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Posted by Edward Hennessey on April 15, 2008, 4:24 pm
jaygreg wrote:
> Was discussing this very subject with the owner Saturday, Ed. I
> think
> you might be right. We're going to inspect the area Wednesday. I
> plan
> to bring a sledge for this very purpose. Thanks.
>
> message
>> jaygreg wrote:
>>> A friend needs about 60 feet of a city sidewalk removed. I
>>> suggested
>>> he rent a jackhammer and I'd help. We're both fit and husky. I
>>> plan
>>> to handle the hammer. Any tricks or techniques I should know
>>> about
>>> before I start?
>>
>> Another approach is to drive wedges into the score lines of the
>> sidewalk segments with a sledge as an alternative to sawing and
>> the
>> machine and blade rental costs. To test your capacity and the
>> efficacy of this would be easy and allow you a comparitive
>> procedure
>> to weigh against contending possibilities.
>>
>> Frankly, an accomplished sledgehammer man could do the breaking
>> job
>> in a day if rental expenditures were a concern.
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Edward Hennessey
JG:
If you are going to drive steel, instead of having someone take
the risk of holding the wedge directly, get one of those
big, concave-jaw vice grips, clamp it around the wedge, add duct
tape from the grips to the wedge and duct tape the
assembly to a long stick that puts the holder out of the range of
sledge error. The duct tape may require refreshing from time to
time. You don't have to clamp the devil out of the grips as the
hammer would likely soon knock the wedge free.
You just need to be able to contain the wedge for accurate
placement, a goal which the tapered form of the wedge
will enable.
I would start the wedge at the slab border, reposition it at the
center junction of slab scores and then work
back if necessary. Once you see a crack, it can be extended by
pounding a bit ahead of the evident break.
Get a piece of inner tube and wrap it on the handle just below the
sledge head, affixing that "bumper"
with an automobile hose clamp to protect your sledge handle
against misses. Four things determine sledge efficacy. The
operator, the weight of the head, the length of the handle and the
speed of the throw. Tool availability and fatigue
will plug into your result.
A long bar and a hard, broad fulcrum will help displacing and
moving your fragmented slabs.
Another amusing possibility, though I have my doubts, is the use
of an expansive product like esmite (e-smite?) or
bristar, both of which require drilled holes which themselves are
a retarding step. I'm not advocating this over what
I know will work and cost less but you might find a little
research illuminating.
Regards,
Edward Hennessey
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