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Calibrated Paving |
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How it's done: |
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The process involved is variously known as 'calibrating' or 'strip milling'. It involves running the flagstones through a series of closely-spaced saw blades to cut grooves or channels into the underside, and then nobble-off the remaining upstand to leave a flagstone of the selected thickness. |
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![]() Strip Milling viewed from side |
![]() Strip Milling viewed head-on |
So the flags are fed through the strip mill and the vicious blades eat into the stone and create the series of grooves that give strip-milled flagstones there characteristic look. | |
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And what emerges is a flagstone with a series of projecting 'blades'.... | ....which can be chiselled off to leave a flag of the required 'calibrated' thickness |
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![]() Close-up view of calibrated flagstone |
![]() The calibration can be askew, but this isn't important as the surface is unaffected. |
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![]() The edge view shows how calibration involves a parallel series of ridges and troughs |
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No matter how hard we try, there's always at least one eejit.....! |
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![]() They had a 50% chance of getting it laid the right way up.....and they failed! |
Nothing new under the sun: |
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Think this is radical new technology? Cutting-edge, if you will? Our Victorian forefathers were doing it over 100 years ago to put a relatively smooth face onto flagstone with notoriously uneven bedding planes, such as the Rossendale flags from East Lancashire. | |
![]() Rossendale flags often have 'turbid' bedding which makes then uncomfortable for foot traffic and therefore they achieved a lesser value |
![]() Strip milling removed most of the unevenness, making them more suitable for pedestrians and increasing their potential sale price |