star drills?

[Bernard Arnest]

I was just wondering how they're supposed to look? From the blunted
antiques I see everywhere, they almost seem designed to mash the stone!
Hardly real drilling, and I wonder if it would even be effective? Why
didn't they use a sort of spade bit to scrape and cut the stone?
I'm missing something then... how was a star drill meant to be used?

[Jim Paget]

In a sense you are right - they are pretty blunt. The technique involves
turning the drill between each hammer strike. They were the original,
manually operated impact drill.

-----Original Message-----
From: Bernard Arnest [mailto:berninicaco3-***@public.gmane.org]
Sent: Monday, January 26, 2009 9:03 PM
To: stone-***@public.gmane.org
Subject: [stone] star drills?

I was just wondering how they're supposed to look? From the blunted
antiques I see everywhere, they almost seem designed to mash the stone!
Hardly real drilling, and I wonder if it would even be effective? Why
didn't they use a sort of spade bit to scrape and cut the stone?
I'm missing something then... how was a star drill meant to be used?


-:-}-------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe & other options: http://www.freelists.org/list/stone
Email stone-request-***@public.gmane.org (not the list) with subject
FAQ to get general list info
SET DIGEST to switch to digested posts (1/2 posts per week)
UNSUBSCRIBE to leave the list (send from your sub address)
List info - http://aboutstone.org/conversa/
List archives - http://aboutstone.org/conversa/arc.html
Ground rules - http://aboutstone.org/conversa/gr.html
Stone virtual library - http://aboutstone.org/vl/
-------------------------------------------------------------{-:-

[Paul Crabtree]

At the Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust we have a large collection of old
quarry and masonry tools that we use to keep alive the skills of working by
hand.

Yes - the star drill was always used by a team (family quarry gang) with a
young quarry boy holding
and turning the drill ( a wet cloth and water was used to asisst with the
cutting process ) while two or three
quarrymen struck the top of the drill with sledge hammers, in synchronised
timing.

The star drill was replaced by the pneumatic drill of today. It was used
to make holes to take a black powder charges (rolled in paper tubes)
that were placed in the hole, packed with stone dust, and then exploded -
with just enough black powder
used to lift the stone from its bed. ...and not too much too shatter it
....

Star drills were made by Mr Powell from the blacksmiths family on Portland -
Mr Powell was working in his forge
until the late 1980's making and sharpening tools. He was the last
Blacksmith on Portland but has now retired.

Hannah at PSQT.
Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust
The Drill Hall
Easton Lane
Portland
Dorset DT5 1BW

[leaper man]

You deserve to be here..
just by knowing that

--- On Tue, 1/27/09, Paul Crabtree <psqt-XkB4FR19MUVrWqx8DrMxf9i2O/***@public.gmane.org> wrote:
From: Paul Crabtree <psqt-XkB4FR19MUVrWqx8DrMxf9i2O/***@public.gmane.org>
Subject: [stone] Fw: Re: star drills?
To: stone-***@public.gmane.org
Date: Tuesday, January 27, 2009, 11:38 AM





At the Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust we have a large collection of old
quarry and masonry tools that we use to keep alive the skills of working by
hand.

Yes - the star drill was always used by a team (family quarry gang) with a
young quarry boy holding
and turning the drill ( a wet cloth and water was used to asisst with the
cutting process ) while two or three
quarrymen struck the top of the drill with sledge hammers, in synchronised
timing.

The star drill was replaced by the pneumatic drill of today. It was used
to make holes to take a black powder charges (rolled in paper tubes)
that were placed in the hole, packed with stone dust, and then exploded -
with just enough black powder
used to lift the stone from its bed. ...and not too much too shatter it
.....

Star drills were made by Mr Powell from the blacksmiths family on Portland -
Mr Powell was working in his forge
until the late 1980's making and sharpening tools. He was the last
Blacksmith on Portland but has now retired.

Hannah at PSQT.
Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust
The Drill Hall
Easton Lane
Portland
Dorset DT5 1BW



-:-}-------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe & other options: http://www.freelists.org/list/stone
Email stone-request-***@public.gmane.org (not the list) with subject
FAQ to get general list info
SET DIGEST to switch to digested posts (1/2 posts per week)
UNSUBSCRIBE to leave the list (send from your sub address)
List info - http://aboutstone.org/conversa/
List archives - http://aboutstone.org/conversa/arc.html
Ground rules - http://aboutstone.org/conversa/gr.html
Stone virtual library - http://aboutstone.org/vl/
-------------------------------------------------------------{-:-