Edgeing A Hearthstone

laybrick

what is the most fool-proof way to chisel around a the edges of a hearthstone? can never seem to do this without haveing a chunk come off somewhere. always seem to do good till the end. maybe trying to hurry too much

jvcstone

If you are refering to pitch (or rock) faced edges, some stone presents more of a challenge than others. Always work from the weak to the strong, ie in from corners, and make the vertical strike at the corner first and then the horizontal strikes. Often it is a good idea to rough pitch the edge first, leaving about a 1/4 inch to the finished line, and then triming the edge to the finished line. If you do this, rough pitch both sides before triming. Some stone respond better to the pitching strikes if you first trace your line---lightly score it with a wide chisel. a brick set works ok, but if you're doing a lot of it, look into getting a tracer and good pitching chisel. And, like misbehaving children, stone always responds to gentle coaxing better than brute force.

JVC

__________________
John VanCamp
www.jvcstoneworks.com

laybrick

I'll do what I usually do, snap a line 1/2 inch in from face on top, gently score a line across with a wide chisel, flip it, do the same on the back, then flip it again and chisel off along my line. It usually works out pretty good. Just lookin for different views. I find that no matter how you go about it, patience is the main tool. thanks

Subia29

what type of stone are you useing?scoring both sides,my guess is slate.

jvcstone

I would do it with any stone that is thin bedded (like slate)
This would include some but not all quartzite, sandstone, and limestone.

Normally the stone I'm pitching will be 3 to 8 inches in thickness, and the amount of step back increases as does the stone's thickness. And I always pitch from both sides wither I trace the line first or not.

JVC

__________________
John VanCamp
www.jvcstoneworks.com

hurricane hogan

Although not everyone is set up for it, flaming is an easy way to get a "finished" edge on some types of stone. For bluestone, sandstone, I just take the angle grinder, cut my line, and then flame the edge. AN oxy-porpane set will do it. For paving and hearths it is just a little more replaible than a tracer and pitching chisel for those of us that don't do it all the time.
Michael

tkle

What's the idea behind flaming the stone?

laybrick

threaten it with a torch , it'll get scared , start shakeing, and the edges will fall off?