Stone is a fantastic medium to work in, but if you're just starting out it can be expensive if you don't know what tools and equipment you will need. To make things easier here's a list of essential and not-so-essential things to buy together with where to source them at reasonable cost.
Hand Tools - Chisels
There are two types of chisel, traditional firesharps and the relatively modern tungsten tipped. If you are starting out on a budget then firesharps are perfect if you're not planning on working with hard or abrasive stone such as granite or sandstone grit. Even so, with the correct tempering firesharps are more than adequate for any type of stone.The best place to buy chisels from is G. Gibson & Co. based in Leeds. A link to their website can be found on the Links page.
A good starting point would be to purchase the following:
- Eighth inch (3mm) firesharp, hammer headed
- Three eighths inch (10mm) firesharp, hammer headed
- Half inch (13mm) scutch comb holder, hammer headed
- Quarter inch (6mm) firesharp bullnose, hammer headed
- Half inch (13mm) firesharp bullnose, hammer headed
For the scutch comb holder you will need some scutch bits. G. Gibson sell these in boxes of 100 in two different patterns, stone and marble. For carving, marble bits are preferred as these have finer teeth. Incidentally, to confuse things Stonemasons call these claw holders and claw bits.
Hand Tools – Hammers And Dummies
For the above chisels the following are recommended:
- One and a half pound dummy
- Two or two and a half pound lump hammer
For roughing out use the scutch (claw) and lump hammer. For removing large amounts of waste a pitcher is very useful. They come in firesharp and tungsten varieties and are again available from G. Gibson.
Accessories
As well as hand tools there are a number of other things you can buy to aid in the working of stone.
Angle Grinders
Angle grinders are very useful both for the quick removal of waste and to aid in the carving process. The two standard sizes available are four and a half inch and nine inch. Both have their uses but the smaller of the two is easier to handle. The price of diamond blades used to be high but has reduced to the point where they are a better proposition than traditional disks even if you don't use the grinder very often.
Core Drills
For the ubiquitous pierced sculpture a core drill is a huge time saver. There are two types of core drill bit, tungsten and diamond. For occasional use go for tungsten but avoid hammer action on the drill. Although tungsten core bits are able to withstand hammer action they will last longer without. Contrary to popular belief, drilling stone doesn't usually require hammer action, and if used inappropriately will damage both the drill bit and the stone.
Drills used for core drilling must be substantial enough for the task and at the very least have a safety clutch. If the drill doesn't have a safety clutch and the bit gets stuck, which is usual, there is a high possibility of injury to your wrists.
Sundries
Other useful things to have at hand are oxide paper in various grades together with files and rasps. Tungsten files are perfect for stone and can be found in the guise of ceramic tile files. For rasps, car boot sales are fantastic – modern rasps are of inferior quality and can be identified by their grey colour. Big old rusty rasps that have proved their quality from years of use are the best!
Pneumatic Tools
A discussion on stone working tools wouldn't be complete without a mention of air-driven hammers. Pneumatic hammers, known as air guns in the trade, are a very fast way of working stone. Compared to working by hand, using the air is an enormous boost to productivity. However, the downside is the cost of equipment; an air gun will cost between £250 and £350, and with that a compressor has to be purchased together with chisels designed to fit in the guns. Costs aside, the creative release gained by using the air is phenomenal and highly addictive!
