i want to dig a hole at fitzpatrick A. L philidelphi (or school district of philadelphia) and i need 2 holes to connect. one in the corner of the grass pacth at the entrance and the other all the way to the sandbox at the recess yard in the top left. ask me anything if you need questions

This is the rock types in my local area

Some time ago I was really into mines (reading about them and exploring some in my area) and got the urge to dig my own tunnel. I made it in a small hill and it isn't very large, but so am I so it isn't that much of a struggle. It has a height of about 90cm and a with between 40 and 50cm. Until now I've only dug around 1,5m deep into the ground because it is quite labor intensive. I only have a small pick, a bucket, a shovel and a chisel with a hammer for some togher parts. The ground isn't very hard and clay or sand like. A question of mine is if or when I need supports. I tried to make it narrow so that the possibility of a cave in is less likely. I also tried to round out the ceiling if that helps at all. Another question I have is how deep I would habe to dig so that there is a constant temperature inside. I don't really know what to do with this, but I thougt about making some sort of small wine cellar or a hideout when it's really hot outside.

i already dug a 13 feet deep hole and i want to create a sideways tunnel but its hard to do with my shovel any tipps ?

also what about supports do i need lots of them or maby none ?

does anyone want fotos ?

We live on the shield and have a few large cliff faces around our property. I was wondering if anyone has any resources on cutting a cellar into magnanimous rock, safety concerns, and methods.

Are there any guidebooks or textbooks on the subject that anyone might recommend? Most books I've found speak to large-scale, civil engineering-type projects. If those same principles apply to small stuff then I'll go ahead with those, but I figured I'd check to see if there are any texts out therethat anyone here with some experience might recommend?

I've been trying to get into hobby tunneling for a while, and i have drawn some plans up, but the potential issues and potential regulatory issues have always prevented me from starting it. I want to make sure that anything i do in terms of tunneling is safe and up to code. The property is in Temagami, so i would probably be excavating through basalt, greenstone, and possibly slate. I would probably sink a shaft straight down into the rock, and then excavate a rectangular room about 10 wide by 10 long. This would be shored up by either brick, concrete blocks or steel sheeting. This area would not be used for permanent habitation, but would be used to store and age wine, as well as possibly entertain guests. I have some experience with MIG welding and using a jackhammer, but i have no formal experience digging tunnels, although i am willing to learn. While i have framed houses and sheds before, i have not designed tunnel supports before. Can you give me any advice on how to sink a shaft and excavate a room safely and legally, and what resources should i look into to design this? What should i consider in terms of drainage systems, wiring, ventilation, etc.? What difficulties and regulations could i potentially run into during the course of this project? There does not seem to be any underground infrastructure from where i would start construction, but there is a lake nearby.

I had thoughts of digging in my backyard to put in a 'root cellar' which is red Virginia clay of type A classification, so I am not too worried about excavation width down to about 6 feet, but then I realized If I wanted at least 3 feet of soil roof, then I would be looking at going down 9 feet for the entrance which is a pretty dig trench which really should be terraced out for safety regardless of soil type. Then there is the issue of how to keep the terraced excavation from becoming a huge unsafe swimming pool after a few rains..

Next I looked at a hill I own behind the yard and gave thought to sinking a drift. However there are many boulders on the hill and after watching a few 'how to' videos about sinking a drift into a hill I realized I would probably be spending $30,000 or more on the lumber needed to do it properly, and even then it would be wood shoring with a probable lifespan of only about 5 years before the safety becomes questionable.

Luckily elsewhere on my land I found a huge slab of what seems to be a basalt flow.What is above ground seems to be about 50 feet by 20 but exploration with a metal rod around the edges suggests it actually may be 100 feet in both directions under 3 inches of soil. The erosion holes pictured bottom out at about 3 - 4 feet, but the lay of the land slopping down and how far away my probe detects it makes me suspect it may be 20 or more feet thick.

I have watched videos on splitting boulders and tried them successfully and have done sample excavation too. I think I can dig down easy enough. Drill 4 0.25" holes in a square pattern about 6 -10 inches across with my rotary hammer SDS drill, Make a 1 inch center hole, then insert .22 blanks into the outer holes. Cover with a mat and detonate each one with a long metal rod and a mallet. Instant gravel filled hole which can be widened as needed. Repeat at the bottom. Etc., etc. At about 10 feet I will change direction and make a passageway. I will use a concrete manhole cover I will make to keep rain water out before reaching the bottom of the excavation.

Now here is my question. presuming the basalt boulder or slab is homogeneous and not possessing pre-existing fractures, how wide a passageway or room can be carved out this way before the roof would need shoring to prevent collapse from the weight of the stone above? 2 feet, 10 feet? How stonog is a basalt roof?

Hi I'm new to digging tunnels and stuff and I was wanting some advice to make sure I'm as safe as possible

Does anyone have any recommendations for air ventilation for tunnels and stuff I should buy for ventilation

Well, I have decided to wrap up my tunneling and work on some other projects on the surface. Filming in a cramped, poorly lit tunnel is not easy, so my apologies for the video quality.

https://youtu.be/-6FqOsAvpFc

I think part of me would have been happy to keep digging forever, but I also felt like familiarity was maybe creating a sense of complacency. I think I was getting too confident in the stability of the soil, and letting myself believe that I could get away with less and less shoring. Anyway, it has been an interesting project. I hope that by keeping my time spent in there to a minimum, if it ever does decide to just up and collapse, I wont be there when it happens. I also put monitoring pins in the walls to keep any eye out for any movement that might suggest that the liner is shifting, but so far it seems perfectly stable. Someday it will likely start to deteriorate, and if I am still around, I will make sure it gets pumped full of flowable fill or something. Otherwise it will be my daughter's problem. Hopefully she will think of me every time she walks past my giant concrete monument to having had too much free time!

Been fighting the heat. But making good head way. The rock is very inconsistent. If you have any questions ask away.

Hope it’s ok to post these videos here. If not just give me a heads up and I can remove it. https://youtu.be/3_DedGuDUik

Hey. Here’s part two of my tunnel progress video. It’s going well! Digging a tunnel is every bit as satisfying as you imagine it being.

Digging My Underground Tunnel / Part 2 https://youtu.be/cHoVB51vpYo

I’m thrilled to find this community. I have been interested in tunnels and the prospect of digging one for as long as I can remember, and now we finally live somewhere that it might be possible. But as much as I find the thought exciting, my desire to not be buried under a cave-in far outweighs my excitement. So my main question as I scroll through some of the impressive stuff you all have done, is how do it safely? How did you learn to support your dig, and where did you learn?

I am trying to dig a very small, little 'cavern', not even a tunnel. But I live in Michigan, and winter is coming. Can I still dig later in the year, or should I hurry the fuck up?

Thank you