“The Showing”
This picture shows an exposed “front” on a bed of bluestone. Look closely and notice the “reeds” or sedimentary lines in the stone. This is where the bluestone will split, producing our various natural cleft products.
“Top View of Showing”
The topsoil and shale have been removed during the stripping process. Large excavators or track loaders are used in “stripping” bluestone quarries.
“Not there Yet”
Cap rock is still covering the bluestone beds. More excavating, demolition, or hydraulic hammering is necessary to remove the cap.
“Maybe?”
Notice the layers of flagstone. This area is ready for a test sawing to see if it will make some dimensional stone.
“Sawed Lines”
Here is a freshly finished “sawing”. Notice the northsouth, eastwest sawed grid lines in the “block”. Our next step is to remove the sawed “cubes” with a skid steer. The cubes will then be processed by hand with hammer and chisel. Splitting bluestone is an art that requires skill and patience, not to mention a strong arm and back.
“Birds Eye View”
This picture gives you an elevated view of the bluestone bed from a top our Windsor, NY ridge line.
“Work in Progress”
Notice the rows of standing “cubes”, they have been removed from the block and staged for splitting.
“A New Beginning?”
In the quarry business this is know as a “floater”. This is a chunk of stone that has been separated from a larger block of bluestone by thousands of years of earth shaping events. The original block formation is typically upslope from the floater and if found and tested/explored could prove to be a new quarrying opportunity.