spaller

noun

1. A tool used to remove concrete.

   “Concrete floors and walls can be mechanically decontaminated by removing the contaminated surface layer (1 to 2 inches) using surface grinders, spallers, or pneumatic drills.”

   “The concrete spaller system contains a hydraulic power supply system and the spaller device. The spaller device, as shown in Figure 19, basically consists of a hydraulic cylinder, a push rod, and a bit.”

   “The concrete spaller is a device which has been developed specifically for removing concrete surfaces by Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL).”

2. A person who breaks down stone into smaller pieces.

   “In 1919, the weekly margin above the living wage for the "all others" item was 6s., though the spallers then received 9s. a week margin and the millhands only 3s.”

   “After them came men called spallers, who broke the rock down into smaller lumps, generally about three inches across, with sledgehammers.”

   “Many days have I spent watching the female spallers breaking the stones. In the year 1899 I started to work at Dolcoath but there were not many spallers there then as they had just put in crushers which were worked by steam.”