Granite Problem

[Simon Brown <moonsong@zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz>]

Hi William,

Good luck with making plugs & feathers, they really are very simple tools.

I've been trying to get a set of plugs & feathers (wedges & shims) from
Steve the blacksmith in Dandenong since before Christmas without success
so far. I could pass you his number but I'd have to get it from work.

Another source is Latham's in Sydney, they have been supplying all sorts
of terrazzo gear for generations, and I found out only recently that
they also supply stone tools. I rang them, and they sent me a
catalogue straight away. They have plugs & feathers listed as American Rock
Breakers (fine if you've got American rocks to break) 20mm & 30mm,
probably 200mm long. Contact them at:
http://www.latham-australia.com/index.html or Tel 02 9879 7888.
I haven't yet priced them.

Otherwise, Trow & Holden in the USA, but the cost of freight,
customs duty & GST is a killer - as you have probably found out.

You're right about the diamond saw, you would just be chucking
diamonds away pitting a saw blade against a granite boulder.

I bought a new air-powered rock drill from Airdraulic Birco in Brisbane,
it's the equivalent of the CP9 rock drill. Previously, I had been using
hollow drill bits and they were breaking like matchsticks (well nearly)
at $170 each. So I got some K-taper adaptors for the three rock drills
and the Hilti TE42 that we use, and some solid K-taper masonry bits
 from ADBirco. Haven't broken any of them so far - and they are less
than 1/3 the price of the Atlas Copco hollow bits.

The air powered drills are a little bit slower than the electric drill
through granite. The problem with the bits is not wear, they usually
break before they wear out.

Regards,

Simon