Weight of granite.

["John Klassen" <jaklassen2001@zzzzzzzzzzzz>]

Hello Folks,
A friend at work has been listening to me blather on about this last granite carving that I just finished.  He waited patiently until it was finished. When I showed him a picture, he invited me over to his place.  It seems that he bought an old monument maker's house and shop.  There is all kinds of blocks of granite laying around as well as some pretty large pieces(8 feet x 2 feet x 1 foot thick).  I can take my pick.  I guess most people don't have much use for tombstones with spelling mistakes on them.

What I need to know is,  How much does a cubic foot of granite weigh.  If I knew this I could calculate the weight of these pieces and know the lifting capacity the I need to move them around.

The old lifting rigs are still there in the shop but when I get the pieces to my garage that is another matter entirely.  I was thinking of a structural steel "A" frame (on Heavy casters) with a chainhoist for manipulating the pieces in my garage. Any tips or ideas on that would also be appreciated. I do have some rigging and millwrighting experience so I am confident that I can handle the pieces but I don't know how heavy to make the "A" frame.  This is where the weight factor comes in.  Also I would need to know how heavy of a truck to use.

I do have to wait until spring or summer so I have lots of time to make the "A" frame.  Actually some of the stone is frozen into the ground, outside, anyways.

There are also some old marble tombstones from the late 1800's. I don't know if these also have spelling mistakes(These suckers are frozen in there "real good").  I hope it's not some sort of crime to carve these up.  How would I find out if they belong somewhere?

Thanks for your help.

John