We then set our finish heights for the footings which the marble bases needed and poured them both.  I then began to think about how best to go about putting the headstone of George Lynes back together.  I used four 4” pins to join the two pieces.  None of the surfaces were planar.  They were very round and the only flush attachment point was in the center where I put two pins.  

 

Resetting the bases

The footings were setting up and the elevations were correct for the next day.  I also had taken measurements of both George and Lizzie Lynes headstones as closely as I could to determine where to cut for the new tenons.  Both headstones have very subtle curves on their sides and measuring from top to bottom proved to be challenging as the tops were a subtle radius.  After measuring and measuring I made a few tentative marks where I thought they should be cut before calling it a day.  One of my primary concern was to make sure that the makers mark was left on the stones.  It was very close on Lizzie Lynes headstone because of the way the stone had broken and a fracture that was visible.  I decided to trust the measurements we had so carefully taken and go ahead and make the initial cut to square the bottom of the footstone to the base.

                    

On Friday, August 24^th, 2018 we brought another truck load of crushed granite to the site. We also checked and measured again where to cut out for the new tenons.  Due to surrounding neighbors target shooting I decided better to wait until the next day to make the cuts.

                             

On Saturday, August 25^th, 2018 I made the cuts on George Lynes headstone.  We carried the George Lynes headstone over to the base on a ¾ sheet of plywood which I had cut to size as a work table and also for mounting purposes.  I put as much historical mix in the bottom of the mortise as was required after lightly chiseling out the areas I could tell would impede it resting the way it should after cutting on the bottom of the stone.  The headstone went into the mortise snuggly.  We had to wiggle it down.  I had made my cut perhaps with a bit too much precision.  Now that I think about it, I’m glad that I did cut it as tight as possible because the bottom portion of the fractured stone is probably only 15 – 20 % of the complete stone and it bears the whole load.  Setting this stone was the most nerve racking work I have ever performed, without question. 

  

   

We used 2 x 6 pyramid supports to hold the stones in place over the weekend and both stones were grouted in place with historical mix.  We then reset the footstones of both George and Lizzie Lynes in crushed granite.

 

  

           

On Monday, August 26^th, 2018 we returned to clean both memorials.  The stones stood proud and erect without the aid of any support.  

  

I decided to build a brace around the repaired fracture of the headstone of George Lynes out of hard maple off cuts to aid in strength and support and reduce stress on the stone and to help it last another 200 years.