How to use a digging bar to break rock or concrete?

27th February 2020


	How to break rock or concrete


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			Which design is best?
			For breaking through thin layers of rock, concrete or tarmac, a heavy duty digging bar should be used. A telegraph bar is ideal, but a regular digging bar at the top of the available weight range should also be sufficient.

			Lighter weight digging bars such as the bent chisel/slate bar can be used as an aid when breaking up concrete slabs and other paving. However, there are other bars which are more suited to this task (see: Pry Bars). As this task depends on leverage, a longer bar will make things easier for you by minimising the amount of force you will have to put in to lift the slab.

			What else will you need?
			A sledgehammer

			A co-worker

			Wonkee’s hoof-by-hoof guide: How to break rock or concrete
			There are two ways you can break concrete or rock using a digging bar:

			Using a telegraph digger or other heavy duty digging bar, you can break through thin layers of concrete, rock, or tarmac by following these simple steps:

			Step 1 – Raise bar Raise the digging bar up above the area you want to break through.

			Step 2 – Drop bar Bring the pointed end down onto the concrete, rock or tarmac, using the full weight of the bar as the driving force.

			Step 3 – Turn over and lift bar Turn the bar over and raise it again.

			Step 4 – Drop bar Bring the chisel edge of the bar down onto the concrete, rock or tarmac, again using the full weight of the bar as the driving force.

			Step 5 – Lever debris apart When cracks begin to appear, wedge the pointed end of the bar into them and lever the debris apart. If the cracks are very narrow, you can use the chisel edge to get between them – but be careful not to bend it when putting force on the end of the bar.

			Step 6 – Lift loose debris Repeat this process over the whole area you wish to break up, using your bar as a lever to separate and lift loose chunks of debris for disposal.

			Using a lighter bar as an aid to break up concrete slabs or other paving, you can:

			Step 1 – Lift slab Insert the chisel end of the bar under the edge of the slab you want to break up, and push down on the opposite end, levering it upward.

			Step 2 – Strike slab Have your co-worker strike the slab with a heavy striking tool, such as a sledgehammer, to break it up.

			Step 3 – Repeat Remove the bar, and repeat this process on each slab until all are broken up, or as desired.