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Uses for large rocks?

7K views 37 replies 37 participants last post by  NoTea4U 
#1 ·
I'm one of those "is there a good use for that" guys, when it comes to getting rid of stuff. I'm usually pretty good, but think I have met my match on this one.

We're clearing up our lot and removing buried rocks for a multitude of reasons...for ease of mowing, better land to plant food, etc.

These rocks are anywhere from ~12" wide to 14" length, all the way to heavy ones at 24" wide to 20" length. We've pretty much used what we could for a fire ring border, fire pit, bottom the fence bordering, and chicken coop borders. We still have a ton.

What are some uses for these rocks, if any? We don't want to put them anywhere near the house as we're looking to remove hideouts for snakes, scorpions, tarantulas, etc. ...don't want them getting in to the house.

The rock is whatever they make caliche out of if that helps at all. Granite? It's pretty darn heavy and dense. Typical Texas Hill Country stone.

Thanks!
 
#4 ·
Build a mangonel or trebuchet, use the stone as ammunition.

Dig a pond (good for ducks, geese, fish or extra water storage), use the stone to line the bottom.

Make or line walls with stone.

Bury a section of culvert, cover the top, sides and ends with stone to help maintain a consistent temperature for a root cellar, or provide more protection for a storm shelter.

Build a barbecue. A kiln, too, while you're at it. And a pizza/bread oven when you're finished.

Set up the largest stone you have as a base, then take a couple of round ones, drill into them, insert steel bars and turn them into manually powered grinding wheels for grain. Could also power it with wind, water, solar, or even stones hauled up and using gravity to turn the grinder.

Lay out a really big chess table on the ground and carve some of them up for use as chess pieces.

Break them up to use as gravel for different projects. Drain field, driveway, one stage of water filtration, slingshot ammo, etc.

Build a stone cottage, drying, curing or smoking room.

Become a sculptor.
 
#5 ·
use them to build a grill/smoker combo, it will improve your back yard. Even better if you add an outdoor pizza oven. Hell we're in Texas and I KNOW sometimes I'd rather cook outside. Build it and invite the boards over for a party! even literally go 'whole hog' with enough notice. :D I'll bring the hog and some mead!
 
#8 ·
Here in Kansas at least, I see them on Craigslist for sale all the time. People use them for landscaping. Local landscaping companies will pay $80/ton for large stones but they usually want them wrapped on pallets for easy transport.

We have a septic system that runs to the north of our driveway and I was constantly having problems with the UPS/Fedex guy (and my son's teenage friends) driving over it to turn around. When you live in the country for some reason people automatically think you don't care if you drive on the lawn. I lined the north side of the driveway with similar stones to keep people from driving on the grass.
 
#14 ·
Look up how to split granite. You could build some very neat stuff. Like a patio or flooring for a shed or work area. It seems that granite splits fairly easily. When a neighbor had a patio made, I watched the workers splitting the stuff with wedges and hammers.
 
#22 ·
I live in a 100+ year old building built of rocks and concrete. Looks like it was a LOT of work to make, but also looks like someone used up a LOT of rocks.
Good thermal mass, once the temp is good, it's not hard to keep it there, takes about 3 days to stabilize the temperature though, so if the walls get hot in the summer, it's a sauna for a week or so, and takes a lot to cool it back down. I only have a swamp cooler, and that won't bring it down alone. There have been a few summers I have lost control of it, and there was nothing I could do about it but sweat.
 
#27 ·
12-14" is a good size for lots of things. I dont have anything new to add, but a rock wall/foundation or oven or fire pit are good ideas. Im saving rocks from tilling to just make a fire pit.. i havent found any as big though.

+1 for selling them as petrified t-rex eggs! <-- thats all i really wanted to say in this post :D
 
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