boast

To boast a stone is to strike it with a broad chisel, usually 4 to 6 inches wide, in order to remove large lumps and bring the surface closer to its final shape. This is the first heavy dressing operation after the stone comes from the quarry or after initial splitting, and it prepares the face for finer finishing with smaller tools.

The tool itself, called a boasting chisel or boaster, has a relatively dull edge compared to finishing chisels. The mason holds it nearly perpendicular to the stone surface and strikes it with a heavy mallet or hammer, working systematically across the face in overlapping diagonal or horizontal strokes. The resulting surface is left with a pattern of broad flat facets, not a smooth plane. This is distinct from pointing, which uses a narrower tool to cut deeper lines, and from axe dressing, which leaves a texture of axe marks.

Boasting is done on stone types ranging from limestone and sandstone to granite and slate, though the force and angle of the blows vary with hardness. On soft stone, a mason can boast quickly; on granite or hard sandstone, the work is slower and requires sharper tool edges. Improper technique, such as striking at too shallow an angle, causes the chisel to slip or the stone to break unpredictably, so experience matters.

The word likely comes from an older sense of boast meaning to make or shape roughly, and is now mainly confined to masonry. Once a stone is boasted, it moves to the finishing stage using a point chisel, claw tool, or file, depending on the desired final texture and the type of stone. On architectural facework, boasting is often the primary visible operation, with the finished face simply being cleaned and lightly pointed rather than smoothed further.