Faithfull HWALL Walling / Masons Hammer

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However, in most of the cases, people prefer to go DIY (Do-it-Yourself) ways. So, we are going to simplify the guide accordingly. Step One: Learn the Basics of Dry-stone Walling Dry stone walling is an ancient craft which is disappearing in Scotland. Martin Tyler and Luke De Garis are working to create a solid foundation for future generations of stone wallers. ( Dry Stone Walling Perthshire ) Introducing the Saviors of Ancient Scottish Dry Stone Walling Cope: These are the top stones on the wall. There are numerous styles used for copes, but they all basically serve the purpose of adding additional height and capping of the wall in a structurally sound manner. Britain has many different types of agricultural environments and throughout history each one required a different style of stone wall, depending on the types of stones found in any given area. Building styles that have emerged from place to place also vary due to the range of different raw materials: some were built using a small number of huge boulders, while others were made with thousands of tiny pieces of flat shale. Coping stones straddle the wall in the same way as throughstones, holding the sides together and holding down and protecting the upper courses.

It is a kind of pillar to hold the wall up. So, use the larger pieces of stones in rectangular shapes to create wall heads. Professional Approaches to Dry Stone Walling

Introducing the Saviors of Ancient Scottish Dry Stone Walling

Make sure any stone you are putting your hand under is very secure. A light stone falling just a few inches can seriously crush fingers. ratio means for every 6” of rising (height) the wall gets 1” of the run – narrower 1” on each side. Indeed, the dry stone walling trend is prevailing in the construction of a courtyard boundary and retaining wall projects in recent years. However, you can find decent dry-stone walls in Kings’ places in global history. History of Dry-stone Walls

Hearting stones are important. Use solid angular stones. Place them carefully, almost as you would the face stones. Add hearting stones as you go, keeping them at or just below the level of the face stones. Set the frame(s) at the end(s) of the section you are working on and run guidelines along the wall. Make sure the lines aren’t moved by people working. FoundationsOften when people think about the craft of dry stone walling, they conjure up an idyllic country landscape of irregular field patterns stretching across the Cotswolds, the Yorkshire Dales or the Lake District. These walls must have been there for hundreds of years, they surmise, and have no contemporary relevance and no one to maintain them in their original condition. Even when practising their craft, wallers find themselves being asked by members of the public ‘Isn’t dry stone walling a dying art?’, as if the evidence of their eyes is simply unbelievable.

Dry stone walling involves either stripping and rebuilding existing walls that have fallen into disrepair, or gapping – repairing gaps where the wall has collapsed. Fewer new walls are built, although foundations sometimes have to be relaid. Stones come in all different shapes. The images below show some common shapes divided by how easy or difficult they are to build with. Some stones with difficult shapes can be trimmed (edges or points broken off) to improve there usability. Other difficult stones can be sporadically used throughout the wall, with better stones in between, without adversely affecting the look or structure of the wall. The very worst shaped stones often get smashed up into hearting. It is important to use all the stone in a consistent manner. There is a tendency to use all the nice flat stones right away, and then have a bunch of awkward shapes at the top of the wall. This looks poor and often weakens the wall. First Lift: This refers to the lower portion of the wall, from the foundation to the level of the through stones. This includes the face stones, hearting and pinning. The first lift is made of larger stones than the second lift. Foundation: This is what the wall is built on. For field walls it is often the native soil with the turf removed. Landscape and garden walls may be built with a bed of crushed stone or gravel. A corollary to this is the use of inappropriately skilled workers to build large areas of walling on major publicly funded projects, such as alongside motorways and bypasses. DSWA has experience of several past and ongoing projects where many kilometres of walls and dykes have been built to a standard which would disgrace someone with even one week’s properly instructed training. Compare these two images: one from a current publicly funded roads project (aboveleft) and the other from one of the bursary HLF trainees after a few weeks’ experience (above right).In the ancient era, skills of dry-stone walling were passing in unorganized ways, mostly by one-on-one learning. However, today, ASLA and DSWA-GB, like non-profit and valid institutions, are providing professional-level courses like certificate and diploma programs. ASLA (American Society of Landscape Architect) and DSWA-GB (Dry Stone Walling Association-Great Britain) are organizations providing standard training to create certified professionals. Keep a work space clear of loose stones right along the base of the wall you are building. Typically 18-24 inches wide is sufficient. Walking on loose stones all day is both dangerous and tiring. In England and Wales Lantra provides a modern apprenticeship which allows employees the opportunity to get hands-on experience through a partnership between the apprentice, employer and training provider and leads to a recognised qualification. This is mainly targeted at 16–19 year olds with a lower level of funding available for students aged 20–24. However, within the environmental sector, this has had very little impact on the provision of qualified wallers continuing to practise their craft at a professional level. Make sure people follow the designated batter of the wall. Try to keep the face of the wall smooth – it discourages climbers.