Freestone

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A freestone is a stone used in architecture for molding, tracery and other work required to be worked with the chisel. The stone must be fine-grained, uniform and soft enough to be cut easily without shattering or splitting. Some sources say that the stone has no grain, but this is incorrect. Oolitic stones are generally used, although in some countries soft sandstones are used; in some churches an indurated chalk called clunch is employed for internal lining and for carving. Some believe that freemason originally meant one who is capable of carving freestone.

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.