Rodney

We had a contractor come out and lay a patio for us with big hunkin' heavy natural sandstone flagstones. He excavated the site, levelled it, put in the flagstones, cut and trimmed some of them with a rock saw for a better fit, and sanded the joints. Looks great.

We now have five or six leftover flagstones (up to 2x5 feet, irregular shape) which I'd like to use to pave a small area of bare dirt. I'll need to break or trim some of them, and I don't have a rock saw or know how to use one. What are the options for trimming them accurately by hand? They're sandstone slabs, about 3 or 4 inches thick.

Any advice? Do I just lay the stone over a 4x4 along the proposed cut line and whang the excess part with a mallet? Do I need to make a score line? I've read a few things online, but I'd be interested in hearing directly from someone who has done this. Thanks in advance.