One Way to Split a Big Rock |
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JeepFever
Member Sponsor Member Joined: 07 Aug. 2012 Location: VA Status: Offline Points: 2753 |
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Posted: 04 Nov. 2022 at 11:33pm |
My son wanted the sharp top of a big rock removed to make a trail easier to navigate.
I had some "pins and feathers" from a previous landscaping project, (to split some basketball-sized+ stones). From what I read years ago, they would work on much bigger rock also, so I gave it a try yesterday. The pesky rock top. That triangle shape is just the "tip of iceberg" of a much larger rock The photo is after drilling (10) 9/16" holes with a battery hammer drill, then placing the wedges in the holes. Starting at one end and moving to the other, hit with hammer. After doing several passes back and forth, the rock split. Below is the result. Orange arrow shows top moved to side (after much effort, it was very heavy) the other arrow shows the widened trail path. This tool "pins and feathers" goes by a bunch of different names, but even though this name makes almost no sense, I thought it sounded cool. I thought I would share in case you had never heard of them, and might have a need to split a big rock. Edited by JeepFever - 04 Nov. 2022 at 11:36pm |
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Flatfender Ben
Member Joined: 13 July 2014 Location: Nyssa OR Status: Offline Points: 2657 |
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That’s really neat!
Thanks for sharing
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Oldpappy
Member Joined: 09 Apr. 2018 Location: Tennessee Status: Offline Points: 4919 |
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Cool old school technology.
I would have been more inclined to cut down the small tree to the right, but only because I have cut a lot more trees than rocks.
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If you can't get there in a Jeep you don't need to be there!
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cpt logger
Member Joined: 23 Sep. 2012 Location: Western Colorad Status: Offline Points: 3043 |
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Dynamite is much more fun! My uncle used to drill holes like that & fill them with water. When the water turned to ice, it splits the rock. This only works in the winter time of course. I do agree that this is "
Cool old school technology." as Oldpappy said. That tree is too tough to cut. It has survivor written all over it. Yes, I have cut a few trees in my time as well, but some trees have just earned the right to live. |
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Lee MN
Member Joined: 13 Aug. 2008 Location: Harris, MN Status: Offline Points: 4953 |
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The company I worked for did underground tunneling, either with a jacking shield or a TBM (tunnel boaring machine) they would often hit rocks and boulders and would drill them like that to split them or whatever it took, they had a couple different hyraulic wedge setups they used. My grandfather told me in the old days if they had a big rock in a farm feild they would build a fire on and around them and burn it for a few days getting it very hot, then poar water on them to crack them 😬
Lee |
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LEE
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mbullism
Member Sponsor Member x 4 Joined: 29 May 2015 Location: MA Status: Offline Points: 4785 |
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Feathers and wedges around these parts...New england is full of gate posts and similar with the tell tale half holes along the corner of a split face.
'course, they didn't have a battery powered hammer drill That same hammer would have powered a star nosed chisel rotated by hand. That's where "hammer drill" likely came from
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Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it... Welcome to 1930's Germany
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cpt logger
Member Joined: 23 Sep. 2012 Location: Western Colorad Status: Offline Points: 3043 |
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Lee, that is a good tip. The fire & water trick sounds fun & can be done when clearing a field. It solves two issues at once, it gets rid of the debris, & helps get rid of the rock. Although, I suspect that dynamite is still funner.
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