AB Fieldstone Construction Tips
Inside and Outside Curves with AB Fieldstone
Building curved and serpentine walls are simple. AB’s patented design allows for easy installation of both inside and outside curves.
- Try to maintain an offset of the vertical seams by at least 1/4 of the block length from the courses below for both inside and outside curves.
Inside Curves
- Place the facing units to form a flowing curve.
- Set anchoring units in place with the back of anchoring units fanned out to form the curve.
Outside Curves
- Place the facing units to form a flowing curve.
- Remove one or both of the wings from the anchoring units to achieve an outside curve. Then set the anchoring units in place.
- See the radius chart to determine the minimum radius for the base course of an outside curve.
Use this chart to find the minimum recommended radius at the base of the wall. Note all lengths, dimensions and setbacks are approximate.
AB Radius Chart for the |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Setback | Wall Heights | ||||
| AB, AB Aztec, AB Europa, AB Metropolitan Collection (full size blocks) |
4 ft 1.2 m |
6 ft 1.8 m |
8 ft 2.4 m |
10 ft 3.0 m |
|
| 3 degree (Ref) | 4 ft 9 in 1.43 m |
5 ft 0 in 1.52 m |
5 ft 4 in 1.6 m |
5 ft 8 in 1.7 m |
|
| 6 degree (Ref) | 5 ft 2 in 1.6 m |
5 ft 6 in 1.7 m |
5 ft 11 in 1.8 m |
6 ft 4in 1.9 m |
|
| 12 degree (Ref) | 5 ft 6 in 1.7 m |
6 ft 0 in 1.8 m |
6 ft 6 in 2.0 m |
7 ft 0 in 2.1 m |
|
| AB Fieldstone Collection 812 facing unit w/short anchoring unit (SAU) |
4 ft 1.2 m |
6 ft 1.8 m |
8 ft 2.4 m |
10 ft 3.0 m |
|
| 6 degree (Ref) | 6 ft 7 in 2.0 m |
7 ft 0 in 2.1 m |
7 ft 5 in 2.3 m |
7 ft 10 in 2.4 m |
|
| AB, AB Aztec & AB Europa Collection (half size blocks) | 2 ft 0.6 m |
4 ft 1.2 m |
6 ft 1.8 m |
||
| 6 degree (Ref) | 3 ft 0 in 0.9 m |
3 ft 5 in 1.0 m |
3 ft 10 in 1.15 m |
||
Modifying Anchoring Units
- Removing the “wings” of the blocks will be needed on projects with curves, corners or step downs. For smooth outside curves, remove one or both of the “wings” from the back of the anchoring units and tighten the radius of the curve. Break wings off with a hammer and chisel in the existing score line to obtain a clean break.
- When working with corners and/or stepping down a wall, split an anchoring unit in half to tie the corner together. Split the block by using a hammer and chisel to make a break down the center of the block.
- On some projects you will need to modify the bottom lip of the block to fit on the course below. Use a hammer and chisel and tap along the lip to remove.