Router (or handtools) to carve limestone?

["John VanCamp" <jvcstnwrks@zzzzzzzzzzzzz>]

Hi Dan, Welcome to the list.  The simple answer to all of your questions is
yes.  My experience with the router is that carbide bits will work in some
softer limestones, but burn up rather rapidly in stiffer limestone and don't
work well at all in other stones. A friend uses diamond bits, but that
requires water, so isn't much of a winter time thing either.   My preference
for letter carving is a pneumatic hammer and the appropriate chisels, but
then I use a pneumatic hammer for about 90% of my carving.  Other carvers on
this list prefer the hand hammer, which works real well also.

Sources of tools are many and varied, but one of my favorites is Trow &
Holden in Barre Vt. ( http://www.trowandholden.com ) As for instructional
books, there are many of these also.  Had one specific to letter carving,
but can't find it on the book shelf at the moment so no title or author on
that one, although it may have been called "carving letters in wood and
stone."  A good general carving book that I like is "Contemporary Stone
Sculpture" by Dona Meilach.  Milt Liebson's books and videos are also
popular.  Both can be had from eBay on occasion, but Amazon will probably be
a faster source. I started into this carving stuff through a masonry career
also.  Got hooked, and really don't take my trowel and hammer out very often
anymore.   Good luck to you,

John VanCamp /  http://www.jvcstoneworks.com
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