AusBonsai

Hello everyone,

Just wondering if there is anyone with the necessary tools to cut a very large heavy rock in half. I got myself a masonry hand saw thinking it would work the same as a wood saw on wood... NOPE! Took me about an hour to cut barely 5 cm the way down, not to mention my now incredibly tired shoulders and arms haha.

If anyone knows of an easier way to do this, or can assist me in doing so, please... PLEASE! let me know.

P.s. to keep it bonsai related, I'm using the two flat sides of this rock for a landscape composition.

-Mo

Angle grinder with a masonary cutting blade
get as far in as you can with the blade, then split with Bolster and Hammer

Ken

I would use a 9" angle grinder with a diamond wheel

hey mo!!

mate i do it at work all the time
and bougy and ken are spot on if you dont have a 9' a 5' will be fine
the only other thing is that when splitting stone its best to cut or fracture all
the way around the stone first before splitting because it will always break
along the bedding plane
i would cut all the way around with the grinder then in the cut you just made
hit a bolster in until its firm leave it there and do the same to the other side
with another bolster if you have one or an old chisel or any hard wedge
the more wedges you bash in on opposite side have the cleaner the break will be

hope this helps

good luck

How big is the rock? You have all the info above but might not have the right tools, perhaps someone who lives near you and has the stuff could do it for you?

Of the tools mentioned above, I have a hammer

Angle grinders aren't cheap enough for me to pay for one for one days work either haha.

I might do a bit of investigating and see if I can find someone to assist!

The rock itself is around 60cm long and 40 wide. Bloody solid thing at that, weights more than I can lift.

Thanks for your advice everyone, much appreciated.

Hey Mo,
I have done a fair bit of stone work over the years and the only thing I can add is... Stone is NOT Wood!

Working stone is not easy, working stone is not quick... I have spent anything up to a few weeks working a single piece of stone, I question my sanity while doing the work but seeing the final result makes it all worth while.

The secret is to do a little at a time, do 15mins, go do something else then come back & do a little more. This stops your arm getting sore and actually gets you there faster than if you try to go head on. You can use your hand masonry saw to cut right thru or cut a channel like you would a grinder. If your planning on working stone more often a bolster & cold chisel are essentials, a heavier than normal hammer is an added benefit.

Good luck with the project, take some pics so you can show off your labours It took 2 days to cut the water bowl in the top & another week spent refining the outer shape.

Hey there Matt,

Thanks for the advice mate much appreciated.

Will definitely post pics when done as these are worth a look haha.

My hand-saw has been completely demolished - thats what you get for buying cheap low quality stuff. Despite that it did give me a good start and as soon as I can secure... some kind of cutting tool.. whether it be an angle grinder or the Lightning Bolt of Zeus I will continue to make progress on a daily basis!

Regards,
-Mo

Your welcome mate

One other tip, have water running on the cut while doing it, this will reduce wear on the saw or grinder, it helps keep the cut free of debris and stops the dust problem. Make sure you hose down any over spray before it dries or it sets like stone again

Look forward to seeing pics.

Watching this thread with interest i have this piece of basalt That i wish to cut into a few slabs. Would the cut all around then bolster method apply to tjis as well?

Golgotha, with a dense hard stone like basalt it will take a bit of extra work & probably go thru a few disks making the cut but the method will work for any stone.

So here is the rock I'm working with, and my pathetic excuse for progress thus-far. My handsaw has now been completely and utterly demolished and cannot chop to save it's life...

Anyway, progress seems stunted until I find someone with an Angle Grinder - fiance's family said nope, everyone at work said nope, everyone that's related to me said nope. I'm tempted to just go out and buy one of these bloody contraptions!

I give up. Too hard. Just going to wait till my engagement, wedding and house are all organised and paid for then purchase the biggest baddest angle grinder ever.

That was a nice landscape rock

Was? We talking full size landscape or bonsai landscape?