The Quarrying Process
We quarry our sandstone from the site here in Wilkeson, WA. Even though stone has been quarried for over 100 years, there is plenty of stone left in the hillside.
Blasting for Dimensional stone
We first drill a row of holes spaced 6-8 inches apart. The holes are then loaded with explosive detonating cord of varying strengths and filled with water to distribute the explosive shock evenly to the stone. This allows us to control the fracture and end up with dimensional blocks for further fabrication or sale as existing quarry blocks.
Or, alternatively, click on the link below to view a video clip of a couple of quarry shots.
(It may be required to download and save this video clip before playing.)
Transporting a block
There are various ways to get a quarry block off of the hillside, here are a couple of pictures of some of the machines involved.
Caterpillar E650
Here's a picture of Justin operating the huge Komatsu WA 20. This monster of a machine is a force to be reckoned with.