Concrete stone texturing machine, method and product

A method of forming a deep irregular rough surface in a face of a concrete stone having flat faces whereby said face is textured to resemble a real irregular chipped protruding stone face, said method comprising the steps of:

• i) conveying a concrete stone in a predetermined oriented position to a loading station adjacent a pitching station,
• ii) arresting said stone at a predetermined position at said loading station in alignment with said pitching station,
• iii) providing at said pitching station two pairs of opposed blade assemblies, one pair being horizontal pitching blade assemblies and another pair being vertical pitching blade assemblies, each said pitching blade assemblies having a plurality of pitching blades secured in side-by-side relationship, each said pitching blades having a forward projecting cutting edge and a securing body portion, a first group of pitching blades having their cutting edges offset from the cutting edges of a second group of pitching blades and aligned along a first straight cutting axis which is parallel to a second straight cutting axis of said cutting edges of said second group of pitching blades, said pitching blade assemblies lying in a common vertical plane,
• iv) positioning said stone by pusher means on a support platform at said pitching station with said face to be textured projecting a predetermined distance beyond said common plane,
• v) clamping said stone on said support platform,
• vi) displacing said pitching blade assemblies alternately in pairs or simultaneously by associated cylinders to cause said pitching blades to move on an associated one of surrounding surfaces,
• vii) arresting said cylinders,
• viii) actuating said cylinders to cause said pitching blades to penetrate said face a predetermined distance to chip said surface to form said irregular rough surface, and
• ix) discharging said concrete block with said chipped irregular rough surface.