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Stonehenge

Stone Shifting 2

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FourWinds F
FourWinds Aug 30, 2003 13:24:07
Replying to Steve Gray

The bottom of the stone is unlikely to be flat. The bottom of the holes were never dug flat.

When you drop an uneven thing on to an uneven thing it could go anywhere.

Stonehenge may be the one example where the bottom of the stone 'might' have been flattened - most others are left rough. This is probably because Stonehenge was built by chippies, not stone masons.

N nigelswift
nigelswift Aug 30, 2003 14:18:28
Replying to FourWinds

I know several sarsen stone holes have been excavated but I can't find a diagram anywhere.
I'm thinking, if you scored a direct hit and 40 tons hit the bottom of the hole it would make it's own snug fit, whereas if it glanced off the sides on the way down then it would have less force and the shape of the bottom of the hole would be more important. But I do feel if it will actually touch bottom we'll be OK. The only place it could go is forward (since that's the only sloping side) and we ought to insure against that with a bit of buttressing. Maybe Steve can hold the buttressing, as a mark of confidence in his modelling...