There is a sizeable boulder on the side of my house and I need to get rid of it. What is the best way of breaking it.
Do the super expanding powders work?
Would a demolision hammer work or should I rent something like a pavement breaker?
The rock is probably 3 feet long and a maybe a couple feet thick. Oh the gas service line is also running overtop it but I think within a protective metal pipe that conforms to the surface of the rock.
I need to remove the boulder so that I can lower the grade on that side of the house in order to keep the foundation wall a little above grade and prevent the lowest siding board from rotting.
The house to the east has a higher grade by 4 feet and this grade is being maintained by a rock and dirt wall – no mortar or concrete. I imagine the soil will continue to wash down onto this side of the house as well but I am not sure what the most cost effective solution would be. Any ideas?
Thanks for the advice as always!
learner
Replies
Saw Learch break a bigger rock then yours in a Clint Eastwood movie, all he had was a sledge hammer.
I'm sure someone will come along with a better idea.
Doug
how aggressive of an idea????
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Hmm... I thought that might work too. I put my 8lbs sledge to the task but after 5 swings and only chips out of it I decided to put it away. Did I give up too early? I didn't undermine it either so maybe I should have? I think the rock is granite if that matters.Also the siding on the house is asbestos and while lowering the grade there were broken tiles in the dirt. The dirt was dampish and I was wearing my N99 respirator as I am paranoid about my health. Anyhow I was wearing the mask and working in the narrow space between the house and the rock wall so I probably packed it in earlier than I would normally. Working with the mask makes things quite a bit less enjoyable.Thanks for the response.
undermine it...
drill a line of closely spaced holes...
drive a wedge into the holes...
split off a chunck...
go for smaller chuncks rather than big ones...
repeat till the rock is no more...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Should I use my hammer drill with a masonry bit to drill the holes? What size of a hole are we talking about? Do I need to buy feathering wedges and if so is there a size / quantity that I should purchase?I imagine that the hole should be as close to as deep as the feather is long? Thanks for the response!learner
deep 1/2'' holes is way big enough...
a beefy cold chiesel works with this series of sized holes......
a brick chisel works too.... most times much better and you can get away with drilling 3/8 or 1/4" dia holes
way back when ya use to set the holes (deep)...
then ya broke the webbing connecting the holes out...
you then put metal plates on either side of what is now a slit and then ya drove a wood (usually oak) wedge between the plates....
this method is very effective...
the Egyptians and Romans borrowed this method from ya...
Remember???
take a look here rock splitting
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
feathers and wedges
pardon me if anyone else has already suggesed this approach
"What's an Arkansas flush?......It's a small revolver and any five cards."
Are you going to tickle it to death?
think that would work?"What's an Arkansas flush?......It's a small revolver and any five cards."
http://demolitiontechnologies.com/
Talk to them - they'll help you plan it.
Jeff
Thanks for the link. I'll take a look!
Why not dig a hole deeper than the rock off to one side and pull the rock into it? I'll guarantee digging dirt is easier and cheaper than breaking up and moving off a rock that size.
Happy holidays
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
I've done that before and usually it works well but in this case there is drain tile under the rock and not far enough under that I have room to drop the rock into the hole. I am also not sure how far the rock extends behind. All I really need to do is remove the front of the rock so that I both remove the siding board to examine the foundation wall and can either drop the gas line down or have the gas company drop the gas line down so that it can be fully buried.Thanks for the reply.learner
Where are ya in PNW, recall you telling once (Seattle area?) but don't recall.
Anyway, you can borrow my Bosch spline drive hammer if you want for the holes, drop me an e-mail, I should be in town this week (Renton)
I am up in Vancouver. Thanks for the offer tho I appreciate it !
What a number of people are describing here (small holes, chisels, wedges) is simply not effective with a granite boulder.
I have done this a number of times with diabase boulders including one over 10,000 lbs.
Bristar/Bustar works pretty well - you need to rent a 60-lb rock drill (don't bother with anything else) and 1 3/4" diameter industrial carbide rock bits. 100-horse tow-behind compressor and a pattern to follow. Warn the neighbors, it's louder than a jackhammer.You can seriously waste a lot of time with other methods, although another possibility is a Bobcat/other miniexcavator with a 500-lb hammer (see photo). If you look carefully at the Bobcat hammer bit you will see that the tip of it (3" diameter hardened bit) broke right off on diabase.
