This section is from the book "Cassell's Cyclopaedia Of Mechanics", by Paul N. Hasluck. Also available from Amazon: Cassell's Cyclopaedia Of Mechanics.
The granite-working tools used in Cornwall and in Devonshire are as under. Fig. 1 shows a hand hammer; its shape varies, but it should be stiff near the eye, as there is then less risk of its splitting when driving plugs. Its weight is usually from 44 lb. to 5 lb. It is made of solid cast steel, the hammer being about 5 in. long and the handle about 9in. long. Its chief use is thus explained: When a rough block of stone comes from the quarry, the mason gets his mould for the bed, marks its shape on the bed, and if there is only about lin. or 1 1/2in. of waste stone, he takes the pitching tool (Fig. 2) and hand hammer and pitches it off. If, however, the waste stone is in greater quantity, he removes the excess with the spall hammer (Fig. 3). The spall hammer weighs from 181b. to 241b., and is used for hammering rough stones into shape. Next the mason takes a chisel that is made of best silver steel, is octagon or oval in shape, and is Sin. long (size when new), with lin. at the flat end. A peg-mark is then chiselled at each of the corners. Four hardwood bossing pegs (Fig. 4), l 1/4in. long or more, and made true, are then put one at each corner. A line is then put round and the drafts are marked, then the punch, l0in. long and made of l 1/8 in. steel either octagonal or oval in shape, is used for removing all super fluous stone. Next the mason takes a slad axe or chopping axe, the blade of which is about 74in. by 2 1/2in., and the handle about 16 in. long, and chops all round the drafts, keeping the axe in front of him. The patent axe is then used. A four-bladed axe is used for the roughest patent-axe work; a six-bladed axe is generally used for ordinary work. The box of this axe is in two parts, and there are four bolt holes in each for screwing it up when the blades are put in. The blades are from 2 1/2 in. wide, and the handle about 16 in. long. After being sharpened on a grinding stone, they are tempered and screwed in the box. When once tempered by a good smith, they will stand three or four grindings before being tempered again. A patent axe may be four-cut, six-cut, eight-cut, or ten-cut. It is not often above ten-cut. After single-axing the bed of the stone, take the six-cut and axe all round. If eight-cut work is specified, take the eight-cut axe over the six-cut work, as this leaves it fine for the edges or arris.
Next take the chopping axe and chop down all the knots or knobs left from the punch.
When a nobbling pick is used, as it still is in Cornwall, a stone can be left a little rougher from the punch; then, nobbled down, it comes easier for the tooth axe, as very few granite masons punch fine enough for a tooth axe. A nobbling pick is a pick that, being worn down to 71b. or 81b., is no longer used for scappling. A scappling pick, which is of the same shape as that shown in Fig. 6, weighs, when new, from 12 1b. to 181b. It is of solid cast-steel, and is used when there is rather too much for punching and not enough for the plug and feathers. A nobbling pick is very useful for tooth-axed work, to which it gives a clean appearance. Good slad axes and tooth axes may be made from short picks, but there must be no flaws in the pick. The handle of the nobbling pick is about 18 in. long. After the face has been nobbled, a tooth axe, as illustrated, is used. For work left after this tool, called tooth-axed face, the axe is about 4 in. wide, and the handle about 16 in. long (see Fig. 5). Fig. 6 shows a cross axe, the handle of which is about 11 in. long, for axing hollows or scotias in mouldings. A patent or bush chisel, with four or five blades, is used for axing mouldings or places inaccessible to the bush hammer. The complete chisel is about 10 in. long, and the blades are about 14 in. wide, and are bolted in with one bolt in a groove into which the blades fit. In use it is struck lightly on the head with a hand hammer. The muckle (large) hammer is for chasing or making a channel when splitting up the granite. The hand-drill for boring holes to split the granite has a 3/4-in. bit, and is made all in one piece of solid cast-steel (see Fig. 7). It is held in one hand and struck with the hand hammer, turning alternately, to a depth of 3-in. holes about 4 in. apart. Then the feathers and plug are put in, the round side of the feathers facing in the hole the way it is to be cut; then the plug is driven in until the granite splits. The plug and feathers are each about 4 in. long.
Fig. 7.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 2.
Granite-working Tools.
 
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