Questions on Setting Grave Stones

[atgreene]

My grandparents on my fathers side always wanted a millstone for a grave marker. When my grandfather died in '83 we found one, had it lettered and set.

My other grandparents thought that was a great idea. For 20 years they looked for a mill stone (they live 40 miles awa). They found one, bought it, got it to the stone mason for lettering only to find it had a couple severe cracks. They continued to search and two years ago they found one 5 miles from me. I went and picked it up and hauled it to a place that does grave stones to be lettered. That was 18 months ago. The guy just finished it and told them to come get it. He said he could find someone to set it, but it sounds like he isn't really interested and they don't really trust him with it.

Being it's a mill stone, it has a few small cracks, so they are rather insistant that I be the one to set it.

So my questions:

How big of a base do I pour for it? I assume a small concrete base poured around it is standard? How deep should the crete be?

We get 4'-5' of frost here, so I'm thinking I'd dig down a ways and set-in some 3/4 crushed stone to help prevent frost cones and pour the crete on top of that.

I've dug a few graves (family, traditional to burry our own), but never set grave stones. I feel stupid asking, but having never done this particular aspect of excavation/concrete/stonework, I'd like to get it right. Both my grandparents are in failing health and are anxious to see it before they need it.

Here's a pic of the first stone they bought, had a serious crack, so I set it in their yard as an ornament.

Second & 3rd. pics are of when I dropped the stone off for lettering.

Thanks.

[Rick]

Allen I have set quite a few stones over time and still do for the town. What works best is to put 6-8" of 3/4" stone down firs then I use 2x12s to form the base. Sed to be 111/2" now it is 111/4".

[Alan]

One of my schoolteachers was involved in the family cemetary monument business. I helped him set a few stones.

We dug a tapered hole as deep as we could get with a shovel, tried to make the sides smooth and even, the idea being that the frost wouldn't grab much on the taper. At the top we formed a rectangle a couple inches smaller than the base of the stone and left it just above ground level. Mixed our own crete and just filled the hole and up to the top of the form.

Once the stone was in place the grass hid the little gap around the edge of the concrete and that was all she wrote.

[Jerre Heyer]

Allen, we reset a couple of family stones over the last couple of years. Most of these were put in 20-30 yrs ago and the bases had finally shifted. The worst ones were square sided and rectangular with a less than 2/3 ratio. I like Alan's idea for the top so that you are letting it grass in. Wish we had done that.

On the resets we dug with the mini down 18-24" ( clay soil here ) Dumped in 6-8" of clean 2B ( 2" crushed stone). This was approx 1' bigger in length and width than the pad to pour. We then formed up with a reverse taper ( bigger at the top and smaller at the bottom ) with 2 X 12-s and poured this in. We formed up a smaller section that got put on top of this pour ( why I like alans Idea ) and sat this down on the first pour and poured this in while the first pour was still wet. Smaller section was just bigger than the stone to sit.

After it cured we backfilled with 2B to about 4" from the surface and put down landscape fabric and covered with topsoil and seeded it in.

Lot of work but don't want the kids or grandparents to have to do it again.

In the case of the grind stone I would consider making a half round base that it could sit into. Forming in drain channels at the bottom and make it so that the stone will sit down into the base. While your at it you could incorporate flag holders into the base with some PVC tubing ( run them to the bottom stone so they drain out )

Good luck and picts of the final project. That cracked one looks good in the lawn.

Familys lucky to have you there.

J

[snowblower50]

Alan, At our cemetery down here on LOng Island ,we have the monument people put in a base of concrete that is two foot to two and a half foot deep and put two legs with a post hole digger down three more feet to prevent any frost action.If you need more info, I will try and get a diagram,good luck withyour project. Pete Barrie aka snowblower50.

[Big Dog D]

How much of the stone will be exposed? If it were set deep enough you may not need much of a base. Another idead would be if you had acess to 1/2 of a broken one set it below grade as a base with the round side up and set the "new" one on top of it. The shape of the old one should prevent it from being pushed up with the frost.

[atgreene]

I haven't seen how it was lettered yet, so I'm not sure how deep I can get it. Being that it is an odd shape and convex (thicker near the center) it is top heavy as heck. I suspect this is why the monument guy isn't hot to do it.

My grandparents want as much of it as possible out of the ground so that the true shape of it can be seen. I like the ideas you guys have given me, especially the angled base as well as a couple deeper sono tubes to stabilize it. I just want to get it right the first time, so overkill will be the order of the day.

Thanks, I'll get pics when I do it.

[atgreene]

Well today was the day. I started at 8 am gathering tools and headed to Western Maine and didn't finish until 5 pm tonight, then a 30 mile drive back home.

It was kind of poetic, on the way up I was listening to NPR and they had this story about The Royal Scots Dragoon Guard and their new release of an album, with, of course, Amazing Grace, my families favorite piece of music.

http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=16197024&m=16190326

http://www.army.mod.uk/scotsdg/

They do one of the best versions of Amazing Grace I've ever heard. My mother loves Amazing Grace and growing up we heard it a lot of different versions.

So anyway, I picked up the stone, went up to my grandparents and got to work. With help from 2 of my uncles, we managed to set the stone. BTW, the Takeuchi could not go beyand 3/4 extension with only the ripper tooth, beyond that and the machine stood on end. Yea, it was heavy.

Hole ended up being 2' x 3' x 2', and with an elephant foot shape (undermined on the bottom). We mixed in stones as we went and went through 1680 pounds of concrete.:eek:

So anyway, here's some pics. I think it came out nice. I'll return sometime to finish the masonary work, particullary on the rear. The rear will have a mortared/stone angled base to help support the rear of the stone and to dress it up a bit. We put some stones set in the concrete for the front.

I may ask the whole family if they want to each find a favorite stone, ship it to me, and I will incorporate it into the rear of the monument. I think it would be neat to have stones from all over the country each from a family member.

[atgreene]

A few more.

[Jerre Heyer]

Alan, great job. I like the family stones Idea. We collected stone from all of the states when we did a tour in 1978 and incorporated it into the family fireplace.

J

[jbone]

Not for nothing, I think thats a great family tradition. Its really good to see that people are still keeping their families close with family traditions.