Hello, a splitting maul should never be used on stone. The steel on those is typically hardened too much for use on stone and can shatter when used on stone, creating a very dangerous situation. Cold chisels can be used but are typically pretty ineffective unless you are working with very soft limestone or sandstone. Getting the right tools is key for safety and efficiency.

@@standingstonellc thanks for you input. I will take your advice.

Hello, yes it is not uncommon for rocks not to split well with feathers and wedges. A few thoughts: If the rock is not free to open the split will often go awry. If rock needs to be clear on the side and and underneath so the weight of the rock is helping to open the split. If it is held in tight by soil, its own weight by being supported all the way across underneath etc it is much less likely to split well. 5/8" feathers and wedges are generally good to split up to about 18" thick in granite. Other stones may be less depending on grain and crystal formation in the rocks. If you're trying to split anything thicker you need to use a larger size of feather and wedge. Generally up to 4 to 6 times the length of the wedge is the max you split though. This technique won't work well in rocks that are soft or have a grain (like slate or shist) and you are going against the grain.

@@brianpost1448 Thanks for responding Brian. Since writing you several things have happened. My usual problem rocks are basalt boulders that sing and crack nicely with 5/8 W&F. My problem child was a 36"x36" x 24" deep rock that was very hard, but no well defined crystals or grains, but aparently some porosity because it did not respond to the w&f, only slight spalling or chipping (no large fractures). So I bought a pail of dexpan and got a 1-1/2" drill bit. Within 3 hours of filling the holes the boulder broke into several large chunks. To remove from the hole I also purchased 1" W&F. With these I was able to break the large chunks into a more manageable size for removal. I use a Bosch 11264 rotary hammer drill which makes drilling large holes easy. Who says there is no science behind rock splitting. Hoping this is the last rock I will encounter.

Generally the depth of the hole is the length of the straight part of the feathers (side shims). Drilling deeper will make it look modern and is generally unnecessary. In a few stone types or situations drilling deeper can help direct the crack, but in the vast majority of most cases is comply unnecessary. Also if you're splitting smaller or thiner stones, dont drill more more than about 2/3 of the thickness of the stone, so the hole might be shallower than the length of the feather. If needed reduce the hole diameter in those cases.

@@brianpost1448 Many thanks bro

The 3, 2, 1 formula can work well for typical free standing dry stone field wall (fence) applications as 2nd example shows. However it locks you into a 1:6 batter. It also becomes increasing incorrect the farther you get away from a wall 42" to 54" high. For example with most stone it is impractical to build the top width at 12" wide, there just is not enough width to fit reasonable sized stones in. Conversely a wall that is 6 ft tall would end up with a 2 ft wide top, which is quite excessive, unless you are building with unusually large stones. In general the top width should be dictated by the stone you have. You want as narrow a width as possible that still allows for the structure needed. Typically that is in the 14 to 18 inch range, while the base width needs to increase with wall height, the top width does not. So the 3 2 1 formula can be useful, but you have to be aware its limitations.

@brianpost1448 Thanks for the reply, Brian. Can you tell I have an aversion to mathematics. I actually used a calculator to make sure my numbers were right in my first reply. That and I've only built a Lego wall. I do like to see some dry stone walling, I was surprised to see our friends in the US using it.

It really depends on the type of stone you are working with and how refined you are trying to be. These hammers are better for larger stone, or harder stone. If you are working with smaller pieces of softer sandstone or limestone you may like chisels better. In general though, chisels are slower and for smaller adjustments to the stone (lots of exceptions) and hammers will be faster and in some cases will be less precise.

Sorry not to respond sooner. The top width is something you pick, just like you pick the height. Typically the top width is going to be in the 14" to 18" range. It depends on the stone you have. If you dont have much small stone going wider is helpful. However there is tremendous savings in the volume of stone needed if you go narrower. For a 4 ft high, 20 ft long wall. if you go just 2" narrower you will save about 1 ton in stone about (1/2 cubic yard). This adds up quickly if you are doing a long length.

Yes it has been a problem, I have a better mic now so stay tuned for future videos.

Thanks for your comment, glad you liked it.