Jeff
Edited 12/10/2007 2:36 pm ET by Jeff_Clarke
My hammer is bigger than your hammer :-)
And this thing eats rocks like that for breakfast.
Or, another way to et rid of a rock is to dig a little hole.
(right click on icons below and select "open in new window")
Yea, I know - I really need to get a life... :-)
Edited 12/10/2007 7:11 pm ET by Matt
LOL - 'This thing' = End of house and property.
But I have one that eats 'This Things' for breakfast' -
Jeff
Thanks! I'll look around for a place that I can rent a 60lbs rock drill. How are these hammers rated. For instance a pavement breaker might say that it has a 640 pound breaking weight, does the 60lbs for the rock drill just refer to the weight of the tool or have something to do with its capacity to break rock?Thanks again!learner
It's the weight of the tool.
It tends to skate around a little then bites in.
Jeff
>> How are these hammers rated. <<
The hammer ho (I love that name) I pictured is a 12,000# - that is the hammer itself. The track hoe is 27 metric tons. :-)
They rend for around $2k a day. :-)
This isn't gonna be easy. But other than alternative big $ to get heavy equipment in there, you need to get your sledge back out. Even borrow a 12# or 20#.
Like they said, dig around and under it. You need to get it so that it is not supported so well. For drilling, rent the largest rotary hammer you can find. Your hammer drill will be a joke next to that unless it's sandstone.
The thing is that rock varies in hardness so widely, and since no one here has a crystal ball, we can't really say exactly what it is gonna take to break it up small enough to get it out of there.
Maybe rent a real jack hammer (with trailer compressor). Now we are getting more expensive though....
Dig around it and then post another pic.
I'll post some other pics later.
How much of a hurry are you in? If you have freezing temps there, drill a series of holes along in a line, and fill them with water, let it freeze, and it will break the stone. (done this before)
Or you might be able to get expanding cement to pour into the holes that will do the same.
Much less sledge-time.
I gotta ask, How do you know there is a drain tile under it?
That's the foundation wall at the top of the picture?
All these guys have great ideas. But....
Why is it there in the first place? If there's a pipe below it, it got there either before the stone was laid there (?) or because someone already tried to get it out and found it wasn't possible. They ended up trying to dig that hole to roll it out of the way and found a problem with that approach like, maybe there is simply a channel already cut into the stone for the foundation and it extends another 20' under the house? And then put the pipe in place that way? Or it is part of the ledge? Or there are far more stones down there than is realized?
Someone didn't simply put that stone there for fun.
There's a reason this issue hasn't been done before. What's the local geology?
I'm thinking your final solution may be to chip away parts of it over time.
I agree the rock is there for a reason, it was allowed to stay there because it was too stubborn or the builder thought it would add to the strength of the foundation. If you hit it and the hammer only chips it or bounces there is every probability that the rock is huge.
If you move the pipe the job is a lot easier. With the pipe out of the way you can do all the digging round it to see where it goes, maybe the house is sitting on or beside a big rock shelf!
This might be worth trying, clear away the earth round that side of the house to reduce the chance of the damp getting into the siding, that will give you the chance to see the extent of the rock. If it is too big get a good drystone mason to build a stone feature on the side of the house, incorporating the big boulder but lower down. Proper planting with alpines could produce a nice garden feature. You would have to watch the drainage in case rock is diverting water towards the house.
What are these expanding powders you mentioned? Quicklime has been used in drilled holes to break rock, simply pour in quicklime, plug the hole and wait for the resultand expansion to do the job.
For the construction types reading this - a garden is where you store the tools that are too big to fit into the garage.
You were right. I assumed there was drain tile under it as there was drain tile all the way up to it on each side. As this is the side of the house and drain tile usually goes around the full perimeter I just assumed that they had dug under the boulder and pushed the pipe through a tunnel. I talked with the gas company and they sent someone out to look at my service line. They said that the line running over the rock used to be below grade at some point - I am not sure I believe this - but they said that if I remove a section of the rock they will come back and lower the service line. They said they put the service line 16" below grade.I still have to finish excavating under it to see the extent of the rock but it looked like it was more of a taper and thin at the house extending thicker away from the house.The house is ~90 years old so it could well be that back then with the lack of heavy machinery they were inclined not to do anything about the rock. The house is pretty much slab on grade so it isn't like they were putting too much effort into excavating the property.I think I'll start small on this.. Once I've got the rock further excavated I'll give the rotary hammer a try and the feather and wedge solution. If that proves to be too time intensive then I'll order some expanding grout and possibly give a pavement breaker or the rock hammer a try while I am waiting for the grout to ship.I think I'll avoid the fire approach for now =)The distance b/t the house and the rockwall is about 3 feet so I don't have a lot of room in there to get heavy machinery... even getting a pavement breaker in there will be a task.The wall at the top of the picture is above grade tile, the white board at the bottom of that wall covers the interface b/t the tile and the poured foundation wall.I'll be out tomorrow to further excavate the rock and I'll post some follow up pics to make things more clear.Thanks everyone for all the responses they are very helpful !learner
Here's the way Gunner gets rid of rocks like that...
