Masonry Magazine June 1997 Page. 37
Circular or Arced Feature
Granite panels with arced faces are fabricated with two different pieces of machinery. The traditional method involves a wiresaw using wire and silicon carbide abrasive to cut the stone. The block is fixed in a cradle while a single strand of wire carves a path to produce the desired profile. A full-sized physical template is traced onto the end of the block. The operator controls the sawing unit manually with the ability to move it laterally as the wire travels downward.
The more modern method of producing this same piece involves a machine using a heavy cable (11 mm diameter) with cylindrical diamond abrasive segments. The diamonds cut much faster than the traditional wire and silicon carbide and leave a much smoother surface. The machine is programmable to produce a given curve, and will accept standard DXF files which can be transferred from CAD drawings. A profile detailed by a draftsperson can be simply loaded into the machine and reproduced in the stone.
Granite columns have always been a focal point of classical architecture. Traditionally, the columns were solid, load bearing units which took advantage of the material's greatest property; its resistance to compression. Modern construction schedules seldom allow for the delivery and erection of true, load bearing granite columns, so the visual effect is synthesized with a granite veneer surrounding a structural column of either steel or concrete. In either case, the column is both shaped and finished on a lathe. A solid core column is held in place with fixtures penetrating alignment holes drilled in the ends of the stone. The pieces of a veneered column are clamped in a mandrel. The lathe turns at a variable speed to be adjusted for the diameter of the work piece as well as the finishing function being performed. Initial shaping is accomplished with pneumatic driven diamond grinding wheels held in place by temporary fixtures. Final finishing is usually done by hand-held tools as the work piece is spinning.
Conclusions
The many advancements made within this industry in the past several decades have provided the consumer with lower cost, higher quality products and more variety and flexibility in the applications for which granite can be used. What will the advancements of the next several decades provide? Only time & imagination will tell.
Information for this article was provided by the Cold Spring Granite Company, one of the world's largest and most successful quarriers and fabricators of granite. The company owns and operates 32 quarries and 6 fabrication facilities throughout North America and markets its products both domestically and internationally. Cold Spring Granite Company was founded in 1898 and will be celebrating its 100th Anniversary next year. On March 12, 1996, the company showed its industry leadership once again by achieving certification to the internationally recognized ISO 9001 standards for quality management, as verified by SGS Certification Services.
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MASONRY-MAY/JUNE, 1997 37