Gravel and brick edging footpath

stuart45

moneysaver1978 said:

stuart45 said:

Sounds like you're going to do a good job. Are you going to freehand the curve, or use the trammel method?

Thank you, I hope so but that feels me with a bit more confidence!

Hadn't considered a trammel method (had to google to refresh my memory!) and that's a good idea actually! That said, we did measure from the fence, and adjusted accordingly with a string and sticks for visualisation.

A thought about MOT, should a weed membrane be between the soil and MOT or between MOT and gravel?

I might have been a confusing mentioning the trammel method. Although it's a method of forming an ellipse, in bricklaying a trammel is also a piece of 2x1batten which is drilled at one end and fixed over a metal pin into the ground. The other end is moved around to check the bricks on the arc. You can do the same with a line fixed at the striking point of the arc. 
A line is fine for one course of bricks, batten is preferred when building a wall as it can be moved up a fixed metal rod and doesn't stretch.

Bookworm105

moneysaver1978 said:

Thank you @Bookworm105 and @casper_gutman - that's very good point about the type of gravel. We were thinking of something like https://www.wickes.co.uk/Suburban-Stone-40mm-Blue-Slate-Chippings---Major-Bag/p/285247

When you say rounded shingle, do you mean something like https://www.wickes.co.uk/Suburban-Stone-River-Pebbles---Midi-Bag/p/294051?

yes they are good examples of the interlocked v non interlocked point I was making.

moneysaver1978

stuart45 said:

moneysaver1978 said:

stuart45 said:

Sounds like you're going to do a good job. Are you going to freehand the curve, or use the trammel method?

Thank you, I hope so but that feels me with a bit more confidence!

Hadn't considered a trammel method (had to google to refresh my memory!) and that's a good idea actually! That said, we did measure from the fence, and adjusted accordingly with a string and sticks for visualisation.

A thought about MOT, should a weed membrane be between the soil and MOT or between MOT and gravel?

I might have been a confusing mentioning the trammel method. Although it's a method of forming an ellipse, in bricklaying a trammel is also a piece of 2x1batten which is drilled at one end and fixed over a metal pin into the ground. The other end is moved around to check the bricks on the arc. You can do the same with a line fixed at the striking point of the arc. 
A line is fine for one course of bricks, batten is preferred when building a wall as it can be moved up a fixed metal rod and doesn't stretch.

Ah I see and that's a great point (this video was great). I think the curve is very subtle and it being a single layer (sunk down same level as the lawn) and single course of bricks (and laid by the long side), the exact curve might not matter too much.

But this is a great food for thought so we are going to put bricks on the lawn and see how it looks along with a trammel thing (we have enough wood and a couple of poles so may as well give it a try!).

moneysaver1978

GDB2222 said:

Gravel next to a lawn. Could that cause any problems with your mower? 

If it were me, I’d probably just bed the round stepping stones into grass. Mind you, I’m rather lazy.

We did consider that hence using bricks between the gravel and lawn so hopefully shouldn't be too much of a problem for the lawn mower. Fingers crossed!

FreeBear

stuart45 said:

There's different opinions on where the membrane goes, and some people argue it's a waste of time anyway, as weeds will still grow on top of it. Most groundworkers I know put it under the MOT sub base if they put one in.

On a well compacted sand subsoil, no need for a membrane. On clay, it would prevent the MOT1 migrating down. But even then, I'm of the opinion that a membrane isn't needed. Just more plastic that can't be recycled, so ends up in landfill when the garden gets another makeover.