View Image
I think I used to have a good memory
I tamed a similar sized granite boulder a couple of years ago using feather/wedges. The boulder resided in my garden and after several years of tilling around it, I decided to dig it uo and be gone with it. Upon digging around and under it, I decided that it was simply to large to manhandle in one piece. My local stone yard recommended using 3/8" F&W. So I bought about 6 or 8 sets and a new 3/8th's bit for my Bosch Hammer drill. Only drilled ~3" deep holes, about 4-6 inches apart in rows across the boulder. I kept cracking off pieces until I could lift them. The whole process took the better part of a Saturday, and a lot of whacking with a 3 pound sledge. But the 3/8" worked fine.
Hmm, I bought the feather and wedges for a 3/4" hole. I was planning on trying them out tomorrow after I excavate the rock a little more but I was hoping this process would take the better part of 2 hours. Then again I think I hope that for all my projects =)What would you say took the longest drilling the holes - I might speed this up using a large rotary hammer - or pounding on the wedges?At least I know this method could work. I might still go with the demolision hammer, rock hammer or expanding grout method if I get frustrated with the feathers...I think the reason the rock hasn't been dealt with in the past is because the people who have come upon the problem didn't have the resources, experience and ingenuity of the breaktime forum members!
drilling the 3/8" holes went pretty quick with my rotary hammer, maybe about a minute or two per hole. That was the major upside with the smaller diameter. It takes some time to drive the wedges, whacking them each in until they're tight, then smacking each one in sequence until you get it to crack. If it's granite, there may not be any preferential grain to the boulder, at least not any that is visibly evident. Every once in awhile a wedge or two may get stuck without it cracking, then you have to pound on the rock with a cold chisel in the vicinity of the wedge to get it loosened up. Once you get a crack, and get it opened up, pulling out all the pieces for the next row takes some time. It really helps if the rock is excavated on at least a couple of sides so that you remove the chunks as it cracks away. Don't forget the goggles!
Where the boulder meets your foundation - can you wash that out real good with water and see if there is mortar between the two?
If there is, you may want to reconsider...
Google Bentamite, an expanding mortar. It still requires a fair amount of drilling and if memory serves it's a series of at least 1-1/2" holes, so probably a drill rental and a tub of the stuff.
You can demo a huge amount of concrete and rock with this stuff.
Happy holidays
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
I'll give it a wash and see. Why might there be mortar there?
The original builder tried to remove the stone and couldn't, therefore he cut a channel in it to lay his foundation upon? The mortar would represent the connection.
If this stone is part of your footing, aggressive attempts to move it could be transfered into other foundation damage you weren't anticipating.
I'd be tempted to saw it up in slices. Break off the slices. Keep doing this until you achieve the grade desired. A gas powered diamond tip, something with a 14" blade will give you about a 6" depth cut. Have some water flowing on it while you're cutting.
Yeah, it'll take a while, but you're under control. Wear ear protection.
Let's assume that I did try to cut channels into it. Would you make the cuts parallel with the wall of the house or perpendicular? Once you have the cut that is 6" deep how do you remove the channel it will still be attached at the bottom. Thanks,learner
I like that idea a lot.
I'd kerf it about 2" apart and wedge a cold chisel into the kerf, it'll break out. And yes, I'd think parralell would be about the best and easiest from what I see in the pics you posted.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"People that never get carried away should be"
Before getting out the saw you want to cut off the gas.Can't tell from the picture if you can go it at the meter or you need to get the gas co to do it at the street..
.
