Curves in a stone wall
Curves in a stone wall
(OP)
Hello all, I apologize if this is in the wrong spot, but I have a simple question for greater math minds then myself.
I am building a simple garden wall, no more then a foot and a half high. I am using a rectangular stone block 12 inches long, 4 high and 8 deep.
My problem is that there are two curves in the wall, one of an 8-9 foot radius the other of 4 foot. I want to trim the back corners of the blocks so that the edges meet clean and flush, especially on the top rows, through the turn.
Is there a formula I could use that would tell me how much to trim off each end for the given radius?
thanks in advance
glvsav37
I am building a simple garden wall, no more then a foot and a half high. I am using a rectangular stone block 12 inches long, 4 high and 8 deep.
My problem is that there are two curves in the wall, one of an 8-9 foot radius the other of 4 foot. I want to trim the back corners of the blocks so that the edges meet clean and flush, especially on the top rows, through the turn.
Is there a formula I could use that would tell me how much to trim off each end for the given radius?
thanks in advance
glvsav37





RE: Curves in a stone wall
RE: Curves in a stone wall
RE: Curves in a stone wall
The angle of the cut on each end of the block can be calculated by (180)(L)/C, where L is the length of the block and C is the circumference of a circle with the radius that you plan to use for the curve in the wall. So, for your 8 foot radius wall, the rotation for each block would be (180 degrees)(1')/(50.27') = 3.58 degrees.
Then, the distance from the corner of the block can be calculated using simple trigonometry. Distance from corner = D(tan a), where D is the depth of the block and a is the angle of the cut. Again, for your wall with the 8 foot radius, Distance from the corner = (8 inches)[tan(3.58 degrees)] = 0.5 inches.
Adam
Rupert Engineering, Inc
Auburn, WA
RE: Curves in a stone wall
Why not lay every *other* block through the curved area of the wall (knowing that at the face they will be 12" apart). Once those are in place, rest another block on top, spanning the empty space. Reach underneath and use a piece of chalk to mark where to cut.
It certainly won't look as tidy as uniform angles cut at either end, but appearance shouldn't be a factor in any but the top course. The advantage is that you'll only need to make two cuts on every other block, as opposed to cutting both ends of *every* block. My calculations show that the required number of cuts will be reduced by 50%, (+/-).
Of course, once you get to the top course you're back to needing the advice of sombody with higher mathematical skills than mine.
RE: Curves in a stone wall
Most wall blocks for MSE type walls have a taper to the rear that enables closing up the exposed joints.
(quickly laid out in AutoCad)
RE: Curves in a stone wall
the wall was completed this past weekend and it went off without a hitch
for a few photos of what you helped with, go to...
http://www.keithgdesign.com/gardenwall.htm
thanks again!
kg