[SteveJ]

I'm in the middle of a DIY retaining wall project using Pisa2 bricks - my first time using this product. I have a few questions:

1) My Pisa blocks come from Mutual Materials. I've noticed that some of the jumbo units not of uniform height. On some of the jumbo blocks, I need to "sand" about an 1/8" off the top of the block. Is there any tool or technique to sand down these non-conforming blocks?

2) I ordered a certain quantity of left corners and right corners, but it looks like what was delivered was a full pallet of corner blocks of a uniform size. They look like this except that they're pre-grooved between the two top "bumps". If I break this unit apart, I get two blocks that are rough on three sides. I'm a bit confused by this. I was expecting "left corner" and "right corner" units that were rough only on two sides. Can someone explain this to me?

3) Is cutting with an ordinary circular saw and diamond blade recommended for cutting Pisa2 blocks?

4) How do people handle a stepped wall on a sloping grade? If the first course of each step starts along the same line (say 24" setback from the sidewalk) and each course has a built-in 3/4" batter, then the step sections can't connect with each other. In other words, every course in a given step section has a different batter than the same course of the neighboring step section, so the step sections can't be "tied together". I don't know if that makes sense, but I was wondering how people typically handle that.

Thanks!

[AZTLANLC]

http://www.risistone.com/home/upload...on%20Guide.pdf

This should answer all your questions if after reading this whole manual and you find yourself still asking many questions it would be smart to hire a company that can handle this job.

[SteveJ]

I've studied the document that you reference extensively prior to embarking on this project and during it. I don't believe that any of my questions are addressed in the document.

[4seasons]

you dont break that unit first of all. the one in the picture is what I would call a left unit.
Look carefully at pages21-24 and 34-37 on the actual document. They will answer all your questions.

[AZTLANLC]

1. a grinder with a diamond cup to grind them down and pennys to compensate for height.
2. as far as I remember pisa 2 corners are one big piece and you split them in the groves and end up with right and left I believe one of the groves you don't have to split but if you do it doesn't matter that it has 3 rough sides.

3. a demo saw with diamond blade is the best option for walls I usually just cut the face of the block 1" down and split with chisel.

4. you are right this question makes not much sense.
But I believe what you are referring can be accomplished cutting half the grove on the blocks if you see the pisa 2 units some of them the grove is split in 2 section you take half off the back side and then can be able to install the wall with no batter.

[SteveJ]

Here's one of the corner blocks that I have. As you can see, it's about 20" long with two rough sides and two smooth sides. There is a groove that separates the block into a 11.5" block and an 8" block. If I split along this groove, then I end up with two blocks, each of them with three rough sides.

I don't know how to reconcile this with the "left" and "right" units described in the specification. I guess I can see my block being a 20-inch "left" unit, but I don't understand what's intended with the groove, and blocks that are rough on three sides seem completely useless for corner scenarios.

Did I get the wrong units delivered? Would appreciate any insight on this.

[SteveJ]

@4seasons, I've read the portions of the documents that you've referenced. I understand how 90 degree corners should be assembled with the 12" right/left corner blocks that are also specified in the document. My problem is that I can't make sense of the corner blocks that were delivered to me - please see my photo post that illustrates my corner bricks.

[4seasons]

I've never seen corners like those. I don't see bumps on top and they are way too long. Did you split them or did they come like that? Maybe you split them the wrong direction???? They just don't look right.

[SteveJ]

The label on the side said "Pisa II Split Corners".

There are bumps on the top but the flash made them hard to see. If you squint at it, you might be able to make out that the 11.5" piece has to bumps on the top and the 8" piece has a continuous bump like a standard Pisa2 unit.

[AZTLANLC]

I would call your supplier and ask the proper way to use those they might be new cause I haven't seen them neither.

[dan deutekom]

Those look corners that we used about 15 or 20 years ago. The corners used to be about 20 inches long so that the wall would tie together well. The split was there so that it was easy to modify if you needed only 12 inches of block to keep your bond or for doing odd angles or stairs. Use them just like regular corners without splitting them. I preferred using these "long corners" as compared to the shorter ones that have become the norm. I have also noticed that the difference in hieght of the blocks was always about 1/8 inch between corner and regular blocks. This is the plight of the industry and the reason I always keep a roll or two of pennies in the truck when building walls.

[SteveJ]

Thanks for that insight on the "old school corner blocks". From a cursory inspection of my pallet, it looks like I only had "left" corners delivered, which I guess would be a different problem. I'll try to just use the entire thing as a corner block.