A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
learner,
a rotatory hammer such as Bosch or Hilti sell can be rented. then drill 1 inch holes about 1/4 of the way deep in a rough line along he grain of the rock, (stare at the rock long enough from different angles and you see it) then if it's freezing fill the holes with water, if not expanding cement. the next day repeat on the smaller pieces until they are the size you can handle..
doubt you wanna hear this with the gas line but when i was a wee lad my grandfather made fires under boulders then put the hose on it, I thought he was breaking the boulders up but im not sure, I remember helping him, Does anyone know of this method??
heat / stress fracturing...
works great on those purple coble stones....
wouldnt the availability of the NG for the fire aide in getting that rock really hot...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Hannibal used this method when crossing the Alps with elephants.
Feathers and wedges as many have said. I've removed some good sized granite boulders with them. My feathers and wedges use about a 3/4" or 7/8" hole. I've got maybe eight or ten sets of them and a carbide bit for my rotary hammer.
Drilling each hole doesn't take long, maybe a minute each. Tapping the wedges in can take some time especially on a stubborn rock.
One thing I learned the hard way was that you shouldn't use every set of wedges for each split you're trying. That became apparent to me the first time I drilled six or seven holes and placed every set of F & W I had. I wailed on those wedges 'til they wouldn't budge but the rock wouldn't split. At that point they wouldn't come out either. I maybe could of used heat on them at that point but didn't think of it, so I had to take a break, go buy some more, drill a few holes in between the ones already there to pursue that crack to start.
The frequency of the sound gets higher as you drive in the wedges but when a crack starts the pitch drops again.
As I may have alluded to in the past, one of my brothers is a new product editor at a ummm... competitive magazine. A few months back they tested a system with a name like "micro blaster" or similar (I imagine Google could produce it). IIRC, it uses small cal "blanks" and I think, but am not sure) that it drives a "wedge" of some kind. All I know is that my brother, and the other guy testing it were very impressed with the results. The issue hasn't come out yet I don't think. If you have no luck finding it, lemme know and I'll get the exact name etc.
HTHPaulB
I found it.http://micro-blaster.comThanks looks interesting.
The frequency of the sound gets higher as you drive in the wedges but when a crack starts the pitch drops again.
Best practical advice given in this thread, good post
edit PS: I posted this comment because when I drilled my own well, advice such as the above was non-existent on the web, even in well drillers forumns. Maybe the people who do it all the time take it so for granted that they dont realize the importance of such "trivia" to the un-initiated. Similar in cable tool drilling, hard to describe when the tool encounters a big boulder and then is about to break thru, except to describe how it " sings" to you and how the cable feels in your hand.......
Boss H or Luka could probably hijack the thread and turn these comments into some ribald follow ons about 23 YO strippers or cheerleaders ? <G> edit 2: did not really realize the sybolism until the first edit <:))
Edited 12/11/2007 8:42 pm ET by junkhound
Edited 12/11/2007 8:44 pm ET by junkhound
Thanks for all the advice.I excavated the rock a little more and it looks like it runs quite deep. I was hoping just to sheer off the section in a line parallel to the house and not bother with the section on the other side of the gas line. I also tried to drill some holes using a rotary hammer and a 3/4" carbide bit. I only spent about an hour and a half drilling the holes and they didn't get all that deep. I am just not sure the feathers and wedge approach is going to work based on how thick the boulder is. I think I'll step it up and rent a pavement breaker for my next attempt. I was hoping I could deal with this rock in a bit more of a timely manner so I'll have to put my efforts on hold while I regroup.Here are some more pictures. Some of these represent why I thought the builder might just have left the stone in place not because it was too difficult but because it was the easiest thing to do. I guess I can understand leaving this boulder. I just hope it isn't integrated into the poured foundation wall at some level. I'll need to excavate out the other side of the rock and make sure I have found the bottom. You can also see the grade of the neighboring house and the rock and dirt wall which keeps the grade in place.Do you think I could still do this with feather and wedge? How deep should the holes go?
You are wasting your time. That's diabase my friend ... or something close to it, maybe gabbro. Excavate around it without undermining your foundation and use a rock drill and Bristar/Bustar. A pavement breaker won't be much better - you'll just have to rent the rock drill later.
Also to keep in mind ... you'll have 400-500 lb pieces to get out of there - you'll need a shale bar and other hefty equipment.
Jeff
Edited 12/11/2007 10:12 pm ET by Jeff_Clarke
See hole pattern attached - you'll need to do something like this. Can't tell the exact scale but holes are going to be around 8" apart.
You'll fill the outboard holes first so that pieces can 'calve' off the end ahead of the more central sections, allowing room for expansion. This will also help take the pressure off the foundation wall, which can be affected by the expansion.
