How to Hand Split Stone

Mark the area in which you want to split the stone with chalk or a pencil. This will be the break line on which you split the stone. If you need an exact fit to another stone, lay them on top of one another and mark the line accordingly.

Chisel a groove into the line you just made, using a small sledgehammer and a brick set. A brick set is a common masonry tool used for making grooves in brick or stone in order to split them. Make this line approximately 1/8 of an inch deep.

Lay a piece of scrap lumber on the ground. Place the stone that you wish to split on the lumber. This will help to transfer the sledgehammer blow properly when you split the stone. Place the groove line as close to the edge of the wood as possible to ensure a good break. For large stones, have someone stand on the end opposite of where you will be splitting the stone.

Strike the stone with a sledge hammer to split it. One good, hard blow to the score line should cleanly break the stone. If you wish to preserve the section of the stone that you are breaking off for later use, lay another small piece of scrap wood on it before you strike it with the sledgehammer.