Pounders
Some blocks will change when they are pounded by an anvil. You can even use a sticky piston to lift (and drop) an anvil. -- Sticky pistons are temporarily broken so use regular pistons instead for now --
- Stone cracks into Cobblestone.
- Cobblestone pulverizes into Sand.
- Hardened Clay pulverizes into Red Sand.
- Smooth Stone Brick turns to Cracked Stone Brick
You can add a Pounder to a cobblestone generator to create a sand generator! Piston's can only move blocks with no reinforcement, so protect any redstone devices you create that use pistons with a reinforced enclosure.