In diabase or gabbro, each of those holes @ 1 3/4" diameter x 18" deep will take about 15 minutes with an industrial carbide cross-tip drill bit. This is rock that is legendary not so much for hardness, but for TOUGH-ness.
You might want to hire someone to do this - it's a lot of wear and tear on you.
We live in a terminal moraine area so I know exactly what you are dealing with.
Jeff
Edited 12/11/2007 10:16 pm ET by Jeff_Clarke
Thanks I'll look into renting the rock drill and getting some of the bristar. If I do decide to hire out the problem what would I look for under the yellow pages?Thanks again.learner
I would talk to an experienced excavator. Once the rockdrilling is done (correctly) the Bristar/Bustar / waiting /picking apart sequence can be handled DIY if you feel up to it.
JeffThe attachment shows the action after 24-36 hours - note how the (unrestrained, and first-poured) end piece is breaking away in the unrestrained direction
Edited 12/12/2007 5:31 pm ET by Jeff_Clarke
I did a little more excavation and it looks to be 18" thick at least on the one side I had mostly excavated and for at least a couple inches under it. I thought that the holes were getting harder to drill yesterday and turns out I broke the carbide bit guess that was why the holes seemed a lot harder to drill. How hard should you press down when drilling like this on a rotary hammer? I gave the bit quite a few breaks and took the drilling somewhat slowly. Do these bits break easily, if I was drilling concrete instead of rock would this have happened?Hopefully I'll have better luck with the rock drill or hiring my problems away =)If I want the gas shut off I'd have to do it at the street as this is the service line and runs to the meter so I think I'll avoid the gas saw until I've given the rock drill a go. Thanks for all the suggestions and advice.
You have to press hard enough (and that isn't hard at all) to activate the Hammer, but you do not put your weight into it forcing the bit down hard. That takes away the Hammer as the bit turns.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
I was doing some f+w splitting on a split-face boulder wall, and destroyed my bit. Lost the temper on the metal and seems I unbrazed the carbide. Wasn't pushing hard, but it was about the 8th hole in some nasty basalt. 60 bucks later I started to keep a trickle of water in the hole- keeps the bit cool and flushes out the hole. It cuts like buttah!Steve
Interesting. This is what the tool rental person told me not to do. They said it has the opposite effect.
somebody wnats to sell ya a bit perhaps????
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
I still think you could do this with feathers and wedges but it sounds like your rotary hammer isn't doing the job of drilling. I've got a Hilti ATC56? or something like that and it will drill an 8" X 3/4" hole in no time in granite with almost no pressure when drilling vertically. The bit doesn't even get real hot.
You could use bentomite or dexpan http://www.archerusa.com/Product_Dexpan_En1.html but as someone else said, be careful that you provide space for the rock to "calve off" on the far side of the rock . . .. not the house side. If the face of the rock has no where to go, the tremendous force of that stuff could crack your foundation.
Yeah I am not really too sure at what point I broke the bit but even at the beginning it was taking quite a while to get a 2" deep hole so I think I'll locate a rock drill first and get the holes going then worry about how to crack it from there. I'd rather not have to get the gas turned off and back on and have to re-light all the pilot lights in the house and have no heat/hot water while I give the diamond saw a try and possibly find out that chipping out the channel with cold chisels isn't going to work for me.Thanks for all the advice! Even though I'll have to try a few different methods it is good to see all the options and learn what situations warranty what extremities.learner
"Yeah I am not really too sure at what point I broke the bit."
You'll figure that out if you try to make that hole any deeper. ;-(
I wouldn't worry about cutting off the gas just to score & chip that rock. You might wanna cover the line with something so the saw won't hit it accidentally tho'. I was going to suggest the score & chip method just when about 3 others beat me to it. Seems the easiest to me. That's how I bust up large chunks of concrete when I don't wanna rent a hammer. Heck, you can even use a 6" angle grinder with a diamond blade and take it down 2" or 3" at a time. You will make a bunch of dust, tho'.
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
You can cover the line with bags of sand to help prevent damage. But I would definitely shut off the gas - rock drills 'dance around' a bit before they bite in.
Jeff
"rock drills 'dance around' a bit before they bite in."
Yeah, but were're talkin' about kerfing it with a Target saw and chiseling the flakes off with a tool smaller than a rock drill. A brick set would probably do it.
Sandbags would be a good plan, tho'.
