.

Say... speaking of that. Are any of you into CAS / SASS?

 

[hog987]

Has anyone mentioned to build a fire around the rock and than pouring lots of cold water on the rock to crack it? I have never done it but know of people who have and it works great.

 

[vtsnowedin]

Has anyone mentioned to build a fire around the rock and than pouring lots of cold water on the rock to crack it? I have never done it but know of people who have and it works great.

Ayah that's up thread there somewhere. Also you can drill holes and fill them with water and let it freeze in winter or in summer drive in very dry oak wedges then soak with water and let the expansion do the work. I think the ancient Egyptians used the wood wedge technique 6000 years ago.

 

[Egon]

At 64 and active as all get out start splitting them rocks down to cobble size or smaller block size and start selling them for sidewalks, driveways, landscaping etc.:thumbsup:

 

[gunns]

At 64 and active as all get out start splitting them rocks down to cobble size or smaller block size and start selling them for sidewalks, driveways, landscaping etc.:thumbsup:

That thought, selling the granite, hit me last week. I was thinking about splitting them into 6"x6"x24-36" blocks and sellinmg them for landscaping/retaining wall material. Just counting the big stuff I've got probably 50-60 large boulders that are at least 1 ton up to over 24 tons. I'll have to check into the local need for such material. If I'm lucky and they're worth selling maybe I could make enough off of them to at least make a downpayment on a tractor. Then I could be more than a want-to-be member on this forum.

 

[vtsnowedin]

That thought, selling the granite, hit me last week. I was thinking about splitting them into 6"x6"x24-36" blocks and sellinmg them for landscaping/retaining wall material. Just counting the big stuff I've got probably 50-60 large boulders that are at least 1 ton up to over 24 tons. I'll have to check into the local need for such material. If I'm lucky and they're worth selling maybe I could make enough off of them to at least make a downpayment on a tractor. Then I could be more than a want-to-be member on this forum.

Hey the guys in Barre Vermont have made a living for a hundred and fifty years selling people rocks cut shaped and lettered anyway the customer wanted. If They can do it why not you? The trick is in finding customers you can convince that they want the rocks you want to sell. It amazes me the number of flatlanders that will buy landscape boulders to decorate their property not realising that the local redneck they need to hire to plow the driveway charges extra for each rock he has to avoid.

 

[gunns]

Re: Splitting Rock Which Drill?

Can't believe it's been two years since I was posting here. Been sidetracked with other responsibilities. Now I'm ready to start splitting. I've been looking at drills, mainly Bocsh. What do the rock splitters here recommend? SDS-Plus vs. SDS-Max. What does the measurement in the drill description refer to? Is it the maximum drill bit size recommended for that specific drill? At Home Desperate and Lowes I've seen plenty of SDSplus bits but no SDSMax bits. It's my understanding that the Max are the stronger - right? The plus drills were selling for $300 and the Max as I recall were $400.

I know this question will open up a Chevy vs. Ford type of war but which drill seems to be a favorite. I have a bunch of large boulders (some VW size) to split and will make use of the split rock around my property and will try selling as slabs and steps etc.

Any help is appreciated!