greybeard
Well-known member
http://blog.lostartpress.com/2013/06/28 ... -are-made/
A good one here--with pictures:
http://web2.geo.msu.edu/geogmich/Grindstones.htm
A good one here--with pictures:
http://web2.geo.msu.edu/geogmich/Grindstones.htm
The first step in quarrying this stone had to be done from the top of the ground. Men would stake out an area thought to be large enough to produce all the stone they could make in one season. To clear the area all trees, shrubs and soil must be removed. After removing trees and shrubs, the soil was removed by horse-drawn scrapers. Following this, all shale had to be removed to get to the usable sandstone. Stone picks were used to loosen the shale. The stone is in layers and freezing and thawing causes it to split in layers in frozen areas. Usually the men started to clear the area in March or April depending upon the weather. The real quarrying was not done until all frost was out of the ground. The whole system of quarrying in this area was done by hand tools and manual labor, except for steam engines, derricks and horse-drawn vehicles, as there was no electricity in the area at that time.
After the area called a field was cleared for the actual getting out of stone the men had to get down to the layers of rock. This was done by drilling holes and dynamiting to get to the rock where they could start to actually take out stone. When they had a hole large enough they drilled into the rock from the sides. This was done by controlled dynamiting and would split the layers of rock apart. Then by a gin pole arrangement the stone was raised to the top of the ground. Steam drills were used to cut the stone in squares. After the stone was cut, bars and wedges were used to pry them loose and they were wedged apart so the gin pole affair could be fastened to them. A gin pole was made by fastening two poles together, one in the ground and the other fastened to the bottom by a hinge arrangement. These had two pulleys and a long cable fastened to them. One end was fastened to the engine and the other had clamps which were attached to the cut stone. The steam engine operator pulled the stone to the top of the ground by a device that would the cable around a pulley on the engine. When the two poles were parallel the stone would be on the top of the ground. It was swung away from the hole and laid flat on the ground, where men with picks trimmed off the corners and then picked a square hole in the center. Then the men put the grappling hooks on the stone and the engine operator lifted it on to a flat car. The grindstone company built and operated its own narrow gauge railroad truck and cars and engine for this purpose.
"Turning" the stone
"Turning" a stone means to carve the rock into a flat, round grindstone. To do this, the stone was first hauled to the mill where it would be finished. Here another steam engine was used to pick up the stone and it was guided by men to a machine called a mandrill, where it was put on a large iron bar and securely fastened there by bolts and washers. However due to the hole in the stone ropes instead of cables were used in this operation. Men stood on each side of this stone, which was upright on the bar. With long iron tools held against the stone, they cut the sides and edges of the stone. These tools were kept sharpened by the blacksmith who worked in a small building close to the mill. These tools looked similar to our crowbars. The stone was kept turning by means of a steam engine and pulleys, and the men held their tools against the side of the stone as it turned, thus cutting and shaping it. When they had done one section they moved the tool forward to the next spike etc., until they had turned it to the center. The stone had to be exact for perfect balance or they would not be saleable. When a stone was finished, it had to be carefully removed from the mandrill so as not to chip the edge, which would ruin the stone. Stones were soaked to soften them before turning, as the stone is porous and does chip easily when not wet. The finished stones were piled with wedges or pieces of lumber between them to allow them to dry. Companies purchasing the stone wanted it dry as it would be much lighter and they purchased it by the pound. Stone sold for abut 3 to 3 ½ cents a pound. Smaller farm stones usually had a flat price as did both whet stones and scythe stones. They were made in a separate small factory. Mitchell G. Cook was at one time manager of this operation. Its output was about 140 gross a day.
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