How do you cut a stone ?

  1. Home page
  2. How do you cut a stone ?

Despite the lockdown, we propose you to discover the technique of stonecutting! A preview of what our team leaders will teach you on our workcamps

 

After choosing a block of stone, the goal is to transform it into a rectangular parallelepiped. To do so, the first step is to draw on the stone: the stonecutter uses two rulers that are matched on each side of the block and draws two lines along these rulers to create a flat surface.

 

Next, the stonecutter uses different tools, such as a cutter or scissors, to cut a flat surface following the two lines made with the rulers. All in all, once the drawing is done, it is no more complicated than colouring … Just don’t go over the line.

 

Once all the faces of the stone have been cut, they must be laid. There are two methods of laying used since the Middle Ages:
– The stone is laid on wedges, and aligned with the others. Then, a mixture of mortar and lime, is inserted to fill the interstices between each block.
– The stone is laid directly on a flexible mortar that requires a quick adjustment of the blocks before the mortar dries quickly.

 

That’s it! You got it! Now all you have to do is find a castle to restore! Have a look at our workcamps, by clicking here!