Chiseling out sandstone?

[Wade Lippman]

I have a ring camera in a tree pointed at my house. The batteries last a week or two, and then need to be charged, which means hauling out a ladder etc. etc. I got a photocell panel for it that works well, but is pretty ugly.
I thought of getting something "decorative" and putting the panel in it. I thought of a bench, but that would be obtrusive. My wife suggested a rock and found some sandstone rocks at a garden store for $50. It is drilled for a plant pot, but has a nice flat surface for the panel.

How would I hog out some rock to recess the panel?

[Meryl Logue]

I’ve used small cold chisels for minor concrete excavation.

[Rob Luter]

I'd approach it the same way as a shallow mortise in wood but use tools suited to stone.

Mark the area to be excavated. Use a masonry bit to drill out the bulk of the material. Use a small cold chisel to clean things up. Sandstone is easy to work.

[Jim Becker]

If chipping it out doesn't work for you...you could "mold your own rock" using concrete or resin and sand. :) The mold making is a nice little woodworking project, too.

[Alex Zeller]

A circular saw with a masonary blade will cut stone just fine. Use an old saw and just enough water to keep the dust down (not on the saw). Make a bunch of scores and chip out the rock between the cuts.

[Ken Combs]

A circular saw with a masonary blade will cut stone just fine. Use an old saw and just enough water to keep the dust down (not on the saw). Make a bunch of scores and chip out the rock between the cuts.


That was gonna be my suggestion too. With a slight mod, a 4 or 4.5" grinder is easier to control. Diamond blades are cheap now. Use it on a
GFCI protected circuit and use as much water as you want.

[Tom M King]

I buy the cheapest 4-1/2" grinder, and use a water hose, figuring it's a disposable tool. They last about an hour. I'd rather dispose of a cheap tool, than my lungs.

[Malcolm McLeod]

I have a ring camera in a tree pointed at my house. The batteries last a week or two, and then need to be charged, which means hauling out a ladder etc. etc. I got a photocell panel for it that works well, but is pretty ugly.
I thought of getting something "decorative" and putting the panel in it. I thought of a bench, but that would be obtrusive. My wife suggested a rock and found some sandstone rocks at a garden store for $50. It is drilled for a plant pot, but has a nice flat surface for the panel.

How would I hog out some rock to recess the panel?


You can get resin/fiberglass/plastic 'rocks' - hollow and suitable for everything from covering hoses to outdoor speakers. Probably only require a hole saw or suitable sized drill... A little duct tape, toss it in the weeds, and no dynamite or stonemason required.

Might put in 2 or 3 'rocks', just so the bad thems (gotta be inclusive) don't know which one to look under for the house key?

[Bill Dufour]

Sand blaster or needle scaler. Or do it like a mortise with overlapping drill holes then chisel out the waste between holes.
Bill D