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It’s Tool Time for the PRO Team

The PRO Team is starting some new and exciting preservation projects that require not only skilled and specialized employees but specialty tools as well. To maximize our efficiency and ensure the safety of our team members, we are raising money for a few key tools including carbide-tipped chisels, a jackhammer, and diamond blade rotary wheels. Help us purchase these tools by donating below.

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Chisels

In the field, our team primarily uses chisels to carefully remove old mortar from historic walls before re-grouting. We also use them to split bricks in half during the process of rebuilding walls or re-laying pathways. There are many different sizes and shapes of chisels on the market, made from various metals of different strengths. For our purpose, we require chisels that are hard and durable enough to withstand thousands of impacts against concrete, mortar, brick, and stone. Carbide tipped chisels specifically made for carving granite and other very hard stones are the ideal tools for us.

Jackhammer

Jackhammers are a staple in the construction business. Their power and effectiveness allow crews to break up hundreds of square feet of concrete in a day. The is a lot of concrete at Oakland that the PRO Team must contend with, ranging from 4” pads covering a family lot to concrete and brick bases that reach several feet deep under large monuments. To tackle issues like these the PRO Team regularly rents a jackhammer from Home Depot or spends hours of time and energy breaking up the concrete manually with crowbars and sledgehammers. Not only is this inefficient and a drain to our budget, but it also puts employees at a higher risk of over-use injuries. Quality jackhammers cut demolition time more than in half.

Rotary wheels

Rotary wheels are small circular blades that, attached to a rotary tool, spin rapidly and cut thin, clean lines into stone. The PRO Team uses very small, diamond blade rotary wheels to sharpen smooth edges on repaired headstones. The clean edges allow restoration mortar to properly bond with the stone surface. Although they are very hard and sharp, rotary blades are also quite brittle and in the course of a year, we can potentially go through dozens of these small but incredibly helpful tools!

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