I would think the form(s) would be easy enough to build from lumber, next thing I would do is quantify how much the form holds, calculate the volume convert units to cubic feet and divide by 27, should be .66 cu. feet per 80 lb bag, IE; a 1'-0" x 2'-0" x 4" x.33" depth convert inches to decimal 12" per foot so (4/12= .33) form so that = .66 = (1) 80 lb bag. Then see how that compares to what you can mix from bags and a stationary mixer, if you are going to use bags, and being a small quantity I assume that to be the case. Then you can set up to pour X number of forms each time, meaning build that many or double..... so on so it's productive. You can possibly adjust your form volume to make things workout to = a batch of an equal quantity, just something to consider, maybe the size of the capstone can't change etc, so it is what it is.
Being that these will be cap stones, you may want to consider adding pitch or slope from the center of the stone, yeah it's easier to build em flat, but the water will run off, just a thought. Coping and cap stones will eventually wear in, meaning you see the aggregate, so you really want a solid finish on the top side, and make sure not to pour in real hot weather, get em done early a.m. or evening, then once set keep em watered down, just make sure they are set and don't erode with high pressure, a soaking, covered with burlap like they do on bridge decks is ideal for curing em slow.
Another thought is the finish, you really want to make sure that form is tight, and you'll want to tap on the edges to eliminate voids. Depending on how you build it, top of the piece can be bottom or top of form, so you may want to consider that to control the quality of the finish you want, cut a strip and place in the bottom to make that recessed area, or use a piece of lumber and do it from the top, only thing is it has to be identical or when you set em the joints could be off. I'm thinking chicken wire or some kind of smaller galvanized fence would work for reinforcing, I've used chicken wire and wire fencing that was non galvanized, just make sure it's completely covered with concrete, edge distance is uniform, anything that is too close can rust, stain and or spall concrete. I'm actually not sure if galvanized steel embedded in concrete can react with anything in concrete, but I have used it on small slabs without noticing any problems.
To get those forms to release, see what your masonry supply house has, they should carry a form release agent, I'm not sure of any MFR's from memory, but there is a material specifically for this. I'm not sure about diesel and any associated aesthetic discoloration, if you use it, do a mock up and see what it does before you do the work, a small wood form to mimic what you are building.
Another thought about form quality, if you are looking for a high end finish, you may want to get a higher grade plywood, they used to sell a plywood at the lumber yard I worked at, specifically for formwork, (was soaked with what I thought was form release agent, sure smelled like it) and use care with selecting lumber and building same. Forms built from lumber used to be common, but since engineered forming systems made that cost prohibitive and obsolete, I wonder if they still produce that plywood, we used to stock 3/4" and it had at least one good side, if not both, stacked/banded units were painted orange, 20+ years ago though.
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Today's Featured Article - Talk of the Town: How to Remove a Broken Bolt - by Staff. Another neat discussion from the Tractor Talk Discussion Forum. The discussion started out with the following post: "I have an aluminum steering gear housing with a bolt broken off in it. The bolt is about a 3/8" x 1 1/2" bolt. I've already drilled the center of the bolt out with about 7/64" drill bit the entire length of the bolt. Only one end of the bolt is visible. I tried to use an easy out but it wasn't budging and I didn't want t
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