Mike Hennessy
Combining the advice of Jeff and others here...Sandbag the pipe.Put a diamond blade in an air grinder or cutoff tool. (No risk of electrocution.)Get some water running on your cutlines.Kerf as deep as you can about every inch or two.Break all that out. Repeat as necessary.You can probably use the wedgies from your feather and wedgie sets to break out the pieces between your kerfs, if you don't cut too far apart.(All this talk of feathers and wedgies makes me wonder if I opened up some sort of S&M thread...) ;o)
I would rather try to be kind, and fail miserably, than not care enough to try in the first place.
Not with diabase Luka ... it's just too damned tough to go slicing around with in tight quarters. With an angle grinder/diamond blade a 1/4" deep x 16" long cut takes about 20 minutes if that gives you some idea.
Jeff
Great. Thanks everyone for all the advice. The gas line is protected in a steel pipe going over the rock so I think it is pretty well protected but sandbags likely won't hurt. Given its protection do you still think I should have the gas shut off at the street? I found a place to rent a rock drill the rental guy recommended I get the 14# drill and do both horizontal and vertical holes and then use feathers and wedges. He said the #60 drill would do 3'-6' bore holes but that the 14# drill is a lot more manageable to do horizontal holes. I'll finish excavating around the other side of the rock to get a better idea of the rock. I am concerned the 14# drill is going to be as effective as the hilti rotary hammer that I already wasted a bunch of time and money on. That and the rental place is about a 2 hour trip. I think he was recommending a 70 SCFM compressor to go with the #60 rock drill does that sound right?Do you recommend having water running into my holes while I am drilling? I wonder if the other rental person meant that if you let the bit get hot and then dump water on it it might cause it to break easier but that keeping the bit at a constantly lower temperature by having water flowing on it would keep the bit life longer?Was I the only one that couldn't access the forum over the last couple days?
I'm not sure I can help since I think you're wasting your time with feathers and wedges. 70 SCFM would seem the minimum for a 60# rock drill - more typical is 100. No water needed.
If you're going to use Bustar or similar you want to be careful not to drill all the way through.
Best,
Jeff
I will go with the 60# rock drill and the bustar approach you suggested. I just need to find a place that stocks the bustar or order it. You said to fill the outboard holes first, does this mean that you would have several applications of the bustar? Also the most exposed side appears to only be 18" deep, how deep should I put the holes in this case as 18" would take me close to through the rock at this point anyway.If I have two sides exposed should I do both outboard sides first and have them calve off in opposite directions? Thanks for the advice.
I would consult with Demolition Technologies directly on these questions:800 282-4384 'Sharon' is helpful if still there. http://demolitiontechnologies.com/splitting.html
"Yes" on filling holes at different times, staggered - they'll confirm.
This material is temperature-sensitive so discuss with them.
Make sure you have double ear protection (foam plugs plus over-ear muffs) especially in a confined space near a building wall.
Jeff
Edited 12/17/2007 9:37 am ET by Jeff_Clarke
<bump> - So how did it go?Jeff
I am slow. Still on my todo list just had other projects that took priority.I did give it a try with a few more bits that I also broke but I did manage to get a bit more material off the rock only it was a waste of time like you said... I removed maybe 10% of the rock in about 3 hours and I went through 3 sds bits.The guy at the rental store recommended I go with the rock drill and 1" feather and wedges. I'll need to drill the holes to do the expansive grout option as well so I wanted to see if I could get some good holes going with the sds drill.My next step is to get the rock drill and try to make some holes I just have a lot of other projects on the go and I've decided this one can wait a while =).Thanks for all the advice. I'll update the thread once I make some more progress on it.learner
In the foreground you can see what some of the major boulders in the moraine area (our back yard) look like - very tough diabase.
The dumpster is full of pieces we split up with Bristar/Bustar and just encountered in our addition.
We definitely know boulders!
Jeff
Edited 12/12/2007 10:57 pm ET by Jeff_Clarke
I know people that would give you $1000 for that load.
Wish I had known ... had to convince a local quarry/crusher to take it.
Jeff
Criminy, you have some serious boulder infestation, I thought New England was boney. You might have an easier time just jacking up the house. I feel for ya.
Now you know why the builder left it there.Might be easier to move the house. :)
BruceT
I still like the big fire idea, that sounds like the most fun
If only you had one of these...View Image
Edited 12/11/2007 1:01 pm ET by MarkH
ok now that looks like more fun then the fire idea
Is that a bunker buster aimed at Saddam's underwater layer?