hand facer

["George Graham" <georgergraham@zzzzzzzzzzz>]

Bill,

I'm not a historian, so I can only comment on what I've encountered . All
the older stone cutters and carvers I've talked to all had a similar motto,
do the work in the easiest and fastest way possible. I fell into a  monument
shop  in 1981 where all the hand carving and cutting was done with
traditional tools. Air hammers, carbide tipped tools, Pitching tools, and
creative use of rubber stencil and sandblasting . The shop had a 14" diamond
saw blade and carborundum wheels that ran on a bridge saw. That was the kind
of tools the company had, so that is what I learned to use.

Using these tools  we produced very high quality monuments That were more
expensive than other dealers. As long as the sales people could convince
customers to pay more for better work the owners saw no need to invest money
in the new diamond technology. BUT, the professional carvers in Barre VT,
Elberton GA, and others had already recognized the advantage of using small
diamond blades, and were doing good statuary and letter carving faster, and
just as good. It was only a matter of time until  most monument dealers were
ordering  the fancy carving from speciality studios., and phasing out high
end stone work in their shops. I've visited a lot of dealers that have tools
 from the old days that no one knows how to use. Its seems to have been my
fate to be the last stone cutter in a number of places. Because businesses
are driven by the need to be profitable, the need for inhouse carving has
shrunk. Now a  small number of independent carvers and small shops  supply
the talent and quality work that some people still recognize and will pay a
fair price for.

I appreciate your desire to enjoy the physical nature of working granite
with a hammer and chisel. It connects us to a deep part of our soul that
needs to make things with our hands, with as little as possible between
hands and stone.  I hope you continue to explore the possibilities of using
the older , heavier tools. They do work very well, but the long term use of
a large air hammers will do damage to your hands and joints. ( I'm talking
about years of use).

The answer to the question, how did carvers remove stock before diamond
blades ?, is quite simple. If I were trying to sink down an area , make a
depression, I would cut a series of channels starting with a 3/4" 4 point
bush chisel (1/2"shank), go as deep as the tool will allow, and then go to a
1/2" 4 point, and go another 1". Then I would use a channel ripper and try
to get another 1/2 to 3/4" deeper. Then I would use a hammer and point to
break out the fins. Using this method, it might take me 3 hours of intense
airhammer work to lower a panel 12"x12'' , 3" deep. I can do the same thing
with my dry cut diamond blade on my big grinder in 15 or 20 minutes.  I use
air tools to do cleam up and finishing. Hand tools still do some things
better than any high speed grinder. Of course we all have our personal
preferences.

Have fun, and pass on your experiences! Also, get the best eye, ear and lung
protection you can. You'll need it!
George Graham